Teaching Tennyson Part II

Part I of this series [2/15] offered suggestions for comparison/contrast of Tennyson's Marianna and The Lady of Shallot.


USING TENNYSON'S SHORTER WORKS TO DEMONSTRATE THE CONCEPT OF "ALLUSION:"
Many of Alfred, Lord Tennyson's works are excellent models of allusion that can be utilized in a number of ways in the high school literature classroom.

Tennyson frequently diverged from the typical use of allusion by creating entirely original poems based on a well-known character from mythology or classical literature. Though on the surface, these works would appear to be alluding to what would have been "common knowledge" to the well-educated Victorian reader, Tennyson's work provides a unique and in-depth "explanation" of a mythical/classical character. Tennyson undoubtedly expects his reader to supply some prior knowledge, but then "suprises" the reader by diverging from the common tale. For examples, see Tennyon's Ulysses, AEnone, Tithonus, and The Lotos-Eaters, among others.

Ulysses
Tennyson's Ulysses is not the valiant hero of the Homerian epic. Here, he is a sad figure who wants just "something ere the end" [line 51] . Unable to face his impending "retirement" [his son now holds the "sceptre"] , he stands contemplating his death now that all of the great deeds are done.

AEnone
Tennyson builds on the Homeric tale of Paris' judging of the goddesses in the beauty contest, picking up with Paris' former love, AEnone, pining away after Paris abducts Helen of Troy. Although an understanding of the Homeric tale of the events leading up to the Trojan War would better enable the reader to understand the poem, the piece is not merely allusory.

Tithonus
Tennyson takes the legend of Tithonus [who impulsively wished for immortality without considering that he also needed eternal youth] and gives his readers an in-depth look at the struggles that the old man is facing as he withers away but cannot die. The poem, a dramatic monologue, though based on an existing legend, is an entirely new creation.

The Lotos-Eaters
Though based on an incident in the Homer's Odyssey [IX] , the poem also incorporates an inversion of details from the Biblical account of the Garden of Eden [a "life of toil" being Adam's punishment for succumbing to the temptation and eating of the fruit...the mariners eat the lotos fruit and are released from a life of toil] .

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On the other hand, most of Tennyson's works are not based on pre-existing myths or characters from classical works, yet they frequently make use of a wide variety of allusion. These works, though difficult for many modern readers, provide excellent examples of allusion and may be used to spark independent research.

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