1. Alfred, Lord Tennyson

2. Beginnings Born in 1809 Wanted to be a poet since a young boy
Father was a clergyman and supported his poetry
Attended Cambridge University and was very successful, but only for a short time
When he was 22, his father died and left him with no funds to continue college

3. Period of Silence
That same year he publishes his first book of poems, but critics mock him for being too “melancholy”
Next year his best friend dies
He becomes engaged two years later but can’t marry because he has no money (marriage postponed for 14 years)
10 year period of silence

4. Finally…Success! At age 40, he finally finds success
He publishes a book of poems, Memoriam, an elegy to his friend who died, about his own recovery of faith in the immortality of the soul and the harmony of creation – despite the unsettling discoveries of science
Sells like crazy!

5. Finally…Success! He is named Poet Laureate of England
(After Wordsworth)
Government pays him to write poems
Finally is able to get married!
In the next 40 years he sells dozens of volumes of poetry
Makes him rich

6. Melancholy Tones
He keeps the same sad, melancholy tones throughout all his writing
Uses beautiful language and writes about the fragility and sadness of life
He assured readers that “his own experience of sadness and disorder had taught him that everything was part of a benevolent plan in which all losses would be made good.”