ABSTRACT
Tennyson is sometimes thought of as a Romantic poet, sometimes as a Victorian poet. He was actually both, and that fact says something about the often unnecessary urge to pigeon-hole authors into groups or schools. He is also a poet who has aroused strong feelings. He had an immense popular readership in his own time, and still does, but from then until now critics and intellectuals have worried over his work and not infrequently tried to reduce or diminish Tennyson's reputation. To an extent this has been true of many writers who have exerted a great popular appeal, and there is a strong tendency in criticism to believe that great popularity can only be achieved at the cost of intellectual truth. To describe Tennyson as ‘popular’ is therefore seen by some as damning him. Other areas of his work have also invited criticism. He was an immensely skilful technician, with a magnificent command of rhyme, rhythm and metre. This can be admired. It can also be used to suggest that his technical skill covers up a deficiency in thought and content, and that his technical skill allows rather inadequate poetry to appear much better than it actually is. Tennyson was a Victorian through and through. He was much admired by Queen Victoria, which fact alone is enough to damn him in certain eyes. He had a dogged, if sometimes troubled, faith in a middle-of-the-road Christianity, and can thus be accused of writing in the manner of a hymn book rather than a poet. He wrote some stirring and often patriotic verse about wars and conflict (‘The Ballad of the Revenge’ and ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ are well-known examples) and can thus be accused of being right-wing, warmongering, and unthinking.
