The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1883-10-26


Eugene l., Didier, the we'll known
critic and htterateur, discusses Jenny
son as plagiarist In the Literary
World, 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 de-
scriptions are borrowed-that he Is
merely an embellisher and Publisher of
old stories; and that he has the taste of
an artisan who loads his work with too
much ornamentation. 1t is also said
that he does not build but only orna-
ments; that he is not an architect but a
director; that he derives large income
ont Of small capital.
Tennyson's earlier verses did not
give much promise of rich and album
dant harvest. He sang of Owing
Sweets" of "Mermaids," "owls,"
geese" .'Loot-eaters" etc. Christie
pher North said:-"Alfred is greatest
as an owl. All he wants Is to Be shot,
stuffed and put in glass case to be
made immortal in the British Muse
um." This criticism was severe, but It
was of much benefit to the young poet.
He stopped writing and for ten years
studied hard. He went through the
splendid field of English literature, de-
voting much time to perusal of the
grand old poets of the older days. This
course of study so enriched his imagin-
alton 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 "Locksley
Hail." 1.-The Princess" I'm Memoir
am" "Maid." ''The Idyls of The
King" etc. The latter is Tennyson's
favorite work and he devoted much
time and study on it. The poet has
made mistake of introducing the grace
and chivalry of medieval civilization of
France and England into the baTbarous
fifth century period of those countries.
King Arthur and the Knights of the
Round Table form beaatiful and at
traetive group, but they are only an
ideal and poetic conception. They new
er existed as painted by the poet
I'm the full splendcr Of his fame and
in the full maturity of his powers, Ten
nyson wrote '.Enoch Arden" The
poem obtained an immediate and wide
popularity. The story was new, or
supposed to be and the characters were
taken from common life, thus securing
a large class of readers who had not
.ota -, kA
courtly productions. We do not think
Tennyson has ever been accused of
plagiarism in "Enoch Arden" but we
find that the story, the treatment and
the whole scope of the poem were TAX
en- from the poem by Miss Proctor call
ed .Homeward Bound" The heroes
of both poems were sailors, both were
shipwrecked, both left wives behind,
both returned after an exile of ten years,
both found their wives remarked, and
both saw their wives seated at the
hearth with their second husbands;
both of the second husbands were friends
of the exiles, and both of the latter re-
turned to their homes on chill autumn
evening. Tennyson, however, with
finer art makes Enoch Arden only see
his wife through the window of her cot
tage-he does not enter to disturb her
domestic happiness by claiming her,
which was morally wrong. for once q
wife always wife. Miss Proctor, on
the contrary, makes her hero, who
speaks in the first person. enter the cot
tage, meet his wife and her second hus-
band, and the three mingle their tears
together.
There is not SO much similarity in
the language Of the poems, but their
plots are identically the same, with the
difference already mentioned. When
we remember that Miss Proctor's poem
was published in 1858. and Tennyson's
six years later, there can be no doubt
that the first poet of the age did not
hesitate to borrow the plot Of one of his
most successful poems from one who.
next to Mrs, Browning. was the most
gifted poetess of the last generation