Introduction:
In his own times Tennyson was built up into a legend. His popularity amounted almost to hero-worship. He was surrounded by a halo of adoration. As Long observes, "For full half century, he was the voice of England, loved and honoured as a man and a poet, not simply by a few discerning critics, but by a whole people." But with the change of the century, there was a change in his popularity also. "His very popularity in his own day became the first cause of his unpopularity. Like other Victorian heroes Tennyson was taken down from his pedestal, scrutinised, and examined and it was discovered that he had feet of clay." Let us examine the causes of the decline of Tennyson's popularity.
Reaction against his Ideas:
With the change of times, Tennyson's ideas began to lose their relevance. Tennyson had faithfully reflected the Victorian compromise in religion, ethics and politics in his poetry. As this compromise began to disintegrate under the stress of new forces and as it was realised that its basis was not very sincere after all, Tennyson's popularity waned. His ideas began to grow out-dated, and as Bradley puts it in the case of Tennyson, "every generation naturally asks for novelty; and further, the ideas and the literature of the times immediately preceding its own are apt to be the least interesting of all to it, because they have less novelty for it than those of periods more distant, and may even be felt, as those more distant ideas are not, to be a prison from which it is necessary to escape."
Further, Bradley also argues that the spirit of ephemeral controversy in the poetry also caused the decline of the popularity of Tennyson's poetry, The advance of contemporary science, the theories of Darwin, more specially, fully revealed to him the conflict, pain, and waste that is in nature, the brutal struggle for existence that rages within her. This meant, in other words, that there is evil and ugliness rot in man alone, but also in God, that the ultimate power is not wholly good and beautiful, as has been supposed by conventional Christianity, Hence the doubts and uncertainties of In Memoriam, hence the need again and again to re-assert his faith, in the face of the mounting tide of materialism. Hence arises the argumentative tone of his religious poetry. This accounts also for the reputation of the philosopher-teacher which he acquired, which his unwise admirers stressed, and which blinded many to his real excellence. This has caused the greatest damage to Tennyson's reputation.
Lack of Aesthetic Values:
Tennyson's poetry suffers from a lack of aesthetic values. In our own times more emphasis is laid on aesthetic values in literature. Authenticity of emotions and sincerity of expression in art are valued most. Artistic finish comes next. New schools, such as Imagists, Impressionists, Surrealists, etc. have arisen from the realisation that what the artist bas to say is more important than how he says it. Thus Tennyson's artistic skill, his accuracy in verse goes against him. Even before the turn of the century C. Stedman had remarked, "The fullness of Tennyson's art evades the charm of novelty. His enthusiasm is well tempered. He rarely takes us by surprise." As early as 1866, a critic in the Quarterly complained of "want of freedom of inspiration" in Tennyson's poetry. He wrote further, “The edifice is faultless. Every detail shows a delicate taste....yet there lacks after all the indescribable freshness or vigour." It is true that Tennyson's poetry is not completely devoid of emotions. But his inferior intellectualism has eclipsed the beauty and intensity of his emotions. Commenting on this aspect of Tennyson, Nicholson observes, "The truth is that whereas Tennyson was an extremely good emotional poet, he was unfortunately a very inferior intellectual thinker. His lyrical gift was powerful, his gift of emotion was immense, his capacity for thought second-rate. His message is a very inconclusive affair, his compromise not very sincere but his lyric emotion is always beautiful when he allows it in expression."
Reaction against Conventional Morality:
Tennyson has resorted to conventional morality in his ideas as expressed in his poetry. But his morality became out-dated with the passage of time. His treatment of sex, for example, is characterized by the Victorian prudery. His is not the free and frank approach towards sex or startling about it. The virtues that he cared for are mainly of one type-self-control, self-sacrifice, faithfulness, loyalty to law, personal and social obligations and the like. Faith in law and order claims of duty over love-these ideas failed to attract the reader of the new age. Hence with the turn of the century a reaction set in against his out-dated ideas and beliefs.
Reaction against the Matter and Manner of his Poetry:
Tennyson is mainly a writer of narrative poems. His lyrical genius is seen in his scattered utterances. The age liked to read narrative poetry with some philosophic message or the other. Hence instead of allowing his lyric emotion free rein he chose to be the philosopher of the age. Instead of penetrating deep into human nature, he limited himself to the writing of narrative poetry. Consequently, The Idylls of the King became very popular. But with the passing of time these very Idylls damaged his reputation. In these, in spite of some very beautiful passages, the allegory, the morality tires. As Bradley observes, "It fails to do so, I think, be- cause Tennyson had not in any marked degree that universal interest in human nature, that penetrating insight into it, or that power of portraying it in unique individual forms which belonged in different degrees to Shakespeare and to Browning."
Then Tennyson's manner of writing poetry also tired the people who wanted something fresh and new. His style suffers from mannerism, elaborateness and over-ornamentation. His lines lack the force of the Elizabethans' or of Wordsworth's or Byron's. His art often degenerates into artifice. “There is much glossy polish, or irrelevant jewellery." He is often mannered and as Bradley remarks, "one is conscious of effort and artifice, and often of the mannerism to which they lead."
Tennyson is regarded as one of the greatest poets of England, in spite of his various limitations. To-day, he is valued not so much as a thinker, but as a consummate artist. Hadow rightly comments, "No poet ever understood more fully the 'glory of words’: none has sounded a music more rich, more varied, more pure in style, more beautiful in colour and tone. To study him is to learn the possibilities of our native speech: to love him is an artistic education." Bradley also gives his assessment, "To his contemporaries he was demi-god, but younger men strongly assailed his patent literary mannerism, his complacent acceptance of the evil of his time, the flattery of the- great, and his somewhat arrogant assumption of the airs of immortality." Albert gives his final assessment of the poet:
"He is not a supreme poet ; and whether he will maintain the primacy among the singers of his own generation, as he undoubtedly did during his life-time, remains to be seen ; but, after all deductions are made, his high place in the Temple of Fame is assured."
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