British Literature II

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British Literature

Question Number Two : Auden has called Alfred Lord Tennyson , the `Stupidest of English poets ' Auden wrote , There was little about melancholia that [Tennyson] didn 't know there was little else that he did ' Do you agree with Auden 's assessment ? Why or why not

Wystan Hugh Auden , in Forewords and Afterwords , claims that Alfred Lord Tennyson had the finest ear , perhaps

of any English poet .he was also undoubtedly the stupidest (204 . One may easily agree with his initial claim regarding Tennyson 's possession of a `fine ear . Consider for example , the words that he used to describe an individual 's dilemma regarding his religious beliefs as they are presented in his poem In Memoriam ' He states , Strong Son of God (W )e have not seen thy face / By faith , and faith alone , embrace /Believing where we cannot prove (Tennyson 5 . The power of these lines immediately allows the reader to share the conflict experienced by the individual speaking within the poem

As opposed to agreeing with Auden 's initial claim regarding Tennyson 's possession of a `fine ear ' it is difficult to concur with his second claim that Tennyson is `the stupidest English poet ' The reason for this initially lies in Auden 's failure to present his reasons as to why he considers Tennyson to be `the stupidest English poet...