The Day-Dream
Background
Tennyson originally published "The Sleeping Beauty" in his 1830 collection of poems. This version was later integrated into The Day-Dream, which was published in 1842.[1] In 1833, Tennyson's close friend Arthur Hallam died. The death greatly affected both Tennyson and his sister Emily greatly and he kept away from society as he slowly dealt with the pain. By mid-summer 1834, they slowly began to participate together in social events once again. At one occasion, Tennyson, his sister, and his other sister Mary were invited to visit friends at Dorking and then travel onwards to see Hallam family. However, Tennyson set out on his own and spent time alone at Leith Hill, Dorking. It was during this time that he wrote "The Sleeping Beauty" and early versions of Sir Galahad and The Blackbird.[2]
Poem
Themes
Notes
References
- Hill, Robert. Tennyson's Poetry. New York: Norton, 1971.
- Hughes, Linda. The Manyfacèd Glass. Athens, Ohio: Ohio University Press, 1988.
- Kincaid, James. Tennyson's Major Poems. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1975.
- Thorn, Michael. Tennyson. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1992.