Abstract: Alfred Lord Tennyson is one of the most important poets of the Victorian Era and he was awarded the Laureateship because of the publication of his famous elegy In Memoriam in 1850. His poetry has been widely circulated and received wide attention. Tennyson’s subject matter is related to all aspects of life in the Victorian Era. In his poetry, the poet pays much attention to the death, religion and love. Tragic consciousness as the crucial part of human spiritual level, Tennyson puts the consciousness in his poetry deeply. In In Memoriam, the poet expresses his profound thinking about death, doubt and faith. Through constant struggle, Tennyson gets redemption of himself and gives redemption to others.

Key words: Tragic Consciousness; In Memoriam; redemption; death; faith

Contents

Abstract

中文摘要

1. Introduction-1

1.1 Tennyson and In Memoriam-1

1.2 Definition of Tragedy and Tragic Consciousness-2

2. The Origin of Tennyson’s Tragic Consciousness-4

2.1 Crisis on Faith in the Victorian Era-4

2.2 Difficult Life Experience and Arthur Henry Hallam’s Death-6

3. The Content and Performance of Tennyson’s Tragic Consciousness-8

3.1Sadness of Death-8

3.2 Sadness of Faith-11

4. The Practical Significance of Tennyson’s Tragic Consciousness-13

4.1 Self Redemption-13

4.2 Redemption of Society-16

5. Conclusion-19

References-21