Alfred Lord Tennyson · English Literature

How did Tennyson's 1832 volume of 'Poems' initially fare with critics?

  1. It was an immediate, unanimous critical and popular success
  2. It was largely ignored and passed without any comment
  3. It was heavily criticized, leading to a ten-year 'silence'
  4. It was banned outright for its perceived political radicalism
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Correct answer: It was heavily criticized, leading to a ten-year 'silence'

Harsh reviews, particularly in the 'Quarterly Review', deeply hurt Tennyson. He did not publish another major volume until 1842, using the decade to obsessively revise his work and perfect his craft.

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