When we come to Matthew Arnold, we find signs of a shift from that, at times, unbounded optimism evident in the works of Tennyson and Browning. This is nowhere more obvious than in the social commentary of "The Scholar Gipsy," where he speaks of

. . . this strange disease of modern life,
   With its sick hurry, its divided aims,
     Its heads o'ertaxed, its palsied hearts . . .

Arnold began his career as a poet, but by the 1860's he had shifted his attention to literary and social criticism. He had come to see poetry as something that should "inspirit and rejoice the reader," and seeing his verse fall short of that mark, he changed his focus. In the 1870's he dealt with religious and educational concerns and then returned to literary criticism in the 1880's.

The question which preoccupied Arnold was, as the Norton Anthology notes, "How is a full and enjoyable life to be lived in a modern industrial society?" (1471). We can see his poetry exploring that question and his criticism attempting to answer it. That is

 As a poet, . . . Arnold provides a record of a sick individual in a sick society. This was "actuality" as he experienced it--an actuality . . . representative of his era. As a prose writer, a formulator of "ideals ," he [is] . . . the "healer" of a sick society. (Norton 1473)

Two of his most influential critical works are The Function of Criticism (1865) and Culture and Anarchy (1869). In the first, we find his well-known definition of criticism as "a disinterested endeavor to learn and propagate the best that is known and thought in the world." Thus the critic should allow "a free play of mind on all subjects, for its own sake." Another term associated with that work is Philistine--Arnold's term for the ignorant and unenlightened middle classes he had come to know through his work as an inspector of schools.

In the second, he defines culture, somewhat vaguely, as that which allows us to reach "the ideal of a human perfection, complete on all sides." In exploring this idea, he focuses upon two opposing qualities, Hebraism and Hellenism. Hebraism is the term he uses to define that Puritanical devotion to hard work. Hellenism refers to the cultivation of our aesthetic, intellectual side. While both have their place, it is necessary for us to embrace both sides equally if we are to be truly happy.

After reading the introductory section carefully, you may find it useful to read/review your selections online. A briefly annotated version of each of them, including a few illustrations, is available from the links below.

If you wish to view the annotations, simply move your mouse on and off the highlighted text. Do not click on it, or you will receive an error message.

• "Isolation: To Marguerite"
• "To Marguerite--Continued"
• "The Buried Life"
• "The Scholar Gypsy" (text only)
• "Dover Beach"
• "Stanzas from the Grande Chartreuse" (text only)
• From Culture and Anarchy
  • "Sweetness and Light" (text only)
  • "Doing as One Likes" (text only)
  • "Porro Unum Est Necessarium" (text only)

^© Scott Foll 2000. All rights reserved.