Alfred Lord Tennyson (1809-1892) was an English poet during the Victorian era and is especially famous for his role as Poet Laureate in the United Kingdom during a good portion of Queen Victoria’s reign. A few of his notable works include “In Memoriam” and “The Idylls of the King,” and are considered as important pieces in all of English literary canon. Tennyson is also responsible for having invented some common phrases in the English language, notably, “Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all” and “Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers,” among others.

Tennyson was born on August 6, 1809 in Somersby, Lincolnshire. His father, Reverend George Clayton Tennyson, is said to have been skilled at painting, architecture, music and poetry, and he purportedly encouraged his twelve children in their education and refinement of skills. Tennyson’s mother, Elizabeth Fytche was the daughter of a vicar. They were an educated family with a large library, although they were not wealthy.

In 1816, Tennyson was sent to Louth Grammar School along with his two brothers, Charles Tennyson Turner and Frederick Tennyson. It is known that Alfred began writing poetry from an early age and was inspired by English Romantic poets like Lord Byron (1788-1824) and Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822). Tennyson and his two brothers even published a book of poetry when Alfred was only 17 years of age.

In 1827, Tennyson began attending Trinity College in Cambridge where he became friends with fellow poet Arthur Henry Hallam. While at Cambridge, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor’s Gold Medal in 1829 for his poem “Timbuctoo.” The following year marked the publication of his first solo collection of poetry, “Poems, Chiefly Lyrical,” which contained the well-known works “Claribel” and “Mariana.”

In the year that his father died, 1831, Tennyson left Cambridge without a degree, only to publish a new volume of poems, entitled simply, “Poems,” just a year later. Because the book was not well received, and as he was stricken with grief by the death of his dear friend Arthur Hallam, who had recently died while in Vienna, Tennyson ceased his publishing attempts for the next ten years. His misfortunes continued with the loss of what little inheritance he had had after making an unwise investment in woodworking machinery.

Things began to take a turn for the better for Tennyson with the publication of “Poems, Two Volumes,” in 1842. This book contained the beginnings of great works like “Idylls of the King.” Also included was the monologue “Ulysses,” a heroic work that gained him a pension of 200 pounds per year, awarded to him by the prime minister of England.

In 1850, Tennyson published his most famous poem, “In Memoriam.” The catalyst for the creation of this mournful piece was the death of his longtime friend, Arthur Hallam, seventeen years earlier. “In Memoriam” is a series of 129 lyrics of varying length, which can be read individually or cohesively as one work. The piece reads as if moving through the stages of grief and into acceptance, eventually taking on a mood of celebration and joy. “In Memoriam” also contains segments that express concern regarding the future of Christianity, which was a common cause for anxiety at that time. With the publication of “In Memoriam,” Tennyson was named poet laureate of England, succeeding William Wordsworth, and making his the new voice of his generation. In this same year he married his love of fourteen years, Emily Sellwood, with whom he would have two sons.

While poet laureate of England, between the years 1856 and 1876, Tennyson mainly concerned himself with the completion of a series of poems about King Arthur and the Knight of the Round Table. This work would be known as “The Idylls of the King,” and would predominantly focus on “the destructive effect of incorrect passion on an honorable society,” as the Round Table is destroyed by the unlawful and passionate love between the knight Lancelot and Lady Guinevere. It is suspected that Tennyson used this historical legend as a metaphor to describe English social ills during the 19th century.

During his later years, Tennyson began publishing a number of plays, including “Queen Mary,” “Harold,” and “Becket.” These plays were intended as nationalistic celebrations of the English liberation from Roman Catholicism. His best known works, however, include ones produced in the mid 19th century, such as “In Memoriam,” “Idylls of the King,” “Charge of the Light Brigade,” “The Lotus Eaters” and “Ulysses.”

In 1884, Tennyson became Alfred “Lord” Tennyson after accepting a peerage. He died on October 6, 1892 and was buried at Westminster Abbey in the Poets’ Corner.

Additional Resources:

Access a large selection of Tennyson’s poetry available to read online.

Read more about Tennyson and access a selection of his poetry and articles on the writer through the Poetry Foundation.

Listen to scholars speak about Tennyson on BBC Radio.

An overview of Tennyson in the context of the Victorian era.

Learn more about the authors of Victorian literature.

A list of resources on Victorian literature and culture.

Around about 2005, with the advent of the now popular podcast, novelists everywhere got pretty excited about a few intrepid podcasters. Among them were Scott Sigler and J.C. Hutchins, two authors with a plan for turning their books into smash hits. They created audio versions of their books in hour-long installments that they released weekly. Both of them write thrillers, and soon they had fans on the edge of their seats all week long for their weekly installments. They worked tirelessly while holding down full-time jobs to promote their work as widely as possible—from cross-promotion with other podcasters to more traditional venues. The trick was, their work was compelling, and people kept coming back for more.

Eventually the publishers began to take notice. While you might not have much luck approaching a publisher with your unknown memoir, a novel that already has an audience of thousands tends to get some attention. Both Sigler and Hutchins secured large publishing deals for their podcast novels, even though they had already released the books for free. And their fans took the bait, purchasing their books from brick-and-mortar stores even though they’d already listened to the authors reading them aloud.

Sigler and Hutchins started with simple websites and cheap media hosting. They invested very little money in the early days and saw huge returns. That is not to say their projects were easy or their successes unearned. Both men are intrepid self-promoters who never stop looking for opportunities to re-invent the medium. They incorporate each new technology as it arises, from Twitter to iPhones. They cultivate their fan base and jump on every interview opportunity they can find. Through their writing, their vocal performances and their supreme networking moxie, they have both continued to find success with book deals, television and Internet celebrity. They also continue to help emerging podcast novelists find a voice, by cross promoting for others as others did for them. Before Facebook, Sigler and Hutchins were creating their own social networks on their own sites, dedicated to the mythologies of their characters.

This model continues to work for authors with sufficiently compelling stories to tell, and sufficiently intrepid attitudes about self-promotion. It’s a tried and true model six years later, and one any thriller writer should consider. It is important to remember too, though, that simply podcasting the novel isn’t enough. Success in this model requires daily work updating blogs, interacting with fans and securing advertising. This continues to be a viable way to use new media to sell books. Perhaps because of the amount of individual work it entails, there is still space here for success. Good luck!

Podcast Novels
http://podiobooks.com

Scott Sigler
http://www.scottsigler.com/

Plot is the single most important element of a good mystery story. You are writing a sort of game for the reader, and that game is taking place in the world you create. If that world isn’t skillfully rendered, it doesn’t feel real and the story falls flat. This is a tricky balancing act because you need to keep the action moving while you establish the story’s world. Don’t worry too much about back story. In a novel you have time to explore the history of each character but in a short story you don’t. Allude to important history without spelling it out. The reader will connect the dots.

Introduce the detective and the criminal as quickly as possible. The detective is typically the main character in a mystery story. The reader will empathize with the detective, imagining herself in his place. Use his powers of observation to reveal clues, but be sure to include plenty of red herrings so you don’t make the solution too obvious. Red herrings are suspicious characters or circumstances that don’t directly relate to the crime in question, at least not in the way the reader suspects. Red herring characters can be fun to write. They can add color and context while they distract your reader from the mystery at hand.

Make the crime both sufficiently gruesome and sufficiently realistic. A gruesome crime, ideally a murder, grabs the readers attention and adds a salaciousness to your story. However, if you make the crime unbelievable, it will pull the reader out of the story, and you’ll lose her attention. Your reader will feel unsatisfied by the story if the crime is unrealistic. That’s not to say you can’t get creative with the who, what, where, when and how.

The detective should solve the case with good old fashioned cleverness. Stories that include psychic powers—visions or premonitions—are unsatisfying for a reader. The clues should be laid out such that it is possible for someone with excellent deductive reasoning skills to puzzle them out.

Lastly, wait as long as you possibly can to reveal the culprit. The longer you wait, the more suspense you build with the story. Of course, some of the best short mystery writers like Poe and Doyle bucked many of these rules and still managed to write great works of mystery. Once you master the basics, you will have the experience you need to experiment. Until then, stick with the loose formula and challenge yourself to be as creative as possible within it.

It is now February and I cannot deny that Steig Larsson changed the way we read crime fiction…or at least what gets published, as his books created a public need for raw and gritty novels that reflect today’s culture

So what advice can I offer for writers looking to publish crime fiction?

1. Location, Location, Location

U.S. publishers such as Minotaur Books have been combing the globe for the next Steig Larsson by tracking overseas best seller lists. U.S. publishers are commissioning sample translations like never before from countries as varied as Iceland, Japan, Nigeria and South Africa. If you are unfortunately from the United States, this may sound like the final nail in the coffin of your writing career, but it’s not. You simply have to find a unique or overlooked location for your piece, the blander seeming the better. After all, I though Sweden was a frozen tundra of subdued socialism and Swedish meatballs until I read Larsson’s work. Heather O’Donoghue, a crime fiction critic for The Times Literary Supplement had this to say about it, “an added pleasure for non-Swedish readers is the setting: it’s all Ikea furniture and democratic socialism, just as outsiders would envisage.”

2. Play with Traditional Conventions

Golden Age crime writers like Dashiell Hammett, Agatha Christie, and Raymond Chandler, set the standard for what we knew crime fiction to be: hardboiled tales of murder and corruption in the back alleys of city streets. But the world has changed a lot since then. Larsson’s “Dragon Tattoo” was so successful and refreshing because it reflects the changed world through its unconventional heroin. In fact Salander is something closer to a punk rocker than a traditional P.I., with facial piercings, a disturbed sense of fashion, and malicious if not brilliant computer skills. She enables Larsson to include elements of feminism and the technological revolution into a genre of writing that traditionally ignores such topics.

To give another example of Larsson’s ability to trend set, best-selling Turkish crime writer Mehmet Murat Somer is currently writing a crime series revolving around a cross-dressing detective complete with Audrey Hepburn alter-ego. Now, I’m not saying you have to take it that far but its pretty clear that the traditional Philip Marlowe protagonist is out.

3. Reflect the Times

Before writing “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” Larsson was an avid opponent of Sweden’s far right groups and was witness to a violent revolution in Eritrea, both events which shaped his and his Heroin’s search for retribution. Contempt for the injustices in society became a motivating force in Larsson’s writing, as well as they are for the actions of his protagonist.

South African writers have found success by including the lingering effects of Apartheid in their writing, while Latin writers have found similar success writing about drug trafficking. Although we have less exposure to such events, I can think of no better climate in which to write crime fiction than here in the U.S., especially when big scandals have been unfolding in front of us on the nightly news. Best-Selling author Michael Connelly is reportedly about to publish a novel revolving around murder, mayhem, and the mortgage crisis.

4. Last…but probably most important…Never Give Up!

Even Steig Larsson was laughed at by friends and family when he said he wanted to write crime fiction. Kurdo Baksi, a personal friend of Larson, declined to look at Larsson’s manuscript saying: “Stieg, I don’t think you’re so good at literature. It’s not your business.” I guess that just goes to show that only you can determine whether or not you will be a good writer.

Considering how truly well-rounded and useful an English degree is, it is befuddling to try and understand why this particular educational path is derided as limited. Apart from a career as a teacher or a professional writer, an English degree actually opens up quite a number of career avenues.

English Majors are Good Communicators

Through years of taking the time to thoroughly, comprehensively understand the workings of the English language, and forming cohesive arguments and explanations through countless essay assignments, English majors gain valuable verbal communication skills to a much higher degree than many of their fellow students. English majors are prime candidates for any type of job that requires strong communicative skills, written or verbal.

English majors have often held jobs in a variety of diplomatic posts, because a strong knack for effective communication is extremely valuable for a career in diplomatic relations. English majors are also valued employees in the world of media communications. Radio stations, for instance, commonly look for English majors, as they not only have skills in writing copy and news stories, but they are also usually smooth at delivering this information verbally, due to their background in English.

Public Relations

Public relations is a field of utmost importance to businesses, politicians and anyone looking to make a good impression on any individual or group. English majors make good public relations sepcialists, as their skill with the written word lends itself to becoming adept at “spinning”. Taking an issue or situation that may not actually be of the most desirable nature and putting a twist on it that makes it seem not quite so distasteful is an art that most every business or politico will need at some point.

Public relations people spend a lot of their time addressing concerns of consumers, voters, and various people who generally feel they have a reason to feel dissatisfied. As communication with these people will many times take place via email and standard mail, an education in expressing oneself delicately and effectively through the written word is most desirable.

New Media

Aside from one’s main profession or career path, a major in English has become a great aid in securing a nice secondary income. With the advent of new media as the public’s main source of news, information, and consumerism, the need for quality copy for websites, blogs, mobile phone apps and a slew of other venues has skyrocketed.

Many profitable companies have sprung up solely to help feed this constant need for quality written content. Aside from the possibilities of using one’s English degree to secure work with one of these content companies, there is also the option of offering freelance writing services. Once a strong reputation as a solid writer has been built, the sky is the limit for the amount of work one can appropriate.

The Future for English Majors

Due in large part to the growing new media outlets, the future for English majors looks to be a rather rosy one, indeed. Despite the rumbles of the written word industry dying as a result of the troubles of newspapers and print magazines, it turns out that online entities are even more in need of staff with a talent for manipulating the intricacies of the English language. English majors will always have a place as teachers and poets, but the world will always have plenty of other avenues for those with this very versatile degree.