The Day-Dream

The death greatly affected both Tennyson and his sister Emily, and he kept away from society as he dealt with the pain.

At one occasion, Tennyson, Emily, and their sister Mary were invited to visit friends at Dorking and then travel onwards to see the Hallam family.

Tennyson's earlier works discuss journeys through memory, including "Sense and Conscience", "The Merman", "The Mermaid", and "Recollections of the Arabian Nights".

The poem relies on a similar theme as Tennyson's "The Lotos-Eaters" in that it talks about a living death state.

[10] The section "The Revival" is similar to The Princess or "Home They Brought Her Warrior Dead" in its discussion of rebirth and a return to life.

[12] Literary critic Arthur Turnbull claims, "This is one of the most artistically executed of Tennyson's creations; he was always fond of the slumberous side of things where music is the voice of the poppy dreams of fancy.