‘Dover Beach’ as a poem is a criticism of life in the sense that it is based on Matthew Arnold’s profound depiction of the melancholy prevailed upon the society of the Victorians. He laments the retreats of faith and the confusion and clause that has come in the wake of loss of faith.
How is Dover Beach the representative of Victorian age?
In Victorian Poetry, Dover Beach was said to have been a “representative of a whole phase of Victorian thought because it refuses to ground itself exactly: it has, intriguingly, neither specific focus on what kind of faith it considers nor on the causes of its decay” (O’Gorman 312).
How does the poem Dover Beach reflect the Victorian conflict between science and religion?
“Dover Beach” is the most celebrated poem by Matthew Arnold, a poet, literary and social critic of the Victorian era. The poem expresses a crisis of faith caused by the rising tide of scientific discovery. New research and intellectual inquiry cast doubt on mankind’s central and special role in the universe.
What topic of the Victorian era appears in Dover Beach?
Specifically, it dwells upon the way the general public perceived rapid industrialization happening to England, which could not help affecting people’s attitudes. Arnold was among those whose poems took a melancholy tone: Dover Beach shows the poet lost and lonely, pondering over the new, discomforting reality.
What does Dover Beach reflect?
“Dover Beach” is the most celebrated poem by Matthew Arnold, a writer and educator of the Victorian era. The poem expresses a crisis of faith, with the speaker acknowledging the diminished standing of Christianity, which the speaker sees as being unable to withstand the rising tide of scientific discovery.
How is Dover Beach an elegy on the loss of faith in Victorian era?
But here, in this poem the sea is not merely a background, but a symbol of religious faith and its ‘grating roar’ symbolizes the decline of the faith. Being a Victorian pessimist to the core, the poet perceives the crumbling away of religious faith during his time. He now hears ‘the eternal note of sadness’.
What are 3 characteristics of the Victorian age in Britain?
Victorian era, in British history, the period between approximately 1820 and 1914, corresponding roughly but not exactly to the period of Queen Victoria’s reign (1837–1901) and characterized by a class-based society, a growing number of people able to vote, a growing state and economy, and Britain’s status as the most
What is the message in the end of the poem Dover Beach?
Analysis of the poem. Through this poem “Dover Beach”, speaker manages to comment on his most recurring themes. Its message is that the world’s mystery has declined with the rise in modernity. But, this decline is painted as particularly uncertain, dark, and volatile.
What is the historical context of Dover Beach?
Dover Beach is a ‘honeymoon’ poem. Written in 1851, shortly after Matthew Arnold’s marriage to Frances Lucy Wightman, it evokes quite literally the “sweetness and light” which Arnold famously found in the classical world, in whose image he formed his ideals of English culture.
What is the main theme of Dover Beach?
The Waning Influence of Christian Faith
A key theme in “Dover Beach” relates to the waning influence of Christianity.
What was the seaside like in Victorian times?
Some beaches were divided for men and women. Sunbathing wasn’t in fashion back then, so Victorians would go to the beach fully clothed. ‘Sea bathing’ was done instead. Beaches were a lot cleaner back then as there was not as many packaged foods and snacks.
Which era is mentioned in the poem Dover Beach?
The most likely date is 1851. The title, locale and subject of the poem’s descriptive opening lines is the shore of the English ferry port of Dover, in Kent, facing Calais, in France, at the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part (21 miles (34 km)) of the English Channel, where Arnold spent his honeymoon in 1851.
How would you regard Matthew Arnold as a Victorian poet?
Together with Tennyson and Browning, Arnold has been held by critics as one of the representative poets of his age because of his poetry’s difficult negotiations of the legacy of Romanticism and its clear expression of the Victorian zeitgeist, evident, for instance, in the analysis of religious doubt contained in one
What historical figure is mentioned in Dover Beach?
The historical figure mentioned in the poem is Sophocles, a Greek tragic dramatist.
What is Dover Beach a metaphor for?
Metaphor in Dover Beach:
In this poem faith is compared to sea. Here, high tide is compared to the unbreakable faith that people had in God and religion and the ebbing of sea waves is compared to the collapsing spiritual and religious faith.
What is the significance of the title Dover Beach?
Arnold’s poem is titled “Dover Beach” because the setting is very important for the trajectory of the poem. The poem is based on Matthew Arnold’s honeymoon trip to Dover, and his imagined speaker is indeed addressing a lover as they stand at a window near the seashore.
What do you mean by crisis of faith in the Victorian age?
The Crisis of Faith refers to an event in the Victorian era in which much of Europe’s middle class begins to doubt what is written in the book of Genesis as a reliable source in accordance of how the universe was created (Flynn).
What caused the Victorian crisis of faith?
A crisis in faith ensued during this time. People were questioning organized religion and its role in their lives. When Darwin’s Theory of Evolution was printed and the discovery of the Neanderthal Man made the news, people started questioning the meaning of time, faith, spirituality and mysticism.
What is Victorian era poetry?
Poetry written in England during the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901) may be referred to as Victorian poetry.
What was the most important change of the Victorian age?
The period saw the British Empire grow to become the first global industrial power, producing much of the world’s coal, iron, steel and textiles. The Victorian era saw revolutionary breakthroughs in the arts and sciences, which shaped the world as we know it today.
What are the major themes of Victorian period?
While some of the poets of the Victorian era were interested in the social plight as well as the battles between religion and science, possibly brought on by the Theory of Evolution like writers such as Dickens, others focused on other themes such as criticism of war, adventures to the sea, medieval fables, and legends