Tennyson's The Princess

Prologue

1. What Victorian assumptions on women and female education keep cropping up throughout the poem?

2. What is the effect of the medieval and aristocratic frames around the poem? The choice of Sir Walter's family and the narrator as the poem's personae?

3. What are the first images of women which the poem presents?

4. What are some resemblances/differences between the styles of Shelley and Tennyson? What is the effect of Tennyon's long descriptions throughout?

5. What various forms of education are discussed or implied in the poem? What class distinctions in subject matter are maintained?

6. What are Lilia's ambitions? (ll. 127-38) How is she treated? Does she favor co-education? Why do they all assume that men must be rigidly excluded from any women's college? What approach does the first male speaker take, and is he typical? (ll. 139-48)

7. What imagery describes Lilia? (e. g. ll. 152-58, 165, etc.); what effect does this and her character have upon the poem?

8. What sexual roles are asssumed in the choices of narrator and singers? (e. g., ll. 232-38)

I

1. What are the characteristics and temperament of the hero? Does he seem a typical poetic hero?

2. What functions do the father and friend figures serve in the poem?

3. Is there any significance to the names, Psyche and Blanche? Who was Pallas Athena? (l. 219) How do the men choose their professors?

II

1. Describe the women's college. Do you think this would have been an accurate description of a contemporary educational establishment for women? What are Ida's character and opinons?

2. Why do you think Tennyson emphasizes children and past memories in his songs rather than, for example, further celebrating sensual love? Does he differ from or resemble the romantic poets in his emphasis on the marriage bond, married life, and children?

3. How does the poem use stars and astronomy?

4. How many of Psyche's opinions are/were currently used or argued by latter-day feminists? (ll. 109-64)

5. What significance does the threat of death to male intruders have in the plot?

6. What roles had Psyche served to Florian in the past? How do the men argue with her? What does Tennyson imply are the chief things male and female siblings may have in common?

7. What are Cyril's motivations for desiring Psyche? His opionions on the college? In your view, will he make a suitable husband for her?

8. How do the women decorate their college?

III

1. How does the prince think Ida errs? How does Cyril buy off Lady Blanche?

2. What is the significance of the prince's seizure in ll. 169-73? With what does Ida identify girlhood (ll. 201-206)?

3. Why does the prince think Ida should renounce her labors? Do his prophecies come true? (ll. 220-25) What does he assume concerning the nature of happiness? (ll. 228-29)

4. What are Ida's arguments against child-rearing? Are they weak? Can you think of several (for the Victorian period) which she ignores?

5. Why does Ida forbid dissection of corpses in her school? During this period what profession was barred to women on these grounds? What special skill has Ida learned?

6. Are Ida's geological purusits related to any of her ideas?

7. What motifs recur in several songs?

IV

1. Why does Ida dislike the song, "Tears, Idle Tears"? Does her attitude concerning the past differ from that of the author?

2. Is there any significance to the poem's constant seasonal and garden imagery?

3. Are Ida's objections to the swallow song valid? (ll. 114, 125-30) What kinds of songs does she prefer?

4. What silly event breaks everything up? Why does the prince attack Cyril? What is the women's first response? (ll. 159-71)

5. (on river rescue) Would better Victorian physical education programs for women have altered the plot at this momentous point? What skills and qualities eventually win Ida for the prince?

6. What is symbolized by the prince's seeing the Actaeon/Diana and Judith/Holofernes representations at this point?

Why do the men worry that Cyril and Psyche have eloped? How does Tennyson contrive to make the prince progressively more sympathetic?

7. How does the theme of military prowess (Lilia' song) harmonize with the plot? How has Lilia's attitude changed?

V

read ll. 98-103, 146-97, 255-58, 331-41, 361-402, 428-441, 452-56, Song.

1. What do Psyche and Ida have in common (of course)?

2. Would Tennyson agree with some of the old man's beliefs? What might have happened had the prince won the battle and claimed Ida by force?

VI, ll. 81-111 (symbolism of prostrate lover carried to its ultimate), ll. 286-291, song.

1. After what Victorian war were women nurses idolized?

VII

1. What is the effect of hospital service on women? (ll. 8-13) On Ida? What emotion preceeds her contented tending of the sick?

2. Do you feell Ida's final character change is plausible?

Conclusion:

1. Do the poem's implausibliites of plot weaken its success, or is it a satisfactory or persuasive fantasy?

2. The poem has been frequently charged with inconsistency of tone; do you agree?

3. How does Tennyson judge Ida's past ambitions? Her future? What is the significance of the final scene and song? Her final evaluations of her past effort? The prince's projections concerning the future? Pronoucements on marraige? (Motherhood motif, ll. 298-312, Victorian motif of romantic love which clarifies self-doubts, ll. 325-331 etc., 343-45). What do you think this couple will do to promote the new society of wider views?

4. Do you see any relationship between Tennyson's political opinions and his beliefs on marriage?

5. Would you describe this poem as reformist? Why do you think it appealed to many nineteenth-century feminists?