Tennyson's Poetry: General Characteristic

 Characteristics of Tennyson Poetry:

Tennyson is a chiefly remembered as the most representative poet of the Victorian age.   He was a national poet, whose poetry reflected the various important tendencies of his time. That is why he was a popular in his own day. But one whose poetry is so representative of his age is apt to be less universal  in his appeal.

 

Therefore, with greater universality in his themes, Tennyson  would have been far more popular both during and and after his own time. But the set back caused to his popularity by a certain want of universality is amply compensated by his being poet-artist of a very high and permanent value. Today he is admired mainly as a literary artist of a very high order. His word paintings of the external beauties of nature his careful observation, his accuracy in description to the minutest details, his keen sense of the value words and phrases, his strong sense of music in words- all these makes him a poet- artist in the truest sense. Prof. Web has ably summed up the qualities of Tennyson  as a poet, "His poetry, with its clearness of conception and noble simplicity of expression, its discernment of the beautiful and its power of shaping it with mingled strength and harmony, has become an integral part of the literature of the world and so long a s purity and loftiness of thought expressed in perfect form have power to charm, will remain a passion for ever." Now these   Characteristics may be studied more fully.