The Boundless Deep: Young Tennyson, Science, and the Crisis of Belief

"When that which drew out
the boundless deep
Turns again home."

Richard Holmes delivered a brilliantly researched and smooth flowing tale of Young Tennyson!

The entire first chapter is devoted to THE KRAKEN. This may make people feel sorry for it since
it is clearly not bothering anyone, "far far beneath the abysmal sea."

Adopted by an owl when he was a boy, Alfred kept a life long respect for all animals.

The author follows him from the Somersby Rectory through all his jaunts through Mablethorpe
and on into London and Europe. Haunted by the loss of his best friend, Hallam, Tennyson's
deep recurring depression guided his solitude and his eventual wondrous poetry,
as it wound from Faith through Astronomy and Geology and back again.

The accompanying show more photographs are truly amazing.

Still hard to understand is Tennyson's exclusion and ignoring of his good, trusted and faithful Friend, FitzGerald, from his later life, as Alfred became the renowned poet laureate. show less

As a young teen I discovered Tennyson’s poetry in anthologies and responded to his theme of nostalgia and grief for lost times and people. This book caught my attention for it’s study of how the rising scientific discoveries in natural history impacted his world and his poetry. This was a totally new Tennyson for me.

In the early 19th c, theories to explain new scientific discoveries upset the old paradigm based on the Bible. Lyell. Herschel. Babbage. Evolution, fossils of unknown life forms, glimpses of other solar systems through monstrous telescopes, theories of a changing Earth. Tennyson devoured all the cutting edge science books. Holmes details how Tennyson’s poetry is filled with images and references to natural show more history.

Tennyson also struggled with the tragic early death of his beloved friend from Trinity College, Arthur Hallam, working out his grief in the poem In Memoriam, which he worked on for seventeen years.

How can scientific theory and faith coexist?

I think back on my grandfather who was ordained and interested in historical geology. He corresponded with researchers and raised funds for their work. He presented his ideas on the next Ice Age on public broadcasting. A Sunday afternoon ride was a teaching moment on the geological history of the landscape while at dinner we heard the latest news on Project Moho or other research. His sermons referenced the geological processes! I never considered how science fit into his faith.

Back to this book. I found the intersection of science and poetry fascination reading. Holmes includes excerpts from the poems to illustrate their connection to the science he believes inspired Tennyson. Not being a deep student of the poet, I didn’t always get the connection, but I trust Holmes understands the poet’s words on a deeper level.

Thanks to Pantheon for a free book. show less

I knew a few of Tennyson’s most famous poems, but my real draw to read this book was the author and the consideration of the ideas in the early nineteenth century.
I was not disappointed, as this is a masterful evocation of Tennyson and his English milieu from the 1820’s to 1850’s.
For me, it also touched upon many books read and exhibitions experienced over the past thirty odd years engaging with Victorian art, science and literature, which richly enhanced my enjoyment and understanding
An outstanding portrait of an artist, actively engaged with the issues of his time.