Matthew arnold biography

English poet and cultural reviewer (1822–1888)

This article is about excellence poet. For other uses, photo Matthew Arnold (disambiguation).

Matthew Arnold
Portrait c. 1883.
Born	24 December 1822 (1822-12-24) Laleham, England
Died	15 April 1888 (1888-04-16) (aged 65) Liverpool, England
Occupation	Her Majesty's Inspector of Schools
Education	Balliol Faculty, Oxford (BA)
Period	Victorian
Genre	Poetry; literary, social put up with religious criticism
Notable works	"Dover Beach", "The Scholar-Gipsy", "Thyrsis", Culture and Anarchy, Literature and Dogma, "The Bone up on of Poetry."
Spouse	Frances Lucy ​ (m. 1851)​
Children	6

Matthew Arnold (24 December 1822 – 15 Apr 1888) was an English versifier and cultural critic.

He was the son of Thomas General, the headmaster of Rugby Institute, and brother to both Put your feet up Arnold, literary professor, and William Delafield Arnold, novelist and inhabitants administrator. He has been defined as a sage writer, skilful type of writer who chastises and instructs the reader fix on contemporary social issues.^[1] He was also an inspector of schools for thirty-five years, and backed the concept of state-regulated junior education.^[2]

Early years

He was the firstborn son of Thomas Arnold highest his wife Mary Penrose Traitor, born on 24 December 1822 at Laleham-on-Thames, Middlesex.^[3]John Keble ugly as godfather to Matthew.

In 1828, Thomas Arnold was fit Headmaster of Rugby School, wheel the family took up abode, that year. From 1831, Treasonist was tutored by his white-collar uncle, John Buckland, in Laleham. In 1834, the Arnolds busy a holiday home, Fox Trade show, in the Lake District. Down William Wordsworth was a butt and close friend.

In 1836, Arnold was sent to Rifle College, but in 1837 misstep returned to Rugby School. Proscribed moved to the sixth undertake in 1838 and so came under the direct tutelage endlessly his father. He wrote poetry for a family magazine, have a word with won school prizes. His affection poem, "Alaric at Rome", was printed at Rugby.

In Nov 1840, aged 17, Arnold matriculated at Balliol College, Oxford, spin in 1841 he won involve open scholarship, graduating B.A.

loaded 1844.^[3][4] During his student mature at Oxford, his friendship became stronger with Arthur Hugh Linn, a Rugby pupil who challenging been one of his father's favourites. He attended John Speechifier Newman's sermons at the Practice Church of St Mary integrity Virgin but did not espouse the Oxford Movement.

After king father's death in 1842, Rogue How became the family's irreversible residence. His poem Cromwell won the 1843 Newdigate prize.^[5] Why not? graduated in the following best with second class honours crucial Literae Humaniores.

In 1845, back end a short interlude of guiding at Rugby, Arnold was designate Fellow of Oriel College, University.

In 1847, he became Unauthorized Secretary to Lord Lansdowne, Prince President of the Council. Bargain 1849, he published his have control over book of poetry, The Missing Reveller. In 1850 Wordsworth died; Arnold published his "Memorial Verses" on the older poet atmosphere Fraser's Magazine.

Marriage and career

Wishing to marry but unable tolerate support a family on excellence wages of a private helper, Arnold sought the position eliminate and was appointed in Apr 1851 one of Her Majesty's Inspectors of Schools.

Two months later, he married Frances Lucy, daughter of Sir William Wightman, Justice of the Queen's Spread.

Arnold often described his duties as a school inspector thanks to "drudgery" although "at other bygone he acknowledged the benefit staff regular work."^[6] The inspectorship compulsory him, at least at lid, to travel constantly and run into much of England.

As narrated by Stefan Collini in her highness 1988 book on Arnold: "Initially, Arnold was responsible for inspecting Nonconformist schools across a fat swath of central England. Misstep spent many dreary hours nigh the 1850s in railway postpone rooms and small-town hotels, bid longer hours still listening confront children reciting their lessons concentrate on parents reciting their grievances.

Nevertheless that also meant that settle down, among the first generation break into the railway age, travelled perform stridently more of England than proletarian man of letters had at any point done. Although his duties were later confined to a peter out area, Arnold knew the country of provincial England better overrun most of the metropolitan authors and politicians of the day."^[7]

Literary career

In 1852, Arnold published diadem second volume of poems, Empedocles on Etna, and Other Poems.

In 1853, he published Poems: A New Edition, a choosing from the two earlier volumes famously excluding Empedocles on Etna, but adding new poems, Sohrab and Rustum and The Man of letters Gipsy. In 1854, Poems: Without fear or favour Series appeared; also a strain, it included the new plan Balder Dead.

Arnold was chosen Professor of Poetry at Town in 1857, and he was the first in this label to deliver his lectures suspend English rather than in Latin.^[8] He was re-elected in 1862. On Translating Homer (1861) beam the initial thoughts that Traitor would transform into Culture presentday Anarchy were among the clip of the Oxford lectures.

Engage 1859, he conducted the control of three trips to decency continent at the behest rob parliament to study European helpful practices. He self-published The Common Education of France (1861), authority introduction to which was following published under the title Democracy (1879).^[9]

In 1865, Arnold published Essays in Criticism: First Series.

Essays in Criticism: Second Series would not appear until November 1888, shortly after his death. Underside 1866, he published Thyrsis, rulership elegy to Clough who confidential died in 1861. Culture take Anarchy, Arnold's major work train in social criticism (and one detailed the few pieces of emperor prose work currently in print) was published in 1869.

Literature and Dogma, Arnold's major get something done in religious criticism appeared convoluted 1873. In 1883 and 1884, Arnold toured the United States and Canada^[10] delivering lectures discipline education, democracy and Ralph Waldo Emerson. He was elected on the rocks Foreign Honorary Member of leadership American Academy of Arts cope with Sciences in 1883.^[11] In 1886, he retired from school abscond and made another trip attain America.

An edition of Poems by Matthew Arnold, with minor introduction by A. C. Benson and illustrations by Henry Ospovat, was published in 1900 tough John Lane.^[12]

Death

Arnold died suddenly case 1888 of heart failure whilst running to meet a trolley bus that would have taken him to the Liverpool Landing Custom to see his daughter, who was visiting from the Merged States where she had sham after marrying an American.

Culminate wife died in June 1901.^[13]

Character

"Matthew Arnold", wrote G. W. Bond. Russell in Portraits of authority Seventies, is "a man resolve the world entirely free steer clear of worldliness and a man take in letters without the faintest bit of pedantry".^[14] Arnold was trig familiar figure at the Club Club, a frequent diner-out elitist guest at great country box, charming, fond of fishing (but not of shooting),^[15] and regular lively conversationalist, with a self-consciously cultivated air combining foppishness settle down Olympian grandeur.

He read day out, widely, and deeply, and of great consequence the intervals of supporting ourselves and his family by significance quiet drudgery of school inspecting, filled notebook after notebook take up again meditations of an almost religious tone. In his writings, lighten up often baffled and sometimes displeased his contemporaries by the come into view contradiction between his urbane, unvarying frivolous manner in controversy, bear the "high seriousness" of dominion critical views and the blue, almost plaintive note of ostentatious of his poetry.

"A language poking fun in the wilderness" was T. H. Warren's collection of him.^{[citation needed]}

Poetry

Arnold's literary career—aside from two youthful prize poems—had begun in 1849 with nobleness publication of The Strayed Carouser and Other Poems by A., which attracted little notice roost was soon withdrawn.

It formal what is perhaps Arnold's lid purely poetical poem, "The Deserted Merman." Empedocles on Etna service Other Poems (among them "Tristram and Iseult"), published in 1852, had a similar fate. Bind 1858 he published his disaster of Merope, calculated, he wrote to a friend, "rather encircling inaugurate my Professorship with upper class than to move deeply distinction present race of humans," spell chiefly remarkable for some experiments in unusual—and unsuccessful—metres.

Arnold not bad sometimes called the third conclusive Victorian poet, along with King, Lord Tennyson, and Robert Browning.^[16]

Harold Bloom echoes Arnold's self-characterization teeny weeny his introduction (as series editor) to the Modern Critical Views volume on Arnold: "Arnold got into his poetry what Poet and Browning scarcely needed (but absorbed anyway), the main go on foot of mind of his time." Of his poetry, Bloom says,

Whatever his achievement as undiluted critic of literature, society, representational religion, his work as pure poet may not merit nobleness reputation it has continued quick hold in the twentieth 100.

Arnold is, at his superb, a very good but well derivative poet. ... As industrial action Tennyson, Hopkins, and Rossetti, Arnold's dominant precursor was Keats, however this is an unhappy disagreement, since Arnold (unlike the others) professed not to admire Poet greatly, while writing his official elegiac poems in a enunciation, meter, imagistic procedure, that intrude on embarrassingly close to Keats.^[17]

Sir Edmund Chambers noted that "in top-notch comparison between the best entireness of Matthew Arnold and zigzag of his six greatest start ...

the proportion of walk off with which endures is greater speedy the case of Matthew Traitor than in any one prescription them."^[18] Chambers judged Arnold's songlike vision by

its simplicity, understandability, and straightforwardness; its literalness ...; the sparing use of baroque words, or of far-fetched justify, which are all the finer effective when they come; significance avoidance of inversions, and glory general directness of syntax, which gives full value to glory delicacies of a varied accent, and makes it, of deteriorate verse that I know, integrity easiest to read aloud.^[19]

His 1867 poem "Dover Beach" depicted elegant nightmarish world from which dignity old religious verities have receded.

It is sometimes held sell something to someone as an early, if whoop the first, example of authority modern sensibility. In a popular preface to a selection appreciate the poems of William Poet, Arnold identified, a little ironically, as a "Wordsworthian". The claim of Wordsworth, both in significance and in diction, is distinct in Arnold's best poetry.

"Dover Beach" is included in Quill Bradbury's novel Fahrenheit 451, reprove is featured prominently in honesty novel Saturday by Ian McEwan. It has been quoted most uptodate alluded to in a range of other contexts (see Dover Beach). Henry James wrote dump Arnold's poetry will appeal get to the bottom of those who "like their pleasures rare" and who like give a warning hear the poet "taking breath".

He derived the subject event of his narrative poems stranger traditional or literary sources, ground much of the romantic blue of his earlier poems take from Senancour's "Obermann".

Arnold was deeply aware of his place look onto poetry. In an 1869 missive to his mother, he wrote:

My poems represent, on representation whole, the main movement loom mind of the last fourth of a century, and non-standard thusly they will probably have their day as people become skilful to themselves of what mosey movement of mind is, see interested in the literary works which reflect it.

It puissance be fairly urged that Distracted have less poetical sentiment leave speechless Tennyson and less intellectual force and abundance than Browning; still because I have perhaps added of a fusion of say publicly two than either of them, and have more regularly purposeful that fusion to the be line of modern development, Unrestrained am likely enough to be blessed with my turn as they possess had theirs.^[20]

Stefan Collini regards that as "an exceptionally frank, on the contrary not unjust, self-assessment.

... Arnold's poetry continues to have intellectual attention lavished upon it, observe part because it seems give rise to furnish such striking evidence transport several central aspects of loftiness intellectual history of the 19th century, especially the corrosion accord 'Faith' by 'Doubt'. No versifier, presumably, would wish to pull up summoned by later ages merely as an historical witness, however the sheer intellectual grasp sight Arnold's verse renders it decidedly liable to this treatment."^[21]

Prose

Assessing goodness importance of Arnold's prose research paper in 1988, Stefan Collini affirmed, "for reasons to do block our own cultural preoccupations introduction much as with the merits of his writing, the stroke of his prose has spiffy tidy up claim on us today go wool-gathering cannot be matched by empress poetry."^[22] "Certainly there may standstill be some readers who, cursorily recalling 'Dover Beach' or 'The Scholar Gipsy' from school anthologies, are surprised to find of course 'also' wrote prose."^[23]

George Watson comes from George Saintsbury in dividing Arnold's career as a prose man of letters into three phases: 1) originally literary criticism that begins collide with his preface to the 1853 edition of his poems take ends with the first convoy of Essays in Criticism (1865); 2) a prolonged middle time (overlapping the first and 3rd phases) characterised by social, state and religious writing (roughly 1860–1875); 3) a return to mythical criticism with the selecting station editing of collections of Wordsworth's and Byron's poetry and authority second series of Essays close in Criticism.^[24] Both Watson and Saintsbury declare their preference for Arnold's literary criticism over his organized or religious criticism.

More fresh writers, such as Collini, hold shown a greater interest slot in his social writing,^[25] while gawk at the years a significant in a short while tier of criticism has right on Arnold's religious writing.^[26] Ruler writing on education has party drawn a significant critical strive separable from the criticism come close to his social writings.^[27]

Literary criticism

Arnold's preventable as a literary critic began with the 1853 "Preface dealings the Poems".

In it, put your feet up attempted to explain his at the end act of self-censorship in besides the dramatic poem "Empedocles brains Etna". With its emphasis hold the importance of subject look poetry, on "clearness of arrange, rigor of development, simplicity promote to style" learned from the Greeks, and in the strong impression of Goethe and Wordsworth, might be observed nearly all say publicly essential elements in his censorious theory.

George Watson described honourableness preface, written by the thirty-one-year-old Arnold, as "oddly stiff contemporary graceless when we think achieve the elegance of his late prose."^[28]

Criticism began to take premier place in Arnold's writing succumb his appointment in 1857 consent to the professorship of poetry dry mop Oxford, which he held expose two successive terms of fivesome years.

In 1861 his lectures On Translating Homer were publicised, to be followed in 1862 by Last Words on Translating Homer. Especially characteristic, both sum his defects and his crowd, are on the one lunch-hook, Arnold's unconvincing advocacy of Uprightly hexameters and his creation show evidence of a kind of literary immediate in the "grand style," gleam, on the other, his similar feeling of the need insinuate a disinterested and intelligent blame in England.^{[citation needed]}

Although Arnold's meaning received only mixed reviews perch attention during his lifetime, her majesty forays into literary criticism were more successful.

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Arnold is famous for infliction a methodology of literary judgement somewhere between the historicist come close common to many critics popular the time and the characteristic essay; he often moved apace and easily from literary subjects to political and social issues. His Essays in Criticism (1865, 1888), remains a significant ability on critics to this light of day, and his prefatory essay nod that collection, "The Function recognize Criticism at the Present Time", is one of the lid influential essays written on goodness role of the critic speck identifying and elevating literature—even in detail saying, "The critical power disintegration of lower rank than rectitude creative." Comparing himself to position French liberal essayist Ernest Renan, who sought to inculcate principles in France, Arnold saw her majesty role as inculcating intelligence be given England.^[29] In one of her majesty most famous essays on righteousness topic, "The Study of Poetry", Arnold wrote that, "Without metrical composition, our science will appear incomplete; and most of what condensed passes with us for faith and philosophy will be replaced by poetry".

He considered magnanimity most important criteria used with respect to judge the value of trig poem were "high truth" stream "high seriousness". By this disgusting, Chaucer's Canterbury Tales did howl merit Arnold's approval. Further, Traitor thought the works that esoteric been proven to possess both "high truth" and "high seriousness", such as those of Poet and Milton, could be handmedown as a basis of balancing to determine the merit condemn other works of poetry.

Unquestionable also sought for literary evaluation to remain disinterested, and aforementioned that the appreciation should pull up of "the object as return itself it really is."^{[citation needed]}

Though unable to speak any marvel at the Celtic languages Arnold disrespectful an interest in the Celtic-language literatures of Ireland and Cymru, and his On the Learn about of Celtic Literature, first accessible in 1867, led him authenticate be regarded as an specialist in the field, though just now it is usually viewed owing to an expression of orientalist attempt colonialist attitudes towards its subject.^[30]

Social criticism

He was led on strange literary criticism to a extend general critique of the affections of his age.

Between 1867 and 1869 he wrote Culture and Anarchy, famous for righteousness term he popularised for high-mindedness middle class of the Ethically Victorian era population: "Philistines", put in order word which derives its fresh cultural meaning (in English—the German-language usage was well established) overexert him. Culture and Anarchy attempt also famous for its vulgarisation of the phrase "sweetness nearby light", first coined by Jonathan Swift.^[31]

In Culture and Anarchy, Treasonist identifies himself as a Generous and "a believer in culture" and takes up what clerk Richard Bellamy calls the "broadly Gladstonian effort to transform honourableness Liberal Party into a channel of political moralism."^[32][33] Arnold thought with scepticism the plutocratic covetous in socioeconomic affairs, and booked the questions which vexed hang around Victorian liberals on the field of power and the state's role in moral guidance.^[34] General vigorously attacked the Nonconformists with the arrogance of "the large Philistine middle-class, the master in action in our politics."^[35] The Philistines were "humdrum people, slaves divulge routine, enemies to light" who believed that England's greatness was due to her material riches alone and took little investment in culture.^[35] Liberal education was essential, and by that Traitor meant a close reading limit attachment to the cultural liberal arts, coupled with critical reflection.^[36] Treasonist saw the "experience" and "reflection" of Liberalism as naturally top to the ethical end ship "renouncement," as evoking the "best self" to suppress one's "ordinary self."^[33] Despite his quarrels disconnect the Nonconformists, Arnold remained marvellous loyal Liberal throughout his the social order, and in 1883, William Suitcase awarded him an annual old-age pension of 250 pounds "as graceful public recognition of service belong the poetry and literature fence England."^[37][38][39]

Many subsequent critics such style Edward Alexander, Lionel Trilling, Martyr Scialabba and Russell Jacoby plot emphasised the liberal character allround Arnold's thought.^[40][41][42]Hugh Stuart Jones describes Arnold's work as a "liberal critique of Victorian liberalism" eventually Alan S.

Kahan places Arnold's critique of middle-class philistinism, physicalism, and mediocrity within the aid organization of 'aristocratic liberalism' as exemplified by liberal thinkers such style John Stuart Mill and Alexis de Tocqueville.^[43][44]

Arnold's "want of cogitation and thoroughness of thought" in the same way noted by John M.

Guard in Modern Humanists was tone down aspect of the inconsistency remind which Arnold was accused.^[45] Occasional of his ideas were diadem own, and he failed grant reconcile the conflicting influences which moved him so strongly. "There are four people, in especial," he once wrote to Necessary Newman, "from whom I assemblage conscious of having learnt—a extremely different thing from merely response a strong impression—learnt habits, designs, ruling ideas, which are everlastingly with me; and the quaternion are—Goethe, Wordsworth, Sainte-Beuve, and yourself." Dr.

Arnold must be added; the son's fundamental likeness on hand the father was early bristly out by Swinburne, and was later attested by Matthew Arnold's grandson, Mr. Arnold Whitridge. Residue such as Stefan Collini put forward that much of the contempt aimed at Arnold is homespun on "a convenient parody only remaining what he is supposed expel have stood for" rather surpass the genuine article.^[33]

Journalistic criticism

In 1887, Arnold was credited with fraudulence the phrase "New Journalism", calligraphic term that went on get stuck define an entire genre elect newspaper history, particularly Lord Northcliffe's turn-of-the-century press empire.

However, efficient the time, the target grip Arnold's irritation was not Northcliffe, but the sensational journalism recompense Pall Mall Gazette editor, Helpless. T. Stead.^[46] Arnold had enjoyed a long and mutually wellbehaved association with the Pall Stuffy Gazette since its inception demand 1865. As an occasional supporter correspondent, he had formed a punctilious friendship with its first copy editor, Frederick Greenwood and a familiarize acquaintance with its second, Bathroom Morley.

But he strongly condemned of the muck-raking Stead, contemporary declared that, under Stead, "the P.M.G., whatever may be secure merits, is fast ceasing be adjacent to be literature."^[47]

He was appalled certify the shamelessness of the overdone new journalism of the variety he witnessed on his flex of the United States huddle together 1886.

In his account make a rough draft that tour, "Civilization in decency United States", he observed, "if one were searching for dignity best means to efface submit kill in a whole mental picture the discipline of self-respect, blue blood the gentry feeling for what is high, he could do no worthier than take the American newspapers."^[48]

Religious criticism

His religious views were unorthodox for his time and caused sorrow to some of ruler best friends.^[49] Scholars of Arnold's works disagree on the essence of Arnold's personal religious doctrine.

Under the influence of Statesman Spinoza and his father, Dr. Thomas Arnold, he rejected excellence supernatural elements in religion,^[50] uniform while retaining a fascination be glad about church rituals. In the preamble to God and the Bible, written in 1875, Arnold recounts a powerful sermon he upsetting discussing the "salvation by Sovereign Christ", he writes: "Never onslaught us deny to this recounting power and pathos, or power with hostility ideas which possess entered so deep into leadership life of Christendom.

But description story is not true; give the once over never really happened".^[51]

He continues count up express his concern with depiction historicity of the Bible, explaining that "The personages of righteousness Christian heaven and their conversations are no more matter presentation fact than the personages refreshing the Greek Olympus and their conversations."^[51] He also wrote make a fuss Literature and Dogma: "The term 'God' is used in almost cases as by no get worse a term of science blurry exact knowledge, but a designation of poetry and eloquence, exceptional term thrown out, so find time for speak, as a not discriminatingly grasped object of the speaker's consciousness—a literary term, in short; and mankind mean different factors by it as their blunt differs."^[52] He defined religion orangutan "morality touched with emotion".^[53]

However, soil also wrote in the be the same as book, "to pass from orderly Christianity relying on its miracles to a Christianity relying branch its natural truth is uncluttered great change.

It can be brought about by those whose attachment to Christianity practical such, that they cannot expose with it, and yet cannot but deal with it sincerely."^[54]

Reputation

Harold Bloom writes that "Whatever top achievement as a critic topple literature, society or religion, culminate work as a poet possibly will not merit the reputation allow has continued to hold hassle the twentieth century.

Arnold task, at his best, a further good, but highly derivative metrist, unlike Tennyson, Browning, Hopkins, Poet and Rossetti, all of whom individualized their voices."^[55]

The writer Closet Cowper Powys, an admirer, wrote that, "with the possible departure of Merope, Matthew Arnold's rhyme is arresting from cover get on to cover—[he] is the great layman of English poetry [he] every has the air of deal with ironic and urbane scholar chatting freely, perhaps a little imprudently, with his not very mannerly pupils."^[56]

Family

The Arnolds had six children:

• Thomas (1852–1868);
• Trevenen William (1853–1872);
• Richard Penrose (1855–1908), an inspector of factories;^{[note 1]}
• Lucy Charlotte (1858–1934), who hitched Frederick W.

  Whitridge of Recent York, whom she had decrease during Arnold's American lecture tour;

• Eleanore Mary Caroline (1861–1936) married (1) Hon. Armine Wodehouse (MP) tackle 1889, (2) William Mansfield, Ordinal Viscount Sandhurst, in 1909;
• Basil Francis (1866–1868).

Selected bibliography

Poetry

• Stanzas in Memory look up to the Author of "Obermann" (1849)
• The Strayed Reveller, and Other Poems (1849)
• Empedocles on Etna, and Treat Poems (1852)
• Sohrab and Rustum (1853)
• The Scholar-Gipsy (1853)
• Stanzas from the Grande Chartreuse (1855)
• Memorial Verses to Wordsworth
• Rugby Chapel (1867)
• Thyrsis (1865)

Prose

• Essays in Criticism (1865, 1888)
• On the Study dispense Celtic Literature (1867)
• Culture and Anarchy (1869)
• Friendship's Garland (1871)
• Literature and Dogma (1873)
• God and the Bible (1875)
• The Study Of Poetry (1880)

See also

Notes

References

Citations

Abbreviation: CPW stands correspond to Robert H. Super (editor), The Complete Prose Works of Gospels Arnold, see Bibliography.

Sources

Primary sources

Biographies (by publication date)

Bibliography

Writings on Matthew Arnold prime containing significant discussion of Poet (by publication date)

External links

Digital collections

Physical collections

Biographical links

Other links