Christianity and Literature, January 1st, 2006
T. S. Eliot observes of Tennyson's In Memoriam that "its faith is a poor thing, but its doubt is a very intense experience" (200-201). Earlier in the same essay, he compares the poem to "the concentrated diary of a man confessing himself" (196). Together, these statements create the image of a poet struggling to give meaning to life by articulating the enormous pain of doubt and grief. Considered in this way, the very personal qualities of In Memoriam transform the reader into a sort of literary eavesdropper, and the sheer pathos of Tennyson's grief feels slightly embarrassing--as if it were s...
HighBeam Research, Free Preview: 'Spurring an imitative will: the canonization of Arthur Hallam.'... Full Membership required for unlimited access. Free 7-day trial.
Subscribers: HighBeam content is only available to HighBeam subscribers. Click the link above for more information.
