Close reading tennyson
Main image: J. W. Waterhouse, The Soul of the Rose
Image left: Tennyson reading Maud, by D. G. Rossetti
I sometimes hold it half a sin
To put in words the grief I feel;
For words, like Nature, half reveal
And half conceal the Soul within.
From ‘In Memoriam A.H.H.’ by Alfred Tennyson
Alfred Tennyson (1809-1892)
Tennyson is one of the greatest of the Victorian poets. He was appointed Poet Laureate in 1850, after the death of Wordsworth, and held the post for 42 years. Tennyson is very interested in the sounds of words and phrases; his poetry is highly musical and sounds marvellous when read aloud.
Lots of phrases from his poetry are part of everyday anglophone conversations. We still say: ‘Tis better to have loved and lost / Than never to have loved at all’ - or ‘nature red in tooth and claw’ – phrases which come from Tennyson.
In this close reading class, using gentle prompts and warm discussion, we will explore how Tennyson’s poems have become, and remained, such a cultural phenomenon. Over the course of two two-hour sessions, we will observe, analyse and discuss the techniques that make the poems so enduring.
This is an ideal set of sessions for anyone who wants to develop their close reading skills and enhance their enjoyment of poetry. No prior experience of close reading is necessary to take part. Two sessions on Sunday afternoons UK time, led by poet and lecturer Mariah Whelan. Mariah will provide a selection of poems to people who enrol for the course.
Dates
Sundays, 1 and 8 June 2025
14.00-16.00 British Summer Time
15.00-17.00 Central European Summer Time
Morning in the Americas
Course fees (includes 20% VAT)
£86.00 Full price
£80.00 CAMcard holders and students on a low income
To book, click on the image below.
Links
• Tennyson Society on Tennyson’s life and works.
• Poetry Foundation on Tennyson.
• You can hear some wonderful readings of Tennyson by members of the Cambridge English Faculty, recorded in 2009.
To book, click on the image below.
