Biography
Alfred, Lord Tennyson was a popular English poet. He served as Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom for 42 years (term 1850-1892). He often wrote poetry based on mythology. Among his most famous works was the "Idylls of the King" (printed in updated versions, 1859-1885), a collection of narrative poems based on Arthurian legends. It was the most famous Victorian era-version of the legends, and remains popular. His poems typically reflect intense feelings of "grief, melancholy, and loss", as Tennyson struggled with depression throughout his life.
In 1809, Tennyson was born in Somersby, Lincolnshire. Somersby is a small village, located within a range the low hills known as the Lincolnshire Wolds. His father was the Anglican clergyman George Clayton Tennyson (1778-1831). George served as the rector of Somersby (term 1807-1831), the rector of Benniworth (term1802-1831) the rector of Bag Enderby, and the vicar of Grimsby. He was shrewd at managing his money and fairly affluent throughout his career. Tennyson's mother was Elizabeth Fytche (1781-1865), daughter of another clergyman.
In 1816. Tennyson started his education at the King Edward VI Grammar School, an all-boys grammar school located in Louth. It had been established in 1551, with financing provided by Edward VI of England (1537-1553, reigned 1547-1553). Tennyson finished his schooling there in 1820.
George Tennyson was an amateur poet, and encouraged his sons to write their own poetry. In 1826, at age 17, Alfred Tennnyson co-wrote a poetry collection with two of his older brothers, These brothers were Frederick Tennyson (1807-1898) and Charles Tennyson Turner (1808-1879) ,who went on to have literary careers of their own.
In 1827, Tennyson started his tertiary education at the Trinity College of Cambridge. While there, he joined a local intellect society, the Cambridge Apostles. Tennyson met and befriended fellow poet Arthur Hallam (1811-1833) and aspiring clergyman William Henry Brookfield (1809-1874).
In 1829, Tennyson won the Chancellor's Gold Medal, a prestigious literary award granted by the University of Cambridge. In 1830, Tennyson published "Poems Chiefly Lyrical", his first solo poetry collection. Its popularity helped him build a reputation as a promising writer. Among the poems included was "Mariana", a narrative poem about a woman who is isolated from society and has suicidal thoughts. The poem was loosely inspired by the play "Measure for Measure" (1604) by William Shakespeare, but rejected the play's happy ending. It was the first poem about social isolation Tennyson ever published, and the theme would appear frequently in his future poems.
In 1831, George Tennyson died at the age of 53. Alfred Tennyson dropped out of College and returned home to the rectory. He had to financially support his widowed mother. The Tennyson family was granted permission to keep using the rectory, even after George's death. At about this point, Tennyson arranged his sister Emilia engagement to his best friend Arthur Hallam.
In 1833, Tennyson published a second poetry collection under the generic title "Poems". It included the earliest version of "The Lady of Shallott", which would later become one his most famous poets. However this collection met with harsh criticism, and Tennyson's reputation suffered. He did not dare publish anything for the next decade, though he privately continued writing poems.
In September 1833, Arthur Halam died of cerebral hemorrhage during his vacation in Vienna. Halam was only 22-years-old, and his death surprised his family and friends. Tennyson mourned him, and started writing poets in his memory. The most important of them was "In Memoriam A.H.H.", first published in 1850. It contained Tennyson's thoughts on mortality, and also his thoughts on the then-popular scientific theory of the "transmutation of species". Tennyson wondered whether life was guided by the inherent cruelty of nature, and explored the implications of natural selection a decade before scientist Charles Darwin (1809 - 1882) wrote on the same topic.
In 1837, Tennyson and his family moved away from the rectory. He settled in Beech Hill Park, within the village of High Beach. The location was deep within Epping Forest, an ancient woodland in Essex. In wintertime, Tennyson had access to a frozen pond. He enjoyed skating there. His new house was not far from London, and he could socialize with friends who lived there. His needy mother, however, demanded his presence at home. She prevented him from ever spending the night in London.
In the late 1830s, Tennyson befriended Dr. Allen, the administrator of a local asylum. Allen also managed an ecclesiastical wood-carving enterprise, and convinced Tennyson to invest in it. When this business venture failed, Tennyson lost much of the family fortune. In 1840, Tennyson moved to London.
In May 1842, Tennyson published a new poetry collection under the generic title "Poems". Some of the poems had been published before, others were brand new. Its sales were surprisingly good, and he also earned profits from its reprint in the United States. By 1846, Tennyson had earned more than 600 pound pounds sterling from this single work. This helped him escape serious financial difficulties, which had lasted for years. His critical reputation also improved, with some critics viewing as the leading poet of his generation.
In 1850, Tennyson was appointed as the new Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom. He succeeded the Romantic poet William Wordsworth (1770-1850), who died from pleurisy earlier that year. He was reportedly only chosen because the older poet Samuel Rogers (1763 - 1855) had refused his appointment to the position.
In June 1850, Tennyson married his childhood acquaintance, the hymn-writer Emily Sellwood. Emily was better at at conducting business tasks than her husband, and she became Tennyson's business manager. They would have two sons. A difficult second pregnancy left Emily with permanent health problems.
From 1851 to 1853, Tennyson and his family lived in Chapel House, a Georgian brick house located in Twickenham. The house has been preserved as a Grade II-listed building. It is considered of historical significance due to its connection to Tennyson. Other famous figures resided there during the 20th century.
In 1853, Tennyson rented Farringford House, a country house located in the Isle of Wight. In 1856, he bought the country house from its previous owners. He lived there until 1869. The place eventually attracted tourists who wanted to meet Tennyson, much to his annoyance. He moved out in 1869, but continued to use Farringford as his winter home.
In December 1854, Tennyson published the narrative poem "The Charge of the Light Brigade". It commemorated an ill-fated cavalry charge during the Battle of Balaclava (October 1854), where about 110 British soldiers were killed and other 161 wounded due to their blind obedience to an order by a superior. It became one of Tennyson's most famous poems, inspiring sequels and adaptations by other writers and musicians.
In 1865, Tennyson was offered the rank of baronet by the government, but denied the honor. In 1868, he was offered the same rank, but again denied the honor. In 1883, the Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone (1809 - 1898) offered him the rank of a baron, and Tennyson took the offer. In 1884, he was officially appointed as the 1st Baron Tennyson. It was a new hereditary title that would be inherited by his descendants. From this point Alfred became known under the name "Lord Tennyson". Tennyson was reportedly the first person to be raised to a British peerage for their writing.
Tennyson continued writing well into his old age. He tried to become a playwright as well, though his plays were not considered particularly memorable. His last major work was the play "The Foresters" (1892), featuring incidental music by Arthur Sullivan (1842-1900). It was unpopular in the United Kingdom, but met with success in the United States.
Tennyson died in October 1892, at the age of 83. He was buried at Westminster Abbey. He left an estate of 57,206 pounds sterling. His eldest son Hallam Tennyson (1852-1928) succeeded him as the 2nd Baron Tennyson. Hallam published a biography of his father in 1897. Hallam is mainly remembered for a brief term as the Governor-General of Australia (term 1903-1904).
Tennyson was succeeded as Poet Laureate with Alfred Austin (1835 - 1913), a poet chiefly noted as a nature-lover. Austin was widely considered to be inferior to Tennyson. Tennyson's fame has far outlasted many of his contemporaries, and he is among the relatively few Victorian era-writers whose works remain popular with the wider public.
