Connection with God in the Works of Tennyson and Hopkins

Paper Summary:

While Alfred, Lord Tennyson's "In Memoriam" and Gerald Manley Hopkins's sonnets appear to be complete opposites in terms of their development, both poets have a common theme involving a firm connection to God running throughout their works. The paper shows that, specifically, within the hopeful parts of their works, both poets relate to God through the same type of philosophy and dispel newly found scientific reasoning that the existence of man is but a meaningless and random occurrence using science's own language. It shows, too, that in the doubtful parts of their works, both connect to God through feeling him in their pain and woe.

Paper Outline:
I. Introduction
II. Hopkins's Philosophy in "God's Grandeur" and "As Kingfishers Catch Fire"
III. Tennyson's Philosophy in "In Memoriam" Part 95 and 118
IV. Hopkins Direct Connection to God through Suffering in "Carrion Comfort"
V. Tennyson's Connection to God through Suffering in Parts 1 and 124 of "In Memoriam"
VI. Conclusion

From the Paper:

"This revelation (described by Tennyson in the footnote) is instated by the "repeating [of] my own name two or three times" similar to Hopkins's idea of instress, Tennyson describes entering a state of intense "consciousness of individuality" where he comes to a realization of man's place in the world as his individuality "seemed to dissolve and fade away into boundless being" (pg. 95, footnote 1). This boundless being matches closely with Hopkins's idea that when looking at any object's (including one's own) inscape a person sees God's plan and purpose for that object within the scheme of the time and the universe."

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