Hello Friends,
What is that exceptional thing or point which makes age to be known as? The answer would be quite simple literary man and critics. Many writers gave their entire contribution in making Age important, crucial and substantial too.
Yes, certainly Tennyson and Browning are one them.
Alfred Tennyson
If I say he is the great poet
of Victorian age, it would be slight insult of his eminence. He is known as a single representative of the
Victorian age. Of course, I am discussing about ALFRED TENNYSON. As we know that there is quite distinction
between poet and voice, he was also one of voice of people. He becomes the voice of the England. It is not easy to describe him by any critics
as a man and a poet not simply by a few discerning critics, but whole people
loved and honored him!
According
to William J. Long,
“For nearly half a man
and a poet;
He was a voice, the
voice of a whole people,
Expressing in exquisite melody their doubts and their
faith,
Their grief and their
triumph.”
Now, it is fair enough
to have a question that what Tennyson was writing and what kind of uniqueness
was having in his poetry that he should be read! So, let’s discuss remarkable
features of Tennyson’s poetry or we can also call it Tennyson’s message.
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Tennyson’s Message
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1.
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Supreme purpose of law
·
He finds supreme purpose of all law to be a revelation of divine
love.
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2.
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Women characters
·
He describes his women characters as Shakespeare- pure,
gentle and refined being.
·
His women character’s love made clear the meaning of all
life. Thus, the message goes to one step forward.
·
He was more read by readers because of his woman characters
which his characters work to bring out divine love from the heart.
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3.
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Faith as reasonable
·
Law and love are in the world, faith is the only
reasonable attitude toward life and death, even though we do not understand
them.
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Tennyson is remarkable man who
expresses not so much a personal as a
national spirit, he is probably the most representative literary man of the
Victorian era. His life has also made
great effect upon his poetry or vice versa too. His whole life is remarkable
from beginning to end he seems to have been dominated by a single impulse, the
impulse of poetry.
Characteristics of Tennyson’s
poetry.
If we try to conclude quality
and supremacy of Tennyson is very hard or difficult one; but three things stand
out simply to everyone.
1.
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Essentially the artist
·
Tennyson is essentially the artist. No other in his age
studied the art of poetry. So, constantly or with such singleness of purpose.
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2.
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Often a leader
·
He is emphatically a teacher, often a leader.
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3.
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Spiritual philosophy
·
He used spiritual philosophy in his poetry.
Example: “Law in the physical world evolution,
Law in the spiritual
world of perfect man.”
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To make this discussion supportive
and worthy, let’s have a look on remarkable works of Tennyson.
Tennyson’s works:
For making it easy to study and
also as having record in history, there are two records of Tennyson’s writing.
Two records of Tennyson’s writing
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(1)
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(2)
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Tennyson’s
poetry is not so much to be studied as to be read and appreciated;
He
is a poet to have upon on one’s table and to enjoy as one enjoys his daily
exercise.
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Tennyson
used to write for enjoyment, for inspiration rather than for instruction.
For example,
We
should by all means begins to get acquainted with Tennyson in the days of our
youth.
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Tennyson’s remarkable works
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(1)Poems
and Dreams
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(2)The
princess and Maud
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(3)In
Memoriam
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(4)The
Idylls of the king
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(5)English
Idylls
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Now, let’s try to evaluate this
all the features in his work “The Princess and Maud”
(1)The Princess and the Maud:
This is a long poem contains
3000 lines of blank verse. In poem, most of songs are delightful part of poet’s
later work. Before entering into further discussion, What is the meaning of ‘Maud’?
Maud:
‘Maud’ is kind of a melodrama we called in literature,
telling a story of literature. This very present poem is more attracted to
young lovers. The poem seems overwrought and melodramatic.
The dreaminess of Spenser,
The majesty of Milton,
The natural simplicity of Wordsworth,
The fantasy of Blake and Coleridge,
The melody of Keats and Shelley,
The narrative vigor of Scott and Byron
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All these striking qualities are evident on successive pages of Tennyson's poetry. The only lacking is the dramatic power of Elizabethans.
Theme: (1) Woman’s right and woman’s
sphere of that time.
(2)Love affairs
Central theme: To
solve the condition of woman that time and people what to think about women
with strong agitating.
This poem is a lyrical poem.
For example, ‘Come into Garden,
Maud’ This makes this poem a favorite with young lovers are characteristerised
by ‘prettiness’ rather than by beauty or strength.
Poem
also leads us to think of that question,
How to
come far away from the bad situation of lovers?
Thus, we can certainly say,
this is earlier and lyric or also can be seen as legendary narrative. It’s like
content to mirror of the feeling just as aspiration of the time. In his writing
we can find pictorial effect which opens up sumptuous imagery.
[2] Robert Browning
Here I am describing a poet
whose single couplet will suggest that the astonishing vigor and hope that
characterize all the works as he one of the Victorian age, who after thirty
years of continuous work was finally recognized!
“How
good is man’s life,
The mere
living! How fit to employ.
All the
heart and the soul
And the
senses for ever in joy!
It is also very interesting to
note that what was his message or object of his writing. To know this, let’s
have a look on Browning’s message.
Browning’s message
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1.
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Triumph of the individual
·
His message is the triumph of the individual will over all
obstacles
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2.
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Supremacy of self
·
The self is not subordinate but supreme.
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3.
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Absence of pessimistic
·
There is nothing oriental, nothing doubtful, nothing
pessimistic in the whole range of his poetry.
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4.
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Voice of the Anglo-Sexon.
·
He is the voice of the Anglo-sexon standing up in the face
of all obstacles and saying…….I CAN AND I WILL.
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He is as a poet, who has spoken
the strongest word of faith to an age of doubt. His energy, his cheerful
courage, his faith in life and his faith in the development that awaits us beyond the portals of death are like
a bugle-call to living. Of future, we can say, both at home and abroad he seems
to be gaining steadily in appreciation as the years go by.
Among these all qualities
Browning’s style makes him exception.
Browning’s style
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(1)Obscurity,
Sometimes rugged, angular style
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(2)At
its best, noble dignity and verbal music
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(3)Variety
of material forms
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(4)Clearly
manipulated rhythmic effects
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(5)Didn’t
care for beauty of description for its own sake;
Beauty of expression often captured in a
single image.
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Now, let’s get ideas about
Browning’s obscurity:
Browning’s Obscurity is strange
to understand. It is also associated with own self mentally and forgets that
reader’s associated may be different king. Means…. He does not write with the
point of view of reader. He was very much careless in language. His classic
references are more difficult to find for readers and understand them. So,
allusion are often far fetched of them.
It is
said that,
Browning
wrote too much and revised too little.
For
example,
He
wrote in very wide scale but we can’t connect it each-other in many
subjectivity.
He express his thoughts that flitted
through his head like, group of birds. He thinks very fast like flying birds.
We can’t understand his one line because he used many different words in next
line and can’t connection of each other. His field was connected the individual
soul.
His all works can be divided
into above three parts. Of the short
miscellaneous variety poems there is such an unusual variety that one must
hesitate a little in
suggestion this or that to the beginner’s attention.
Browning’s poems
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1.
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My
star
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2.
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Evelyn
Hope
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3.
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Wanting
is- what?
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4.
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Meeting
at Night
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5.
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Home
Thought from Abroad
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6.
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One
word more
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7.
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Propice
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8.
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Pippa
Passes
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9.
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By
the fireside
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(1)Pippa Passes
·
Rare poetical qualities
Unconscious influence of gypsy girl singing in
the wood near his home
·
A perfect of all work
·
With one exception, it is the most perfect of
all Browning’s works.
At best
it is not easy, not merely entertaining reading; but it richly repays whatever hours we spend in studying it.
Difference
between Tennyson and Browning
Before
discussing anything about this it is worthy to note that Browning’s place in
our literature will be better appreciated by comparison with his friend
Tennyson.
Difference between Tennyson
and Browning
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Tennyson
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Browning
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Tennyson is first the artist and then the
teacher
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Browning’s message is always the important
thing.
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He is caring for his language.
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Browning is careless from his language.
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He chooses his subjects daintily under the
influence of romantic revival.
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He chooses comely and ugly subject with equal
pleasure and aims to show that truth lies hidden in both the evil and the
good.
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Tennyson’s work is always artistic, never studied
art but always devoted to the sciences.
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Browning’s Work is seldom care; artistic in
form, thought that art was the most suitable for a man’s study.
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Thank You.
Reference:
History
of English Literature
William J. Long
