Tennyson_And_Lady_Of_Shalott

Tennyson And Lady Of Shalott Tennyson’s 1832 poem, “The Lady of Shalott,” found itself born again in its revised state after Tennyson’s ten year silent period. In both versions, the Lady of Shalott is a body of creativity. Her weaving is an artform. Enveloped in the tapestry are images and pictures of the reflections she sees passing in her magic mirror. The Lady of Shalott is an artist of both the loom and of images. Tennyson uses this status and her fate to embody the characteristics of an artist. For example, she is withdrawn in a tower from which she can see below the workings of a society - Camelot. An artist must, therefore, be secluded and detached so as to accurately convey the meaning behind his/her subjects and make a statement on society. However, this portrayal of the detached and elusive artist is even more clearly defined in specific revisions of the poem between 1832 and 1842. The deletion of specific descriptive details and the changing of the final stanza proves that the1842 revised version of Tennyson’s “The Lady of Shalott” is more effective in conveying the notability of an artist who detaches and abstracts from his/her subject so as to make an accurate statement on society. Specific details are lady, shalott, version, artist, words, poem, image, society, revised, identity, images, concrete, statement, final, details, detached, described, 1842, 1832, tennyson, stanza, specific, pearls, make, last, velvet, tennyson’s, sir, must, lancelot, example, earlier, description, describing, convey, character