Matthew Arnold (1822-1888)
the bridge between
Romanticism and Modernism
1857: Elected Prof. of Poetry at Oxford
1867: Poem “Dover Beach” published
1869: Culture and Anarchy published
Recurring Themes in Arnold
• How is a full and enjoyable life to be lived
in a modern industrial society?
Arnold’s value can be expressed by
Browning’s statement:
• “The misapprehensiveness (mistake) of
his age is exactly what a poet is sent to
remedy”.
Arnold’s Life
(1). Being an eldest son of a clergyman, a
headmaster of a Rugby school:
earnestness
(2). At Oxford, he dressed elegantly and
colorfully; he attracted attention as a
dandy [one of the dudes of literature]
Achievements
• An inspector of schools for 35 years since
1851; travels a lot
• *Discuss Protestant middle classes
(philistine): people need belief, but not in
Christian, but in culture (an open-minded
intelligence and a full awareness of man’s
past)
“Dover Beach” (1867)
• Two Worlds:
• (1). A nightmarish world
• (2). Old World: religious verities have
receded
Conclusion:
• Human love is the only defense for men
Romanticism and Modernism
• Romanticism traits:
• How is a full and enjoyable life to be lived
in a modern industrial society
• Outdoor nature as settings: seashore or
river or mountaintop provide something
more than picturesque backdrops
Romanticism and Modernism
• Modernism traits:
• The decline of religion
• As a poet he usually records his own
experiences, his own feelings of loneliness
and isolation as a lover, his longing for a
serenity that he cannot find, his
melancholy sense of the passing of youth
Arnold as a Poet and a Critic
• Double role: as a poet—Arnold is a sick
individual in a sick society
• As a prose-writer—he is a healer of a sick
society
• He puts the hope in middle class and
predicts that the world of the future would
be a middle-class world