Stone, Flower and Jewel Imagery in Tennyson's Maud

Abstract

<p>Since its initial publication in 1855, the conclusion of Tennyson's Maud has created a controversy among critics. Some critics regard Maud as one of Tennyson's greatest successes; other critics view the poem as both naively didactic and a failure of Tennyson's poetic technique.</p> <p>In particular, the decision of the poem's speaker at the conclusion of Maud to enlist in the cause of the Crimean War has aroused much dispute. Many critics have seen this decision as a contradiction of the speaker's claim to have achieved moral enlightenment. This opinion ignores, however, Tennyson's design of the poem as a "psychological study" and concentrates instead on the biographical elements of the poem.</p> <p>I believe that Tennyson's foremost consideration when writing Maud was an exploration of human psychology . Rather than see the speaker's decision as contradictory and an indication of the poem's failure, I regard it as psychologically valid and proof of Maud's success. Tennyson's use of imagery--particularly stone, flower and jewel images--to provide both dramatic continuity and lyric beauty to Maud is extensive and provides the means by which one can obtain insights into the character of the speaker and ascertain his intellectual and emotional condition at the conclusion of the poem.</p>