Tennyson used a wide range of
subject matter, ranging from medieval legends to classical myths and from
domestic situations to observations of nature, as source material for his
poetry. The influence of John Keats and other Romantic poets published before
and during his childhood is evident from the richness of his imagery and
descriptive writing. He also handled rhythm masterfully. The insistent beat of
Break, Break, Break emphasizes the sadness and relentlessness of the subject
matter. Tennyson's use of the musical qualities of words to emphasize his rhythms
and meanings is sensitive. The language of "I come from haunts of coot and
hern" lilts and ripples like the brook in the poem and the last two lines
of "Come down O maid from yonder mountain height" illustrate his
telling combination of onomatopoeia, alliteration and assonance:
The moan of doves in immemorial elms
And murmuring of innumerable bees.
Tennyson was a craftsman who
polished and revised his manuscripts extensively. Few poets have used such a
variety of styles with such an exact understanding of metre. He reflects the
Victorian period of his maturity in his feeling for order and his tendency
towards moralizing and self-indulgent melancholy. He also reflects a concern
common among Victorian writers in being troubled by the apparent conflict between
religious faith and scientific progress. Like many writers who write a great
deal over a long time, he can be pompous or banal, and his personality rings
throughout all his works—work that reflects a grand and special variability in
its quality. Tennyson possessed the strongest poetic power; he put great length
into many works, most famous of which are Maud and Idylls of the King, the
latter one of literature's greatest treatments of the legend of King Arthur and
The Knights of the Round Table.