History and Tradition in Tennyson

Abstract

Summarizes two books about which he has very different views. Pattison’s is considered a sound study that offers insight into Tennyson’s poetry. While on occasion Pattison pushes too hard for his claim that Tennyson relied on the form of the idyl as the inspiration for his best poetry, the book is well written. By contrast, Kozicki’s is both dogmatic and not well written; it posits an intriguing thesis but misinterprets some poems and misrepresents the idea of history by associating it too closely with philosophical or religious concepts.