Date of Award
6-6-1997
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
English
First Advisor
Donald C. Stuart, III, Ph.D.
Second Advisor
Michael Lund, Ph.D.
Third Advisor
Massie C. Stinson, Ph.D.
Abstract
This thesis will explore the characters and situations presented by Tennyson in "The Holy Grail" to reveal their human qualities and frailties for the purposes of examination and reflection in order to gain a greater understanding of spirituality . For Tennyson himself said that, "My meaning in the Idyll s of the King was spiritual. I took the legendary stories of the Round Table as illustrations. I intended Arthur to represent the Ideal Soul of Man coming into contact with the warring elements of the flesh" (qtd. in Ricks 671). Hallam Tennyson, as well, observes that "Throughout the poem runs my father's belief in one strong argument of hope, the marvelously transmuting power of repentance in all men, however great their sin" (Memoirs, 2, 131).
Recommended Citation
Shetler, Rodney Llyn, ""The Holy Grail": An Epic Spiritual Quest for Modern Times by Alfred, Lord Tennyson" (1997). Theses & Honors Papers. 333.
https://digitalcommons.longwood.edu/etd/333
