CHAPTER XVI. ALFRED TENNYSON, 1801 "Of the living poets of England, Tennyson at this time occupies the highest rank; and he is destined to a wide and high regard."-Dr. Griswold. "Tennyson is endowed precisely in points where Wordsworth wanted. There is no finer ear, nor more command of the keys of language."-Ralph Waldo Emerson. "To describe his command of language, by any ordinary terms expressive of fluency or force, would be to convey an idea both inadequate and erroneous. It is not only that he knows every word in the language suited to express his every idea: he can select with the ease of magic the word that is, of all others, the best for his purpose." ."—Peter Bayne. "Versification broken and irregular, but inexpressibly charming; sometimes fantastic. Of the living poets of England, Tennyson at this time occupies the highest rank.”Alison. "In Memoriam comes more intimately home to English sympathies than Lycidas or Adonais, and may be pointed to, perhaps, as the one special monody to which beauty of form and feeling have given a universal currency.”—London Athenæum. I.-Editions and References. Of the regular published editions of Tennyson, the "Diamond" and "Centennial" editions (Price $1.00 each), are the best for school purposes. There are numerous cheaper editions, for the most part printed in England, but with an American publisher's name on the title-page. At this time, an edition of Tennyson's com plete poems, including everything up to date (1878), bound in cloth, with fair type and paper, is sold in Boston for 25 cents. Most of the books of selections which we have often referred to, contain more or less of Tennyson's best poems. For any desired information concerning Tennyson and his writings, consult, besides the ordinary referencebooks, an essay on Tennyson by Peter Bayne; James T. Fields's Yesterdays with Authors; Stedman's Victorian Poets; North American Review for January, 1863 (No. 139); Howitt's Homes and Haunts; and Powell's Living Authors of England. Taine's English Literature has a valuable criticism on Tennyson. II.-Selections for Study. The young student in Tennyson should begin with several of the simpler poems, as Lady Clare, Enoch Arden, The Lord of Burleigh, and Edward Gray, and gradually get used to the style before attempting to read the more difficult, as The Princess, In Memoriam, and Locksley Hall. The following list includes some of his best poems, from which a choice may be made according to the capabilities of the student: 1. The Deserted House. 2. The Miller's Daughter. 3. Lady Clara Vere de Vere. 4. The May Queen. 5. Margaret. 6. The Death of the Old Year. 7. Dora. 8. Locksley Hall. 9. St. Agnes' Eve. 10. Edward Gray. 11. Lady Clare. 12. The Lord of Burleigh. 13. A Farewell. 14. The Beggar Maid. 15. Songs: "Come not when I am dead," and "Break, break, break." 16. Ode on the Death of Wellington. 17. The Charge of the Light Brigade. 18. In Memoriam. 19. The Princess. 20. Enoch Arden. 21. The Coming of Arthur. G* III.-Guide Analysis for "Enoch Arden." PART I. 1. Description of the seaport town: "Long lines of cliff breaking have left a chasm." 2. The three children play on the shore: "Three children of three houses, -played Among the waste and lumber of the shore." 3. Enoch Arden's resolve,-his success,-marries Annie: "So these were wed, and merrily rang the bells." 4. Happy years of married life,-subsequent misfortunes,resolves to go on a foreign voyage: "And merrily ran the years,— Then came a change." 5. Breaks the news to Annie,-preparations and farewell to wife and children: -"hastily caught His bundle, waved his hand, and went his way." 6. Poverty, Philip aids her and the children,—no tidings of her long-absent husband,-Philip proposes marriage: -"lived a life of silent melancholy. -and so ten years, -and no news of Enoch came." 7. The entreaty for a year's delay,—“Seeks a sign from the Holy Book,"-finally marries Philip: -"You have my promise,-in a year. -under a palm-tree. Merrily rang the bells, and they were wed." PART II. 1. Enoch sails to the Orient,-wrecked on his return,-death of his comrades, and subsequent life on the desert island: 66 "A shipwrecked sailor, waiting for a sail." 2. Dreams of home, wife, and babes,-discovered and carried home by a vessel seeking water and provisions: -"They landed him E'en in that harbor whence he sailed before." 3. The story Miriam Lane told him,—seeks Philip's house,— what he saw,-despair: -"So that falling prone he dug His fingers into the wet earth, and pray'd." confides his 4. His prayer for strength, -loss of health, secret and the story of his wanderings to Miriam Lane: "As this woman heard, Fast flowed the current of her easy tears.' 5. His dying request,-promise,-death: "A sail! a sail! I am saved; and so fell back and spake no more; IV. Some General Questions on "Enoch Arden." When was this poem written? Was it founded on fact? Did you ever read of a similar story? Have you any personal knowledge of a similar event? Is it at all probable? Do you suppose that similar events might have happened during the late war? Is this poem popular? How does it contrast with Tennyson's other poems? Mention several poems which show the variety of his genius. Has Enoch Arden been extensively dramatized? Does it make a good play? What can you say of the language and style in which it is written? What unfavorable criticisms can you make either on the language, style, or story? How will you sum up the first nine lines? Is this typical of any seaport town? Is it especially true of the English seaports? Show wherein this description would not apply to our own sea-coast villages? Have we a perfectly natural picture of children playing on the sand? If Annie loved Enoch, as the text says, why was she kinder to Philip? What was Enoch Arden's first resolve, and what was his success? What is meant by the "Friday fare" which he furnished the Hall? What was the origin of this custom? What was the cause of his subsequent poverty? How did he propose to help himself? Why not resume his former occupation? What was his plan for himself? wife? and children? How will you explain Annie's dread foreboding that she would never see her husband again? What curious verification of her foreboding followed, as the vessel sailed by the town? What was Philip Lee's kindness to Annie and her children, and why was he so generous? Was she justified in listening to Philip's offer of marriage, after the long absence of her husband? What sign did she seek from the Bible, -with what result? What was her interpretation of the "palm tree"? Can you in any way associate it with the subsequent events? How will you explain her dread foreboding, after her second marriage? Where was the vessel bound in which Arden sailed? Mention some of the figures of rhetoric used by Tennyson in describing the voyage? in describing the desert island? What phantoms seemed to move before him as he watched for a sail ? How do you explain these phantoms? What did he seem to hear ringing in his ears? Describe his r scue from the island by a vessel in search of water. How did Nature seem to sympathize with him, as he approached his native town? Describe how the news of the past was imparted to him by his landlady; his glimpse of his wife and children. What was his prayer? his resolve? How were Arden's last days passed? What was the real cause of his death? Explain how the secret was finally revealed to Miriam Lane on his death-bed. How will you explain his last words: "A sail! a sail!" What may you infer from the last lines? Do you think Enoch Arden did right in keeping secret his identity until after his death? V.-Selections to Commit to Memory. "; Some of the most beautiful verses in our literature can be found in Locksley Hall, and The Princess. Select also some of the best lines from The Deserted House, St. Agnes' Eve, and The Brook. Commit the whole or portions of the exquisite songs: "Break, break, break" "Flower in the crannied wall"; "Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky," from In Memoriam; "The Flower"; and the following songs from The Princess: "As thro' the land at eve we went"; "Sweet and low, sweet and low"; "The splendor falls on castle walls." |