The Princess

Description

An epic poem planned almost 20 years before it was actually written, Alfred Tennyson’s “The Princess” follows the narrated tale of a brave princess who managed to look past the seeming superiority of men in the era she was living in, and founded a women’s university, where men were not allowed.

The plot talks about a young princess who defied her heritage, seeking to change the world she was living in, and provide women with similar rights as men. In an effort to curb her initiative, the prince she was promised to since birth had entered the university with some of his friends disguised as women. They were, however, discovered, and eventually placed at the mercy of the Princess. How will she deal with this unexpected development?

The poem has attracted considerable attention when it was written, in 1847, not just because it coincided with the opening of the first college for women in Britain (Queen’s College in London), but also due to the speculation that the poem may have partly been inspired by the opening of Love’s Labour’s Lost.

Those interested in the rise of feminism and its acceptance in Britain during the middle of the 19th century might find this remarkable poem to be of significant historic value, while Tennyson’s engaging, sometimes humorous writing style, as well as his complex and elegant narrative will likely keep many readers interested, even if they are not accustomed with reading narrative poems.

A curious fact about The Princess is that Tennyson took his time with completing it, putting forth the idea to his then future wife, Emily Sellwood, as early as 1830, but only completing it 17 years later.

The conclusion of the poem sees the author offering quite an illuminating comment regarding The Princess, defining it as a blend between a comic and solemn narrative.
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