On Redemption In In Memoriam

Alfred Tennyson (1809-1892), regarded as the chief representative of the Victorian age in poetry, was awarded the Poet Laureate of the Victorian Period for the publication of his well-known elegy In Memoriam in1850. Tennyson achieved greatness because he caught the spirit of the people and crystallized it into In Memoriam. In Memoriam is originally titled as The Way of the Soul. It seems that this poem was written to commemorate the death of Tennyson’s close friend A. H. Hallam, however, the poetry reflects the confusion of the Victorian age. Combining with the close reading, this thesis attempts to make a preliminary research on In Memoriam from the perspective of the function of literature.The birth of Darwin’s evolution and the development of science had conflicts with the traditional beliefs. Under such condition, Matthew Arnold put forward that poetry can console and sustain us, which had a profound impact on Tennyson who came to make innovation in his poetry.Apart from the introduction and the conclusion, this thesis consists of three chapters. Chapter1gives a description about the reasons for anxiety and the anxiety reflected in In Memoriam. It is the crisis of faith in poetry in Tennyson’s age and Hallam’s death that lead to the rising of anxiety. Chapter2describes the redemption of Tennyson himself in In Memoriam, and presents how Tennyson realizes his redemption during his creation of the poem. Tennyson finishes his salvation journey from doubt, hope to faith. Chapter3lays out the redemption of society at the Victorian age. This thesis argues that death can be regarded as a natural process of human life; love is eternal; and the faith is necessity. Death, love and faith can be regarded as three mediums of redemption. In conclusion, with the analysis of self-redemption and social redemption, Tennyson provides a salvation in spiritual dimension.