In Memoriam

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Poetry writing ultimately offers Tennyson “solace” amid his grief. What activities or practices have served as your own “mechanic exercise” during difficult times?

2. Consider the famous line “’Tis better to have loved and lost / Than never to have loved at all” (Canto 27, Lines 15-16). Do your own experiences with loss support or challenge this perspective? What makes this line so enduring?

3. Christmas celebrations appear across several years in the poem, each reflecting a different stage in Tennyson’s grief. Think about how you’ve experienced holidays or anniversaries following a significant loss. In what ways did these occasions mark your own journey through grief?

4. The scientific discoveries of Tennyson’s era challenged traditional religious beliefs, creating tension that’s evident throughout the poem. Have you ever had to reconcile new knowledge with previously held beliefs? What was that process like for you?

5. In Canto 85, Tennyson begins to reengage with life after prolonged mourning. Have you experienced a similar turning point after a period of grief or difficulty?

6. The intense friendship with Hallam gave Tennyson’s life “weight” and “worth” according to the poem. Which relationships in your life have transformed your sense of purpose or identity in profound ways?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. Victorian scientific advancements, particularly in geology and evolution, created cultural tensions between emerging science and established faith. How does In Memoriam reflect these tensions? Do you see similar conflicts between knowledge and belief in contemporary society?

2. Victorian England maintained elaborate mourning customs and ritualized expressions of grief. In what ways does Tennyson both adhere to and transcend these cultural norms in his personal expression of loss? How do those norms compare to the way contemporary societies approach grief?

3. Scholars debate whether Tennyson’s relationship with Hallam might have had romantic dimensions, noting his reference to himself as Hallam’s “widow.” How might our contemporary understanding of relationships affect our reading of the emotional intensity of In Memoriam?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. The recurring Christmas scenes in In Memoriam track the evolution of Tennyson’s grief. What significance does each Christmas hold within the poem’s emotional journey? How do these seasonal markers contribute to the work’s structure?

2. A consistent ABBA rhyme scheme and quatrain structure appear throughout the poem’s 2,000+ lines. Why might Tennyson have chosen such rigid formal constraints to express such chaotic emotions?

3. Nature plays a complex role throughout In Memoriam, sometimes indifferent to human suffering and sometimes reflecting the poet’s inner state. How does Tennyson’s portrayal of the natural world evolve alongside his grief? What effect does this have?

4. Images of the grave appear repeatedly in the early cantos, with Tennyson even imagining the yew tree’s roots wrapping around Hallam’s remains. What does this intense focus on physical death accomplish? How does it contrast with the poem’s later, more abstract spiritual contemplations?

5. When Tennyson personifies and directly addresses Sorrow throughout the poem, what does this literary technique reveal about his changing relationship with grief? How does Sorrow transform from companion to adversary? How does Tennyson’s use of this kind of direct address (called “apostrophe”) compare to other famous poetic examples, such as John Donne’s “Death, Be Not Proud.”

6. A wedding celebration in the Epilogue creates a striking contrast to the funeral imagery that dominates earlier sections. What message does this send about life continuing after profound loss?