Matthew Arnold

Matthew Arnold’s Elegy on Wordsworth The elegy was written after the death of William Wordsworth in 1850, marking the end of the Romantic era, as Wordsworth was the last of the great Romantic poets. Matthew Arnold, who held Wordsworth’s poetry in high regard, uses the poem to honor Wordsworth’s legacy. Comparison with European Romantic Figures: […]

Overview Poem Title: The Scholar-Gipsy Author: Matthew Arnold Genre: Elegy, Topographical Poem, 25 Stanza of 10 lines each. Compose –It’s written soon after Sohrab and Rustum in 1853. Published: 1853, in Poems by Matthew Arnold Associated Work: Thyrsis (companion poem) Inspirational Source: Joseph Glanvill’s The Vanity of Dogmatizing (1661), which recounts a 17th-century Oxford tale.

Overview and Context: “Dover Beach” by Matthew Arnold is a lyrical meditation on the changing tides of faith and societal values, written during the Victorian era, a time marked by spiritual doubt and scientific advancement. Composed likely around 1851 and published in New Poems in 1867, the poem reflects Arnold’s views on the waning of

Birth and Family Background: Born on 24 December 1822 in Laleham-on-Thames, Middlesex, England. Eldest son of Thomas Arnold, a renowned headmaster of Rugby School, and Mary Penrose Arnold. His father, a key figure in British educational reform, profoundly influenced Arnold’s worldview. His mother’s intellectual heritage also shaped his cultural and intellectual environment. Arnold had notable