Comparative study of Tennyson and Browning

Name: Dipti Vaghela

              (diptivaghela50@gmail.com)

Roll no: 07

Enrolment no: PG14101030

Topic: Comparative study of Tennyson and     Browning

Paper no: 06

Name of the paper: The Victorian Literature

Dedicated to: Department of English M.K.B. University

Preface:

          There are number of age in the history of England from Chaucer to Current time, such as Elizabethan age, Puritan age, Victorian age, etc. If we talk about the Victorian time so we can say that it covers the period from 1832 to 1887.  Queen Victoria reign during the time of 1837 to 1887. Hudson writes, “Victoria ascended the throne in 1837, and it was during the decade between 1830 and 1840 that many of the writers who were to add special distinction to her reign began their work. But though her own life extended till 1901, we may conveniently take the year of her jubilee 1887 as marking the close of an epoch. By that time a fresh race in literature had arisen, while those of the former generation who still survived had nothing of importance to add to their production, and indeed, like Tennyson’s Bedivere, found themselves ‘among new men, strange faces, other minds.” It was an era of material things, Political consciousness, democratic reform, industrial and mechanical progress, scientific, etc. The form is more important than materials. In this age we can find advancement in industry. In this era number of novels published like Oliver Twist, Sense and Sensibility, Middlemarch, Vivian Grey, Poetry also popular in that era. There are some splendid poets such as Tennyson, Robert Browning, Matthew Arnold, etc. So first let’s know in detail about Tennyson and Browning.

●Tennyson

          Alfred Tennyson was born on 6^th August, 1809, at Somersby Rectory. He was fourth child of his parents, there being four brothers and four sisters. His father name is George Clayton who was a scholarly clergyman. His two brothers were poets of repute. His education started when he was seven years old, he was sent to the neighboring Grammar School at Louth. But after four years he returned at home because of unsatisfactory. We can see his first effort in a little volume called Poems by Two Brothers in 1827 when he was sixteen years old. The next year he entered in Trinity College, Cambridge. In that college he becomes the centre of a brilliant circle of friends. At the University he soon became known for his poetical ability. In 1829 he won the Chancellor’s English medal with his poem Timbuctoo. In 1831 he left Cambridge without taking his degree. His father had just died but the family still lived on at Somersby. The name of his first volume is poem. He wrote In Memoriam for his died friend Hallam. His other volumes are English Idylls and other Poems, Ulysses, MorteD’Arthur, The Princess, The Lady of Shallot, The Lotos Eaters etc.

●Browning

          Robert Browning born on 7^th may, 1812 at Cornwall. He was the son of a clerk in the bank of England. His mother was a ‘divine woman’ of mixed German and Scottish and Scottish descent. From whom he inherited his musical and artistic tastes. He did not attend any regular school but mostly continued his education at home. He picked up the rudiments of painting and Greek poetry. He had many skills like ride, fence, box and dance. He entered Guy’s Hospital for his medical Profession. But this was not appropriate for him so he left it soon. And finally he decided that his long cherished idea of becoming a poet. He wrote small volume of verse at the age of twelve but failing to find a publisher. In disgust he threw it in fire. 

          But after some time he published his first work Pauline, he went to Russia in 1834. In Russia he met French, who formed the subject of his next poem, Paracelsus. Then his parents moved from Camberwell to Hatcham and so he made many new friends, including John Foster, whom afterwards assisted to complete his Life of Strafford. He also visited Italy in1838 and the spell of Venice. Then he returns from Italy he read the poems of Elizabeth Barret with interest. And friendship with her then it converts in love. So they decided to marry but father of Elizabeth refuse to permit them. That why they decided to marry without the permission of parents. On 12^th September 1846 they married and lived in Italy for many years with happiness. They get a son in 1849 with joy and during that time Browning’s mother died so poet returned to England. In England he published much of his poetry but few people appreciated his works. In 1860 health of Mrs. Browning began to fail, died in the following years. Browning returned to London with his son and his only sisters came to live with him in his distress. Browning took deep interest in the education of his son. Tennyson once remarked ‘Browning will die in the white tie.’ Then his son had married and settled there as an artist. Once Browning went to pay a visit to his son in November.  Then he passed away and he was buried in the poet’s corner in Westminster Abbey. His earliest work in poetry is Pauline, Paracelsus, Sordello, Dramatic Lyrics, etc.

J Comparison of Tennyson and Robert Browning

          ~ Works of Tennyson

          # Poems by two Brothers

          # The Lotos Eaters

          # The Lady of Shallot

          # O Enone

          # Poems Chiefly Lyrical

          # Ulysses

          # Locksley Hall

          # The Princess a Medley

          # In Memoriam

J Works of Browning

          # Pauline

          # Paracelsus

          # Sordello

          # Dramatic Lyrics

          # Dramatic Personae

          # The Ring and the Book

● Comparison of Tennyson and Browning in his writing

          

          So here we can see points related with Tennyson. Let’s know some points related with Browning.

~ Themes of Tennyson’s Poetry

-         Divided self

-         The historical past-         The mythological past

-         Faith

-         Science and religion

-         Nature selection

-         Typical Victorian

~ Themes of Browning’s Poetry

-         Love

-         Philosophy of life

-         God

So let’s know the poems related with these themes in details.

~ Poems of Tennyson

He suggests all the qualities of England’s greatest poets. The dreaminess of Spenser, the majesty of Milton, the natural simplicity of Wordsworth, the fantasy of Black and Coleridge, the melody of Keats and Shelley, the narrative vigour of Scott and Byron, are evident on the successive pages of Tennyson’s poetry. In his poetry we can see the reflaction of Victorian age like, The English Idylls

          It is the land that free men till,

          That sober-suited freedom chose,

          The land where girt with friends and foes.

          A man may speak the thing he will,

          A land of settled government,

          A land of just and old renown.

His attitude with woman is also a true Victorian. And that thing also we can see in his poem as under,

          Man for the field and woman for the hearth,

          Man for the sword and for the needle she,

          Man to command and woman to obey,

          All else confusion.

He is wrote love poem also. He idealizes married life. It is well exemplified in The Miller’s Daughter. He presents higher sense of love in this poem. He concentrates on spiritual as opposed to physical love.

          Arise and fly

          The reeling faun, the sensual feast,

          Move upward, working out the beast,

          And let the ape and tiger die.

He challenged the materialism of Victorian age and asserted the eternal variety of God,

          There remains more faith in honest doubt

          Believe me than in half the creeds.

He advise the people of his age to faith beyond all forms of faith, to trust in large hope as under,

          One far-off divine event

          To which the whole creation moves.

His other poem regarding the suprime God,

          God is law, say the wise: O soul, and let us rejoice

          For if He thunder by law the thunder is yet his voice.

In every objects of Nature he sees the vision of God like in the sun, moon, stars, etc. Here we can see lines of his poem,

          The sun, the moon, the stars, the hills and the plains

          Are not those a Soul! the vision of Him who reigns.

Tennyson arrives at the truth of religion because the theories of science in Maud and Locksley Hall and he declares in his poem In Memoriam,

          Oh yet we trust that some how good

          Will be the final goal of ill.

And he conclude his entire creation with lines as under,

          That nothing walks with aimless feet

          That not one life shall be destroyed.

Thus we can see variety of themes in his poems. His views regarding many things we can see in his poems like love, God, life, etc. He presents all the essential features of Victorian life in his poems. So after understanding his poems all above us understand easily about him. So now let’s know poems of Robert Browning.

~ Poems of Robert Browning

He wrote poems without form. He is also difficult poet to understand. Browning began his poetic career under the inspiring example of P.B. Shelley, the sun-trader. His first work in poetry is Pauline. It was published when he was twenty years old. It is autobiographical in tone like Wordsworth’s The Prelude. He was artist and thinker, is veiled in embryo. His next important work in poetry was Paracelsus. It is the study of Paracelsus. A famous chemist of the Renaissance times, half mystic, half charlatan…

          Determined to be

          The greatest and most glorious man on earth.

In 1840 he produced Sordello representing the life of Italian poet. The poem is rich in illusion and historical references. Then in 1842 he produced Dramatic Lyrics followed by dramatic Romances and Lyrics.  In these lyrics we can see more artistic pleasure. Among these lyrics some significant are Evelyn Hope, In a Gondola, Porphyria’s Lover, Meeting a night, parting at morning, etc.

          In dramatic Romances and Lyrics the majority of the poems are narrative or monologues. Like My last Duchess, The Italian in England, The last ride together, Holy Cross Day, etc.

          He wrote one poem about man and woman. It dedicated to Elizabeth Barret.

          These they are my fifty men and women

          Naming we the fifty poems finished!

          Take them, Love, the book and me together

          Where the heart lies let the brain lie also.

          The study of human character in this volume is deep and profound. In Dramatic Personae, he carried his study of human beings. He produced a number of dramatic monologues such as Caliban upon Setebos, Bishop Blougram’s Apology, AbtVogler, Rabbi Ben Ezra and A Death in the Desert. These all are intellectual and philosophical in character.

          He also wrote love poems. His love poetry is intensely realistic in character. A man loves a woman not for her spiritual qualities, but for her physical charm and passion. And that is the real thing in his poetry. His love poems also devided into two parts, successful love poems and unsuccessful love poems. The lover in Last Ride Together is optimistic and the poem ends on a note of hope:

          What if we still ride on, we two

          With life for old yet new,

          Changed not in kind but in degree,

          The instant made eternity,

          And Heaven just prove that I and she

          Ride, ride, together, for every ride?

          Browning lays emphasis on married love and like Donne he is the chosen poet of wedded love. He employs the dramatic method I the presentation of his love poems. Most of his love poems are in the form of dramatic monologues. His art as a pet of love suffers limitations to that extent, but the underlying inspiration is the greater. He took God as the creator and governor of the universe. He considered God as an all pervading Deity. Pauline’s lover says “I saw God everywhere- I felt presence.” His personal faith about God,

          Thus He dwells in all

          From Life’s minute beginnings, at last to man.

                             And

          God is seen God

          In the star, in the stone, in the flesh, in the soul and the cloud.

          He nit convinces God as cruel, bad, etc. He believe God as sympathetic power helping men in their endavoursiff they reposed faith in Him and His mercy:

          God made all the creatures and gave them

          Our love and our fear

          We and they are His children

          One family here.

          He said that God is potter and soul is clay. Both of them endure forever. This faith we can see in Robbi Ben Ezra,

          Fool! All that is at all

          Last ever, past recall;

          Earth changes, but thy soul and God stand sure

          Time’s wheel runs back or stops; Potter and clay endure.

          He believed that aim of life was acquire power but soon he realized that mere love for power was not good. Love allied with knowledge and power ought to be the main quest of human being.

          “Love preceding power,

          And with much power, always much more love.”

          “O world, as God had made it, all is beauty

          And knowing this is Love, and Love is duty.

          Thus we can see number of themes in his poetry which we can understand easily after these all examples. So about these examples we conclude that he was unique personality.

~ Conclusion

          So let’s we separated his quality here and conclude this point as under,

   Tennyson                                       Browning                                                                 

-         Think about God and science.       - Think about God as great one

-         Wrote love poems                          - Wrote both type successful    

Love and unsuccessful love

Thus we can say both the writers are performed so important role in the history of England, especially in Literature. Both have their own quality which we can see in their literary works.

~ Reference books

-         History Book by Mundra

-         Internet