Discuss Tennyson's representations of the figure of the artist and his conceptions of art, think about questions of esoteric isolation versus political or emotional connection. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In his poem The Palace of Art, Tennyson portrays an artist attempting to build an existence for herself, surrounding herself only with the beauty of art in a grand place of habitation. Ultimately the artist realizes that art alone, despite its beauty and value, cannot sustain an individual; loneliness finally denies any joy he had found in the palace. Here Tennyson suggests that art, while valuable, is most effective when shared with or on behalf of others. The progression of this story is a part of Tennyson's point of view regarding the nature of art. Through In Memoriam, the poet exemplifies the power of art when used as an outlet through which to grieve and also as a method through which to share that pain with others. Quite differently, Tennyson describes an artist as a voice for social reform in his poem The Princess. In each of these three pieces, Tennyson expresses a characteristic of true art as he sees it: beautiful and communal. The Palace of Art is supposedly the embodiment of the idea of ​​one RC Trench, who claims to have once told the poet, “Tennyson, we cannot live in Art” (Ricks, 400). This statement meant that art cannot satisfy every need. The introduction to the poem, in a collection edited by Christopher Ricks, compares the poem to a passage in Ecclesiastes in which the speaker expresses a similar sentiment to that of the artist at the end of The Palace: “Then I looked at all the works my hands had worked, and on the work I had toiled to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun...Therefore I hated life" (Ricks 400). Although The Palace of The art ends with the same desperate tone, it begins completely differently Tennyson describes the construction of a beautiful palace in which the owner should be free from the turmoil and noise of the outside world, basking only in the glory of the beauty created by her. . The artist boasts: "I build my soul a stately house of pleasure, / In which I feel comfortable to dwell, / I said 'O soul, make merry and revel, / Dear soul, for all is well '...My soul would live alone' to itself/In its high palace there...And while the world goes round and round,' I said/'Reigns though apart, a quiet king” (Tennyson 401). Considering the language used here, it seems that the palace is being presented as a purely self-centered artistic creation. The artist shows no interest in the satisfaction of anyone but herself, despite the epic proportions of the project. Furthermore, the last part of the quote suggests that the palace will be used as a means of escape, protecting or segregating the inhabitant from the imperfection of the world. Presenting the art in this way communicates a certain criticism of this artist's self-sufficient and contented attitude. The language used in the first stanzas of the poem also suggests that the temptation and desire of the artist, who represents all artists, to live alone with his art is not just a desire of the mind or logic. In the following lines, the speaker expresses a deep spiritual surrender to a life surrounded by beauty and control: “To which my soul promptly responded: / Believe in me, in bliss I will dwell / In this great mansion, which is built for me./So rich and vast” (Tennyson 402).The artist goes on to mention "a row of cloisters" and "distant lands" included in the palace's great estate. These phrases suggest that deep human desires, such as spiritual fulfillment, represented by the cloisters, and the experience of other places and cultures, are satisfied in this structure. Therefore, according to the artist, humans can use art to replace the art satisfying effects of religion and the dissolution of spatial limitations. This self-sufficiency is a theme that pervades the piece until its conclusion. In keeping with the theme of self-sufficiency, the speaker next expresses a disdain for gratitude and, therefore, dependence. He describes the palace as “It was full of long-sounding corridors, / That vaulted grateful darkness, / Through which my soul passed all my life, / Well contented, from room to room” (Tennyson 403) . Here, gratitude is paired with darkness, while the solitary appreciation of decadent architecture is described as pleasant. Using more of a language of self-sufficiency, the speaker boasts of the palace's ability to please in all circumstances thanks to the variety it contains. “The palace was full of rooms great and small, / All different, each a perfect whole / From living Nature, fir for every mood / And change of my quiet soul” (Tennyson 404). Here, Tennyson speaks through the unsuspecting artist, stating that in her security, she has betrayed a subconscious plan not to grow in taste, need, or person beyond what the palace can accommodate. This course, had it been completed, would have been a sad state of affairs indeed, as Tennyson would have the reader think. Loneliness is another important theme of the poem, although its first appearances occur much later. It is through this solitude that Tennyson begins to illustrate the most didactic aspect of the poem: self-sufficiency – even beautiful, contented, artistic – will lead to an unpleasant isolation of the soul. In the very first allusion, the artist speaks of “someone walking there alone, / walking forever in a glittering land” (Tennyson 404). While this quote doesn't embody the bitter desperation that comes in later, it is adequate foreshadowing. In the next stanza, the artist speaks of "raging waves" and "bellowing caves" just outside the palace. He comments on these disturbing events, perhaps, to convince himself that, although the inside of the palace is lonely, it is controlled, while the outside is wild and dangerous. Tennyson, through these comments, presents one of the most convincing arguments in favor of a solitary, artistic life, although it does not survive the final scene. The speaker continues to praise her home, describing the homage it pays to culture and human genius through pictorial representations of legends and brilliant men of history. He believes that the history of human culture can be fully appreciated through these means, although it is often through human interaction and community remembrance that it is truly found. This idea of ​​shared human experience is something that Tennyson seems to support by describing his feeble and contrary attempt to pay homage. Fittingly, as the reader imagines the lone palace inhabitant sitting in his portrait room, the feeling of loneliness begins to succeed the artist's strong sense of self-sufficiency. “A deep terror and disgust at her loneliness/Closed upon her, from which arose the mood/Self-contempt; out of that mood again/Laughter at her self-contempt” (Tennyson 415). The artist realizes the wrongs she has inflicted on herself and marvels at the change in feelings towards her once dear and still beautiful palace. "What! This is not my strong point; she said/My spacious abode has beenbuilt for me,/Of what solid foundation were the stones laid/From my earliest recollection?…A place of dull stagnation, without light/Or power of motion, my soul seemed” (Tennyson 416) . The artist's initial reaction to the change in his feelings is harsh, as he feels his entire way of thinking collapse with his arrogance. “On herself her serpent's pride had curled,/No voice, she cried in that lonely hall,/No voice breaks through the stillness of this world:/A deep, deep silence all!” (Tennyson 417). Although he is in a state of utter despair, the poem ends with hope, as the speaker wishes for the palace to remain standing, despite his reminiscence of its failure. She wishes that one day he will be appreciated by others along with her after dealing with the situation. “Yet do not pull down the towers of my palace, which are / So light, wonderfully built: / Perhaps I may return there with others / When I have purged my guilt” (Tennyson 418). Tennyson apparently believes that not only is the self-sufficient artist a sad individual, but one in need of repentance. In this final thought, the overall statement of the work is completed, presenting art as something true and beautiful only in the community. Tennyson communicates through The Palace of Art how art should not be performed. Through In Memoriam, he suggests that while art cannot satisfy all human needs, it can satisfy some, particularly the need to grieve. Upon the untimely death of his closest friend, Arthur Hallam, “Tennyson's only remaining resource was poetry, used as a narcotic for an existence rendered temporarily meaningless” (Martin 184). Tennyson was scared and embarrassed when it came time to publish the piece, as it was deeply personal (Martin 324). His decision to do so, however, was to the benefit of many. In Memoriam became not only an outlet through which Tennyson could grieve, but also an experience he shared with generations, allowing countless others to mourn through his eloquence and passion. In this way, Tennyson himself becomes the artist's positive counterpart in the Palace of Art. Ironically, Tennyson did not attend Hallam's funeral. This gesture was never explicitly explained, but one can imagine that Tennyson found his own method of mourning and farewell, perhaps through the writing of In Memoriam. Tennyson, as many coping with recent loss do, clung to the memory of Hallam's physical body, the most vivid memory he had of his friend. In In Memoriam, Tennyson imagines the voyage of the ship he knows will bring his friend's dear body back to Britain, romanticizing the otherwise sad proceedings. “Beautiful ship, that from the Italian coast / More sails the placid ocean plains / With the beloved remains of my lost Arthur, / Spread your full wings and float above” (Martin 184). Although it has become beloved by readers, In Memoriam, being a strong emotional expression, was clearly not a planned project intended to entertain. “Both romantic parks and In Memoriam are to be appreciated for local and momentary pleasures, where elaborate and causal plantings lead to unexpected visions and relationships that are seemingly separated from a central plan, where small and almost autonomous areas suddenly reveal themselves” (Martin 343) ). The poem was made up of a collection of several smaller pieces that Tennyson had written in his grief. In one of the poem's most touching segments, Tennyson confesses: "Sometimes I think it half a sin/To put into words the pain I feel;/For words, like Nature, half reveal/And half hide the Soul within ./ But for the restless heart and brain,/A (1969)