Among the Shadows: The Influence of Mesmerism on Identity in the Poetry of Matthew Arnorld, Lord Tennyson, and Robert Browning

Abstract

This study examines the phenomenon of mesmerism as an influence on the Victorian poets Matthew Arnold, Lord Tennyson, and Robert Browning. It covers the period from 1851 to 1864 during which time these poets composed and published several works of poetry containing mesmeric themes. Primary sources, Victorian scholarship, and modern criticism were used to support analysis of the poems. Comparative analyses were also conducted using poems by the same author as well as with the poems by the other authors in the study. Analysis revealed that the poets used mesmerism as a mechanism of discussing issues of identity within their poetry. The mesmeric trance, specifically, received extensive treatment as the arena in which concepts such as the true self, self-knowledge, and individualism were explored. Each poet had a particular focus in regards to identity which also manifested in the poetry. Arnold was attracted to the search for the hidden self and with connecting that self to the conscious mind. Tennyson was interested in mending defects of personality or character through insight. And, finally, Browning was concerned with a new definition of individualism and its ability to survive what he considered to be the destructive power of mesmerism. The extent of the presence of mesmerism in their poetry indicates mesmerism had a greater impact on shaping concepts of identity than previously acknowledged.