Discuss Tennyson's representations of the figure of the artist and his conceptions of art, consider questions of esoteric isolation from political or emotional ties. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get an original essay In his poem The Palace of Art, Tennyson depicts an artist attempting to build an existence, surrounding herself only with the beauty of art in a grandiose setting. place of residence. Ultimately, the artist realizes that art alone, despite its beauty and value, cannot sustain an individual; solitude ultimately negates any joy she had found at the palace. Tennyson suggests here that art, while valuable, is most effective when shared with or on behalf of others. The progression of this story is an element of Tennyson's view regarding the nature of art. Through In Memoriam, the poet illustrates the power of art when used as a means of grieving and also as a method of sharing that grief with others. In an entirely different way, Tennyson depicts an artist as a voice for societal 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 said to be the embodiment of the idea of ​​a certain RC Trench, who claims to have once said to the poet: “Tennyson, we cannot live in art” (Ricks, 400). This statement meant that art could not meet all needs. The introduction to the poem, in a compilation edited by Christopher Ricks, compares the poem to a passage from Ecclesiastes in which the speaker expresses a sentiment similar to that of the artist at the end of The Palace: "Then I I looked at all the works my hands had wrought, and on the work for which I had labored: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of the spirit, and there was no profit under the sun... That’s why I hated life” (Ricks 400). Although The Palace of Art ends on this same desperate tone, it begins quite differently. Tennyson describes the construction of a magnificent palace in which the owner should be sheltered from the hustle and bustle of the outside world, basking only in the glory of his created beauty. The artist boasts: “I build my soul a lordly house of pleasure,/In which I am comfortable to dwell,/I said: “O soul, rejoice and celebrate,/Dear soul , because everything is fine”… My soul would live alone. for herself/In her high palace yonder... And while the world goes round in circles, I said/'Rule though separate, a quiet king' (Tennyson 401). Given the language used here, it seems that the palace is presented as a purely self-centered artistic creation. The artist is only interested in satisfying others and 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 separating the inhabitant from the imperfection of the world. Presenting art in this way communicates a certain criticism of this artist's self-sufficient and contented attitude. The language used in the early stanzas of the poem also suggests that the temptation and desire of the artist, representing 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 abandonment to a life surrounded by beauty and controlled: “To which my soul readily responded:/Trust me, I will dwell in happiness/In this great mansion, which is built for me./So royal, rich andvast” (Tennyson 402). The artist goes on to mention “a row of cloisters” and “distant lands” included in the grand palace grounds. 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 unique structure. Therefore, believes the artist, humans can use art to replace the satisfying effects of religion and dissolution of spatial limitations. This self-sufficiency is a theme that permeates the play until its conclusion. In keeping with the theme of self-sufficiency, the speaker later expresses a disdain for gratitude and, therefore, dependence. She describes the palace as “It was full of long corridors, / That thankful over-vaulted darkness, / Through which my soul passed a whole day, / Well contented, from room to room” (Tennyson 403). Here, gratitude is associated with sadness, while solitary appreciation of decadent architecture is described as pleasant. Using more language of self-sufficiency, the speaker extols the palate's ability to please in all circumstances thanks to the variety it contains. “The palace was filled with rooms large and small,/All diverse, each one a perfect whole/Of living nature, a fir tree for every mood/And the change of my still soul” (Tennyson 404). Here, Tennyson speaks through the unsuspecting artist, stating that in her confidence she has betrayed a subconscious plan not to grow in taste, need, or person beyond what the palate 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 in 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 self-sufficiency – will lead to an unpleasant isolation of the soul. In the very first allusion, the artist speaks of “one who walked there alone,/who paced forever in a glittering land” (Tennyson 404). Although this quote does not embody the bitter despair that will come later, it is a good omen. In the next stanza, the artist speaks of "angry waves" and "howling caves" just outside the palace. She comments on these disturbing events, perhaps to convince herself that although the interior of the palace is lonely, it is controlled, while the exterior is wild and dangerous. Tennyson, through these comments, presents one of the most compelling arguments for a solitary artistic life, even if he does not survive the final scene. The speaker continues to praise her house, describing the homage it pays to human culture and genius through pictorial representations of legends and brilliant men of history. She believes that the history of human culture can be fully appreciated through these means, although it is often through human interaction and community memory that it is truly discovered. This idea of ​​shared human experience is something that Tennyson seems to support in describing his weak and contrary attempt at homage. Fittingly, as the reader imagines the palace's solitary inhabitant sitting in his portrait room, the feeling of loneliness begins to take over from the artist's strong sense of self-sufficiency. “Deep fear and disgust at her loneliness/Followed upon her, from which the mood was born/Self-contempt; again in this mood/Laughter at his self-contempt” (Tennyson 415). The artist realizes the wrongs she has inflicted on herself and questions her own change in feeling towards her former palaceexpensive and still beautiful. "What! Is this not my place of strength? she said/My spacious mansion was built for me,/On what solid foundations – have the stones been laid/Since my first memory?... A place of dull stagnation, without light/Or capacity for movement, seemed my soul” (Tennyson 416) . The artist's first reaction to this change in feelings is severe, as she feels her entire way of thinking crumbling. under her arrogance. “Back on herself, her serpent pride had curled up,/No voice,” she cried in this solitary room,/No voice breaks the calm of this world:/A deep silence. , profound everything! (Tennyson 417) Although she finds herself in a state of utter despair, the poem ends with hope, as the speaker wishes for the palace to remain standing, despite it being a reminiscence of her failure. . She wishes that it will be appreciated by others with her one day, after facing this situation “Yet do not demolish the towers of my palace, which are/So lightly and so magnificently built:/Perhaps. that I can return to it with others/When I have purged my guilt” (Tennyson 418). Tennyson apparently believes that the self-sufficient artist is not only a sad individual, but also in need of repentance. In this final thought, the overall statement of the piece is completed, presenting art as something true and beautiful only in community. Tennyson communicates through the Palace of Art how art should not be practiced. Through In Memoriam, he suggests that although art cannot meet all human needs, it can meet some, including the need to grieve. After the untimely death of his dearest friend, Arthur Hallam, “Tennyson's only remaining recourse was poetry, used as a narcotic for a temporarily meaningless existence” (Martin 184). Tennyson was frightened and embarrassed when he published the article, because it was deeply personal (Martin 324). His decision to do so, however, benefited many. In Memoriam became not only a means by which Tennyson could grieve, but also an experience he shared with generations, allowing countless others to grieve through his eloquence and passion. In this way, Tennyson himself becomes the positive counterpart of the artist in The Palace of Art. Ironically, Tennyson did not attend Hallam's funeral. This action has never been explicitly explained, but one can imagine that Tennyson found his own method of mourning and farewell, perhaps through the writing of In Memoriam. Tennyson, like many people dealing with recent loss, 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 to bring his friend's cherished body back to Britain, thus romanticizing an otherwise grim proceeding. “Fair ship, that comes from the Italian shore/sails the peaceful ocean plains/with the beloved remains of my lost Arthur,/spread thy full wings and float it above” (Martin 184). Although it became beloved by readers, In Memoriam, because of its strong emotional expression, was clearly not a planned project intended to entertain. “Romantic Parks and In Memoriam are to be enjoyed for local, momentary pleasures, where elaborate causal plantings lead to unexpected views and relationships that are seemingly separate from a central plan, where small, almost self-contained 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 poignant segments, Tennyson confesses: "I sometimes consider (1969)