... poems reveal about Tennyson's poetics, is his internal struggle between 'artistic detachment' and 'social responsibility' (Alaya 274). In the above-mentioned poem – i.e. "The Lady of Shalott" -Tennyson dramatizes the conflict between the isolated artist and the society that expects and demands more involvement ... she finds herself the victim of a 'curse' and dies even before she actually encounters a human soul. Many scholars have therefore treated this poem as a kind of manifesto of Tennyson's attitude towards art: the artist, although haunted by the desire for company ...

• Word Count: 2449
• Approx Pages: 10
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate