I just finished reading Tennyson: an Illustrated Life. As I finished the book the fact that stayed with me is how neatly his life can be divided in two phases hinged on the year 1850. That year his life changed dramatically: he published his poem In Memoriam which had been written as a response to the death of his close friend Arthur Hallam; he was named Poet Laureate and most importantly, he got married. The author of the book (the name escapes me now) talks about how Emily, his bride, had brought stability to his life. This second phase of his life was not plagued by insecurities, fears, anxieties, hypochondria, depression. This year seem that have put a lot of these to rest and he went on to live a long productive life.
It made me think of the role of a wife in the life of her husband. I would like to know more about their relationship. How did she manage to help him? Was her influence really important or would success and age have accomplished the same results? What kind of woman was Emily Tennyson?
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