Arnold praises Chaucer’s excellent style and manner, but says that Chaucer cannot be called a classic since, unlike Homer, Virgil and Shakespeare, his poetry does not have the high poetic seriousness which Aristotle regards as a mark of its superiority over the other arts.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=9HfaZA66h7w
Why did Arnold say that Chaucer and Burns come short of high seriousness?
Arnold admits that the language of Chaucer is a cause of difficulty for us. But he believes that it is a difficulty to be unhesitatingly accepted and overcome. He declares that Chaucer is not a pure classic because he fails to display high seriousness in his works.
Why does Arnold criticize the literature produced during the Victorian age?
Arnold criticizes the literature produced during the Victorian age. According to him, there is a failure of criticism due to the division of society and intellectuals into small political and religious groups that makes them incapable of seeing things in their true states.
How does Arnold view on historical reading of poetry?
Arnold shows that the historical estimate means judging a poet from the point view of his importance in the course of literary history. The historic estimate is not a true judgement of a poet. It affects our judgement of the ancient poets or ancient works.
What did Matthew Arnold say about Wordsworth?
Matthew Arnold, an important Victorian social and literary critic, wrote of Wordsworth ‘I, for one, must always listen to him with the profoundest respect‘. However, he thought that ultimately, Wordsworth could never be a truly great and permanent poet of the stature that Coleridge had suggested he might be.
Why does Arnold refer to Sophocles?
Arnold mentions Sophocles in his poem as he knew that even Sophocles was aware about the human misery which he had heard while sitting by the Aegean Sea. Using Sophocles, the speaker wants to express the intense agony and sadness.
Who lacks high seriousness according to Arnold?
About Chaucer, Arnold says that though he is one of the greatest classics of English poetry, he lacks the “high seriousness” that is found in the likes of Shakespeare and Milton.
What Arnold opposed?
Arnold opposes two methods of reading poetry.
What did Matthew Arnold believe?
Arnold highly respected Newman, a conservative Catholic, for his spirituality, Arnold became an agnostic later in life. Although he had his own religious doubts, a source of great anxiety for him, he sought to capture the true essence of Christianity in many of his essays.
Who is known as the father of English criticism?
John Dryden
John Dryden is rightly considered as “the father of English Criticism”. He was the first to teach the English people to determine the merit of composition upon principles.
What is the main focus of Arnold’s theory?
Culture and Anarchy, major work of criticism by Matthew Arnold, published in 1869. In it Arnold contrasts culture, which he defines as “the study of perfection,” with anarchy, the prevalent mood of England’s then new democracy, which lacks standards and a sense of direction.
Why does Arnold call poetry the criticism of life?
By “criticism of life” he meant “noble and profound application of ideas to life.” It means that poetry is not for affording pleasure and creating beauty. It must have a high deal. This ideal is to present life in such a way that it may illumine us and inspire us.
Who are the poets Arnold refers to for the comparison of the poems?
Arnold asks whether Dryden and Pope, poets of great merit, are truly the poetical classics of the 18th century. He says Dryden’s post-script to the readers in his translation of The Aeneid reveals the fact that in prose writing he is even better than Milton and Chapman.
What Arnold said about Keats?
‘ No one can question the eminency, in Keats’s poetry, of the quality of sensuousness. Keats as a poet is abundantly and enchantingly sensuous; the question with some people will be, whether he is anything else.
What did Matthew Arnold call the 18th century?
Matthew Arnold stated that the eighteenth century was the age of ‘prose & reason’. It is called so because no good poetry was written at that age and poetry itself became ‘prosaic’. The eighteenth century is also referred as the Augustan Age or Neo- classical Age.
What is Matthew Arnold’s most famous poem?
Dover Beach
‘Dover Beach‘.
Although this poem was only first published in 1867, it was actually written considerably earlier, probably in 1851. ‘Dover Beach’ is Arnold’s most famous poem.
What is Arnold’s view truth?
Thus Arnold sets high standards for poetry. He proclaims that truth and high seriousness are two essential qualities of excellent poetry. He tries to represent them as a proper standard for evaluation of poetry. Poetic truth and poetic beauty mean matter and manner respectively.
What is the message of Sophocles?
Sophocles uses the theme of sight versus blindness ironically in the play. The only character who can truly see and understand the world is the blind prophet Tiresias. Meanwhile, those such as Oedipus and Jocasta are blind to the truth. This theme examines the concept that people will only see what they want to see.
What does Arnold say about culture?
Arnold’s Definition of Culture
To him, culture is a study in perfection, in making things better than they are, moved by the moral and social passion for doing good. He notes that religion suggests that the kingdom of God is within you, so culture places perfection in an internal condition.
Who was Arnold Schwarzenegger’s biggest competitor?
The Schwarzenegger–Stallone rivalry is a rivalry between American actor Sylvester Stallone and Austrian-American actor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The rivalry went on for about 20 years, often involving incidents of one-upsmanship and subterfuge from both parties.
Who was Arnold’s biggest competition?
Lou Ferrigno was one of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s most famous rivals. Ferrigno, who spent most of his life pursuing fame as an actor, was once a fierce competitor to the former California mayor. The former US bodybuilder won two consecutive IFBB Mr Universe titles, along with a Mr America title in the early 70s.