Among the most prominent writers of the Victorian age, Charles Dickens and Alfred, Lord Tennyson had different styles of communicating their messages to readers. Dickens depended deeply on storytelling and lively characters to critique communal matters of 19th-era England. Tennyson on the other hand regularly utilized symbolic linguistic and mythological allusions in lyrical poetry to discover ageless themes of love and loss. Both individuals successfully associated with their audience significantly regardless of their diverse methods. These authors produced works that compelled readers to mirror the human state in their swiftly shifting world.
Dickens’ Captivating Social Commentary
Charles shares powerful communal commentary through his novels filled with overstated characters, biting satire and calls for restructuring. Works such as Oliver Twist and Hard Times seemingly critiqued economic disparity and the cruel living circumstances of the working class in busy and industrial England. His gift was making these stark authenticities come to life through engaging plot lines and unforgettable traits that captured the communal imagination. For instance, the young orphan Oliver is exposed to horrifying misuse by heartless and uncaring officials presiding over the cruel workhouse structure in Oliver Twist. He displays the structure’s cruelty through emotionally charged acts where fragile kids are deprived of food and appropriate care that they should have. Readers cannot assist but sense deep waves of compassion for Oliver and righteous outrage towards immoral leaders who make money on child labor. He highlights the urgent need for more sympathy and moral accountability in civilization’s treatment of the poor and susceptible by employing such skillful storytelling.
Moreover, the dynamic and eccentric traits he generates shape his themes even more captivating and educative. He employs figures such as the menacing Fagin and the clever Artful Dodger in Oliver Twist, who have become so iconic that they now seem more actual than fictional. Such memorable characters convey readers unswervingly into the bustling tale. Dickens keeps even his dreariest subject matter engaging, from the dark and dirty streets of London to the bright republic roads traversed by carefree young wanderers and making them so colorful and weird. The intense world he crafted through his sole literary voice and observational genius was extraordinary at the time, allowing the reading community to inhabit scenes of both high drama and hopeful redemption truthfully.
Tennyson’s Reflective Poetry
In contrast to Dickens’ spirited communal commentary, Alfred is associated with regularly authoring introspective poetry reflecting on period, transformation and eternity. Works such as In Memoriam examine deep existential queries through lyrical linguistics, mythological symbols, and haunting atmospheres. These practices assisted Tennyson in mirroring intensely life’s fleeting nature and the painful and stressful challenge of moving forward after deep individual loss. For example, his renowned poem “The Lady of Shalott” familiarizes the medieval Arthurian legend of a cursed young maiden restricted to a tower near Camelot (Poetry 59). The mysterious woman is prohibited from gazing unswervingly at the outside world. Due to his reason, she only observes authenticity through reflections in her ornate mirror. But she could not resist looking through her window when the handsome Sir Lancelot was going by. The critical sight breaks the magical spell, which leads her to depart from the tower and take a slow and mournful boat ride down the river. She also utters her last sad yell that “the curse has come upon me” (Firtina 8)
He employs this miserable and dream-like imagery as a lengthy metaphor for universal themes of seclusion, desire, mortality and the high prices of defiant independence. The poem lingers in readers’ attention due to its atmospheric grief and cryptic logic of inescapable doom. Closely and thoroughly examining the gothic symbols and romantic themes also prompts philosophical reflection on how ending out life’s agony and messy authenticities often shuts out its potential for joy and linking too. Confronting the world unswervingly can seem both liberating and deadly.
Likewise, he processes his deep sorrow following the unexpected loss of his adored and lovely friend Arthur Hallam in the epic poem “In Memoriam. The profound grief primarily leaves the poet sense psychologically confused and severed from the natural cycles of life ongoing around him. He determines that the continuing control of love offers a memorable and lasting bond linking life and death across periods and space. Though such everlasting influences between souls finally pull persons disastrously asunder in this world “One God, one law, one element/ To which the whole creation moves” hints at the grand likelihood of forthcoming reunification (Alkaabi 97). Such thoughtful works reveal Tennyson’s gift for discovering strands of hopeful meaning and sights of fragile redemption amid even life’s darkest disasters.
In conclusion, both authors used intense and diverse methods to influence Victorian literature. Dickens did so through spirited tales critiquing communal difficulties and calling for restructuring. Tennyson regularly trusted in somber figurative poetry, prompting profound contemplation on humanity’s spiritual quandaries. Both authors masterfully related with wide addressees, captivating their readers to see themselves and their world from stimulating new vantage points. Their shared work reveals how dynamic inventiveness and insightful reflection remain ageless fuels for great art and constructive and positive alteration.
Work Cited
Alkaabi, Fadhil Madlool. “Return to God in Tennyson’s In Memoriam: An Islamic Perspective.” International Journal of English Literature and Social Sciences (IJELS) 7.2 (2022).
FIRTINA, Çağan. ““The Lady of Shalott” as a Metaphor for Class Relations under Capitalism.” Overtones Ege Journal of English Studies 2 (2023): 5-13.
Poetry, Pre-Romantic. “MA ENGLISH: SEMESTER II.”
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