The Idea of Mortality in Tennyson's Classical and Arthurian Poems: "Honor Comes with Mystery " Author(s): Gerhard Joseph Source: Modern Philology, Vol. 66, No. 2 (Nov., 1968), pp. 136-145 Published by: University of Chicago Press Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/435832 Accessed: 30-11-2015 08:28 UTC Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/ info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact
[email protected]. University of Chicago Press is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Modern Philology. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 141.233.160.21 on Mon, 30 Nov 2015 08:28:47 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions THE IDEA OF MORTALITY IN TENNYSON'S CLASSICAL AND ARTHURIAN POEMS: "HONOR COMES WITH MYSTERY" GERHARD JOSEPH wo of AlfredTennyson's early To the extentthat Tennyson'smajor poems, "Nothing Will Die" and poetrytried to come to termswith this "All ThingsWill Die," open in their "dying sun," to reconcile the fact of verytitles the dialogue of contraryvoices decay and death with the beneficent that was to expressone of his obsessive God in whom he believed,his work may themes-the tragicinevitability of change be read as a lifelongstruggle to justify and human mortality.Throughout his the ways of a God of Love to himselfand work he was hypersensitiveto the possi- to his fellowVictorians.