The Northern Pacific farmer., 1883-09-20
Tennyson Charged with Plagiar'

Ism.
Eugene Z. Didier, the well known crit
ic, discussed Tennyson as plngiarist in
the Literary Word, and quotes freely
to prove his assertions:
OF all living poets Alfred Tennyson is
the most renowned for originality. Yet,
perhaps, of all the great poets of this
century he is the most indebted to
the older writer's. Since his recent fail.
ure' as dramatist, the highest literary
journals of England have whispered, and
pretty loudly, too, that his best descrip-
tions are, borrowed. ., that he is merely
an embellisber and furbisher Of old sto-
ries, and that he has the taste Of IN arti.
san who loads his work With too much
ornamentation. It has also been eaiG
that he does not build, but only
.ornaments;, that he is not an architect,
but decorator; that he derives q large
income cut of a small capital. In short,
that out Of a cottage he attempts to rear
palaces; and-sball We add?-fails in the
attempt.
Tennyson's earlier verses did not give
promise of rich and abundant harvest.
He sang Of Giving Sweets" Of "Mer-
maids" nOwls,p FsGeese," "Lotos Eat
ers," etc! Christopher North said, 9Al-
fred is greatest as ap owl. All he wants
is to be shot; stuf1ed and stuck in q glass
case to be made immortal in the British
Museum" ."s5This criticism was severe,
bnt it was Of immense benefit to the
young poet.ss He stopped writing, and
fort years studied hard. He went
through the splendid field of English
literature, devoting much time toa care
full perusal of the, grand old poets of the
"elder days." This course of study so
enriched hjsimaeination and enlarged
his vocabulary that when he wrote again
he produced something worthy of his
talents. The writer Of pretty drawing
room verses astonished the world by
sToeksiey HAL, y '..The Princess "In
Memoriam," :, MAUD, The "Idyls
of theKing," etc, rhs latter is Ten
nyson's Tawrite work, and he
devoted . Snuchs :. fime and. study
20 it. The poet has made the mistake of
introducing the grace and chivalry Of
thes smedaEal civilization of France and
England into the barbarous fifth centu-
ry period of those countries. King Ar.
thur and the knights of the Round
Table form a beautiful and attractive
group, but they are only an ideal and
poetical conception. They never exist
ed as painted by the poet. In delicate
word-painting, in grace, elegance Of Ian
guage an! in dainty rhythm the "Idyls'
are unsurpassed in the poetry of the
century. In the full splendor of his
fame and in the maturity of his powers
Tennyson wrote "Enoch Arden" The
poem obtained an immediate and wide
popularity. The story was new, or sup
posed TO be, and the characters were
taken from common life, thus securing
a large class Of readers who had not
heen interested in the poets more court
nyson has ever been accused ofplagiar-
| ism in "Enoch Arden," but we find that
the story, the treatment and the whole
scope of the poem were taken from the
poem by Miss Proctor called "Home'
ward Bound" The heroes of both po'
ems were sailors, both were ship
wrecked, both left wives behind, both
returned alter an exile of ten years
| both found their wives Remarked bOtl
saw their wives seated ut the hearth
with their second husbands, both of the
second husbands, were friends of the
exiles, and both return to their homes
on chill autumn evening. Tennyson
however, with finer art, makes Enoch
| Arden only see his vile through the
window Of her cottage; he does not ertel
to- disturb her domestic happiness by
claiming her, which is morally wrong fol
once a wife always wife. Miss Proc.
tor on the contrary, makes her hero
who speaks in the first person, enter the
cottage, meet his wife and her second
husband, and the three mingle their
tears together.
There is not 80 much similarity in the
language of the poems, but their plots
are identically the same, with the diff
erence already mentioned. When We
I remember that Miss Proctcr's poem was
publishd in 1858, and Tennyson's si>
years later, there can be no doubt tina
the first poet of the age did not hesitate
to borrow the plot Of one of his mos
successful points from one who, next te
Mrs. Browning, was the most gifted
nOetess nf the last peneratiOn