Religious Gleanings From Tennyson's Poetry

Abstract

The study of "Enoch Arden" and "Idylls of the King" during High School days instilled in me a keen admiration for Tennyson. After more extensive study I noted the religious element to be very pronounced in a great number of his poems. The disagreement among various authors as to the influence of Tennyson on the spiritual life of the people of his time aroused my interest. The purpose of this paper is to point out the service of the author during the scientific age, when atheism was working great havoc, in keeping alive in the hearts of Englishmen the smoldering flames of a dying faith. While it is true that Tennyson accomplished much in this field, certain very grave limitations in his activity need to be elucidated. These will be presented in the course of the thesis. In the preparation of this work I wish to acknowledge the kindly assistance of Reverend Marshall L. Lochbiler, S.J. and Mr. Giovanni Giovannini, Professors of English at the University of Detroit.