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Essay on Tennyson's Poetry and Views

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Tennyson's Poetry and Views

Alfred Lord Tennyson and his works have been an important part of canonical literature for over a century. He is as important as he is because his work is exceptional in many ways. One of these exceptional differences, in my opinion, is the conflicting view of women Tennyson portrays in his poetry, especially his poem "Locksley Hall." Tennyson's "Locksley Hall" is, in my opinion, a poem that would benefit greatly from an ideological discussion concerning Tennyson's views of women. This poem poses the questions: Are Tennyson's words describing a set of beliefs felt only by the narrator of the poem, or does Tennyson himself share these beliefs? Is the condescending, yet powerful view of women only the …show more content…

Apparently Amy has led him on, but is now set to marry another. The jilted young man is pouring his feelings out in a stream of consciousness about his unrequited love. He has lost both his parents and has never really loved anyone until Amy. Unfortunately, it appears that Amy is interested in more than love when it comes to marriage; she is interested in money and is going to marry a wealthy man.

I question Tennyson's view of women when his jilted narrator says:

Weakness to be wroth with weakness! Woman's pleasure,woman's pain--
Nature made them blinder motions bounded in a shallower brain.

Woman is the lesser man, and all thy passions, match'd with mine,

Are as moonlight unto sunlight, and water unto wine-- (149-152, 1842 Ed.)

It is clear that the jilted youth is ranting because he is upset, but could he simply be saying out loud what all others, including Tennyson, actually believe about women, but do not say? It can be argued that this poem is simply representative of a rant by a typical male youth. Tennyson did say that the speaker of the poem did have a "good side," "deficiencies," and "yearnings" (qtd. in Buckler, n. 636). This makes it clear that Tennyson did recognize that his character had problems, but it seems to me that these problems are greater than the average

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