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"The Study of Poetry" is a milestone in the history of English literary criticism. In this critical essay, Matthew Arnold gives to poetry a very high position. He is confident of the high of poetry. According to him, poetry attains the place of religion. It is able to make room in the heart of man. It is an application of ideas to human life. The best kind of poetry is a criticism of life. It is an interpretation of life. It has the power to console, sustain and form us. At the same time, it delights us too. 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. They are later on called high seriousness. In "The Study of Poetry", Arnold expresses his idea of truth and high seriousness as a proper standard for evaluation of poetry. For judging poetry, the significance of his twin requirements of truth and high seriousness is really undeniable. He opines that the best poetry is characterised by truth and high seriousness.

Arnold says that the substance and matter of the best poetry acquire their special character through an eminent degree truth and seriousness. Thus he has imposed the importance of truth and seriousness in poetry to a great extent. He says in this respect-----

".......the substance and matter of the best poetry acquire their special character from possessing in an eminent degree truth and seriousness."

Considering the substances and matter of poetry, Arnold is directed by Aristotle's observation. Aristotle regards that the superiority of poetry over history consists in its higher truth and higher seriousness. The greatest poetry has this truth and seriousness to the utmost. The best poetry is also characterised by a superiority of diction and style. Matter and manner are closely connected with it. The superiority of truth and seriousness is inseparable from the superiority of diction and style. Thus if a poet wants to be regarded as a classic, he should fulfil these conditions. According to Arnold, the best poetry is born of sincerity of feelings and emotion. It is characterised by high seriousness, truth of representation and excellence of diction. By high seriousness, the critic means the grand style which is in poetry where a serious subject is treated in a simple and intense manner.

Arnold has a very high opinion of Chaucer. It is Chaucer who establishes romantic poetry in England. Chaucer is the father of the splendid English poetry. His poetry has largeness, freedom and kindness. Arnold thus showers high praise on Chaucer. But surprisingly he also remark that Chaucer is not a classic. He argues that this immortal poet lacks high seriousness. Chaucer does not have high seriousness which Homer, Shakespeare, Milton and many others had.

Dryden and Pope have written in verse. They may be masters of the art of versification. Their application of ideas to life may be powerful. But it is not poetical. Arnold claims that their criticism of life has no high seriousness. He very boldly says that they are not classics of English poetry. They are classic of English prose.

Arnold exposes the application to ideas of life in the poetry of Robert Burns. Truth of matter and style is found in his poetry. But according to Arnold, Burns is not a classic. Like Chaucer, Burns lacks seriousness in his poetry. Arnold admits that like Chaucer, the view of life of Burns is large, free and shwred. But we do not find the accent of high seriousness in Burns.

However, Arnold is a true disciple of Aristotle who considers truth and high seriousness as two essential qualities of excellent poetry. The superior character of truth and seriousness in the matter and substance of the best poetry is inseparable from the superiority of diction and movement marking its style and manner. If the substance and subject-matter of poetry contain the quality high seriousness, grand style will automatically follow. At last, we may say that Arnold's twin requirements of truth and high seriousness may be taken as the proper standards for judging poetry.

Consider Arnold's idea of 'truth and high seriousness' as a proper standard for evaluation of poetry?

Literaturemini | October 21, 2018 | 0 comments

".......the substance and matter of the best poetry acquire their special character from possessing in an eminent degree truth and seriousness."

Matthew Arnold , The Study of Poetry

Arnold's touchstone method

Matthew Arnold is not only a critic but also a poet in the history of English literature. He introduces some methods of criticism in "The Study of Poetry". These are personal estimates, historical estimate,s and above all Arnold's touchstone method. Arnold is much influenced by Longinus who advocated the touchstone method or the comparative method. His touchstone method has been praised by many critics though it has got some shortcomings. For these limitations, Arnold is much condemned. His choice of quotations or passages is quite praiseworthy. He chooses the quotations or lines which are great in diction and style but only the lines from Milton. Critics find no important diction but only moral sentiment.

Touchstone is a word generally used to mean a standard for comparing and judging other things. It is used for measurement and verification. But the term conveys completely a different meaning in the world of literature. Matthew Arnold tries a lot to invent an ideal standard of ideal literary works in " The Study of Poetry ". He invents a process by which the real worth or value of literary work can be judged. This process of judging a piece is called the touchstone method.

Touchstone method can be applied to writers of all ages. According to Arnold, a writer is a creative man. The creativity of a writer is basically an abstract quality. If the writer is new, it becomes very difficult to justify him and his works. This difficulty causes we are not aware of him. We may not understand y nature of his writings. As a result, a critic and a reader are always in confusion to find out the success and the failure of a new kind of writing. But 'touchstone method' solves this problem. It can judge a new writer and his writings very clearly.

For the judgement of an literary art, Arnold propounds at first the personal estimate and historical y. But both of them are not ideal standards. They have defects and limitations. Arnold then propounds touchstone method. In this method, he has chosen some quotations of passages from t great writers like Shakespeare, Dante and Milton. He introduces a comparative method of justification of poetry. This does not mean that the subject-matter of the touchstone piece and that of the literary piece would be similar. But the poetic diction and high seriousness would be the same. Critics have praised Arnold's choice of the remarkable quotations.

Arnold suggests that we have to collect some lines of the great masters or writers at first. Then we have to apply them as a touchstone to other poems. It means that we have to make a comparative study between some extracts of world famous literary works and new literary works. Some selected lines or expressions of the great writers can be used as a 'touchstone' to find out the real standard of a new writing. For this purpose, we can quote some lines from Homer, Dante, Shakespeare and Milton. We can select them from other writers too. Then we have to make a comparative study between them and the new writings. If we can see the images of the great writers in the works of the new writers, we will consider the new writers and their new writings with great value. If we do not find the shadows of great literary works in the new literary works, we will consider the new literary works and the new writers as worthless.

In this critical essay, Arnold propounds this new theory of touchstone method. He even applies this theory to the writings of Chaucer. He quotes some lines from Chaucer and compares them with a line from Dante. Arnold decides that Chaucer does not have the quality of a great writer. In other words, Chaucer is not great as the general people think of him. According to Arnold, many quotations of Chaucer have become well-known and attracted the attention of the critics. He applies his touchstone method to justify the merits of Chaucer. He compares Chaucer with Dante. His comparative study shows that Chaucer does not have the quality of high seriousness like Dante, Homer, Shakespeare and Milton.

According to the theory of touchstone method, Chaucer fails to present high seriousness in his works. This lacking excludes Chaucer from the group of the classics. High seriousness is the basic essence of any authentic poetry. The true success of poetry lies in its high seriousness. No poetry can achieve success without it. A poet can apply his ideas of life in his poetry. But his application will fail if there is no seriousness. High seriousness is the product of poetic truth and poetic beauty. High seriousness will come out for the catalectic influence of poetic truth and poetic beauty. It is the chief aim of poetry. Chaucer can not be a classic because he does not show the signs of high seriousness in his poetry. For this reason, touchstone method does not approve Chaucer as a classic writer.

Touchstone method is not accepted by all. It is true that many critics support it for its creative aspects. But many of them oppose it for its arbitrary nature. According to them, a writer should not be compared because the creativity of a writer is totally different from that of another writer. As a result, comparative study does not work in the case of poetry or any other writing. Garrod who is a famous critic humorously calls it "the study of selling poetry by the pound". T. S. Eliot also severely criticises touchstone method. He does not believe in this comparative judgement procedure of Arnold.On the whole, we can say that Matthew Arnold is famous for the theory of his touchstone method. His theory is often praised highly and seems to be logical. But it is very sad that his touchstone method has got some fatal limitations. He believes that a quotations may judge a whole poetry. But how it can be possible? A mere quotation cannot be a standard for judging poetry. Besides according to the touchstone method, poetry can be judged only by diction, style and manner, not by the subject matter. Of course, subject matter is a great factor in a poem. Touchstone method is condemned by T. S. Eliot. But Eliot himself is much influenced by Matthew Arnold.

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Literaturemini | October 20, 2018 | 3comments

Arnold's touchstone method

Matthew Arnold , The Study of Poetry

Matthew Arnold is a poet and a critic in the Victorian Period. He has a very high conception of poetry. He is aware of the nature, function and character of poetry. He considers poetry as a criticism of life in his famous critical piece, " The Study of Poetry ". He believes that poetry is an overall assessment of human life. It analyses human life and makes a clear-cut commentary on human life. It is also an application of various ideas to life. Poetry gives different ideas which are applicable to human life. It seeks the essence and authenticity of human life. It also activates a variety of ideas in human life. This observation of Arnold has given rise to a number of debates in the mind of the readers.

According to Arnold, poetry is a criticism of life. It is also an application of ideas to life. It blends many thoughts with human life. The more powerful the application of ideas, the greater will be the effect. The effect of poetry is related to the strength of the application. Arnold means that poetry is an interpretation of life as the poet experiences it and knows it. The poet pours his knowledge and experiences in his poetry. As a result, poetry becomes the playground of different ideas. It is also the subject to the laws of poetic truth and poetic beauty. Poetic truth and poetic beauty administer the essence of poetry. These laws are based on the poet's treatment of life. High seriousness is a very important element of poetry. The quality of high seriousness comes out from the sincere feelings of the poet which he feels for his subject. High seriousness is to be found in the poetry of Dante, Homer and Milton. It makes their poetry powerful. The sincerity of the poet comes from his soul. This sincerity gives birth to high seriousness.

A poet generally applies different ideas to life and this application is called poetry. Powerful application of ideas to life becomes effective when it is regulated by poetic truth and poetic beauty. Poetic truth and poetic beauty must govern it. They create high seriousness which is the basic essence of any authentic poetry. So the powerful application of ideas to life should be governed by poetic truth and poetic beauty. When poetic truth and poetic beauty create high seriousness, we get perfect poetry with its help. So we get here a normal equation that life related ideas are the raw materials of poetry. These raw materials should be applied to life under the influence of poetic truth and poetic beauty. High seriousness will come out for the catalectic influence of poetic truth and poetic beauty. It is the chief aim of poetry.

Arnold also asserts that poetry has something moral about it. The treatment of moral ideas in poetry does not mean the writing of moralistic poems. It means a deep and noble application of ideas to life. We can get a moral idea by answering the very question, "how to live?" He declares that 'moral' should not be interpreted in a narrow sense to mean a code of behaviour. We do not read poetry to be conceived of the poet's idea. We should appreciate his way of thinking because it might stimulate us.

Arnold gives much emphasis on the permanent position of poetry with regards to humanity. He declares that poetry will soon take the place of religion and philosophy to console and sustain distracted humanity. He believes that poetry has a lot of things to do. According to him, the best poetry actually supplies what we actually need. It is the source of ideal bliss.

The best poetry helps human beings in many ways. At first, the best poetry constructs our nature and it is closely related to the formation of our morality. It is an agent of moral perfection. The best poetry is helpful for mankind in another aspect. It actually maintains and continues the course of human life. The best poetry sustains us. It helps us lead carefree and secured life. On the other hand, the best poetry is the best source of enjoyment. It delights us because it fills our hearts with merriment. The best poetry is not a rigid thing. It is really pleasurable. So the best poetry is helpful for us in many ways. It has a great healing effect and it makes the course of our life easy and beautiful. It also produces the spirit of our soul. For this reason Arnold believes that the best poetry is the best friend of mankind.

To sum up, we may say that Matthew Arnold has expressed his views on the nature, function and character of poetry in his thoughtful critical piece, "The Study of Poetry". Like a classicist, he tries to formulate poetry as his own. He seems to rightly declare that poetry is a criticism of life under the conditions fixed for that criticism by the laws of poetic truth and poetic beauty. In his own poems, he has tried to employ this theory. His " Dover Beach" and "The Scholar Gipsy" criticise the Victorian way of life. They convey his ideas to life. So Arnold ventures to say that poetry is an application of ideas to life. But he is very rigid in his theory of poetry.

Make a critical comment on Arnold's view of poetry as "criticism of life".?

Literaturemini | October 20, 2018 | 0 comments

Matthew Arnold , The Study of Poetry

Matthew Arnold tries to justify Geoffrey Chaucer and his poetical achievements in "The Study of Poetry". He refers to Chaucer and seeks to establish a real estimate of his poetry. He says that the poetical importance of Chaucer does not need the assistance of the historic estimate. In his opinion, Chaucer is a genuine source of joy. 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. It is true that Chaucer's writings have a high criticism of life. They bear poetic truth too. But he fails to maintain high seriousness in his poetry. Arnold regards Chaucer as an excellent poet. But he never recommends him as a great classic.Arnold says that Chaucer was more advanced than his time. At the time of Chaucer, French romance poetry was most influential. The writer of twelfth and thirteenth centuries were influenced by the French romance poetry. But Chaucer's poetry is better than French romance poetry. His poetry shows the originality of English poetry. For this reason, Chaucer can be called the creator of English poetic tradition. He is actually the father of our splendid English poetry. He is the founder of a new tradition. On the other hand, his poetry is full of pleasure, joy and happiness. He depicts his age in an objective humorous manner. This kind of representation of life is an excellent quality of an excellent writer. Arnold praises Chaucer for the above qualities.According to Arnold, Chaucer's poetry is true to life. He depicts everything from a humane point of view. As a result, we have seen a simple, clear and kindly view of human life in the poetry of Chaucer. The Canterbury Tales by Chaucer is praised by Arnold and Dryden because it includes most of the factors and matters of thirteenth century English life. Arnold believes that Chaucer is a true upholder of life. There is no false description of life in Chaucer's narration. As a result, high criticism of life is available in the poetry of Chaucer. Chaucer has the capacity to make a criticism of human life in his writing. This quality of Chaucer is praised by Arnold.Arnold says that Chaucer shows his excellence in his writing style. Chaucer shows a high divine liquidness in his poetic diction. As a result, his writings are not motionless. The readers never feel monotony when they go through the poetry of Chaucer. This speedy narrative technique is invented by Chaucer. Many giants of English literature like Shakespeare, Milton and Keats have followed it. For this reason, Chaucer is greatly hailed by Arnold.Arnold thinks that many quotations of Chaucer have become well-known and they attract the attention of the critics. He applies his touchstone method to justify the merits of Chaucer. He compares Chaucer with Dante. His comparative study shows that Chaucer does not have the quality of high seriousness like Dante, Homer, Shakespeare and Milton. Chaucer fails to present high seriousness in his writing. This lacking excludes Chaucer from the group of the classics.High seriousness is the basic essence of any authentic poetry. The true success of poetry lies in its high seriousness. No poetry can achieve success without high seriousness. A poet can apply his ideas in his poems. But his application will fail if there is no seriousness. High seriousness is the product of poetic truth and poetic beauty. It will come out for the catalectic influence of poetic truth and poetic beauty. It is the chief aim of poetry. Chaucer cannot be a classic because he does not show the signs of high seriousness in his poetry. Arnold believes that Chaucer does not display any standard morality in his works. He is aware of the moral purpose of poetry. He thinks that morality is the guiding force of poetry. But Chaucer fails to maintain it in his writings.At last, we may add that Chaucer is the representative poet of his age. His position in English literature is for the father. His contribution to English poetry and language is undeniable. Matthew Arnold has tried to evaluate this great poet as his own. He criticises Chaucer for the want of high seriousness in his poetry. But he never criticises the wit and humour of Chaucer. He thinks that wit and humour show the depth of his imagination. These qualities bring a pleasing motion in his poetry diction. Arnold highlights many good qualities in the poems of Chaucer. He finds largeness, freedom and poetic liquidity in his poetry.

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Literaturemini | October 18, 2018 | 4comments

Matthew Arnold , The Study of Poetry

Matthew Arnold is an intellectual giant of the Victorian Period. His views about poetry are elaborately stated in his "The Study of Poetry". He has a high conception of poetry. He points out the characteristics of best poetry where man will stay in future. He is confident that poetry has immense future. He expresses his views on the nature, function and character of poetry to a great extent. He gives to poetry a very high position. Arnold sets high standards for poetry. According to him, it attains the place of religion. It is an application of ideas to life. The best kind of poetry is a criticism of life.

Arnold realises that poetry has a great future. Poetry is worthy of its high destinies. Human will find spiritual power and satisfaction in poetry. People will depend on it. Every field of human thought and action has been influenced by poetry. Social, cultural and religious thought and action are also influenced by it. This is clear by the phrase, " worthy of its high destinies ". In good poetry, human beings would be able to find a sure resting place for their spirit. In the realm of poetry, most of the changes were taking place. Poetry will also take the place of religious doctrines and creeds. It is based on ideas which are fundamental to humanity. It considers the world outside imagination a world of illusion. For poetry, the idea is everything. Poetry is not only the idea or the fact but also both. For this reason, poetry has a great future. Its destiny is high.

Poetry is an interpretation of life. It is criticism of life. It has the power to console, sustain and form us. At the same time, it delights us too. Poetry plays an eminent role in life. It is more important than religion. In this respect, Arnold says------

" In poetry, as a criticism of life under the conditions fixed for such a criticism by the laws of poetic truth and poetic beauty. "

Therefore, poetry should be a real classic in nature. Poetry of Homer, Dante, Shakespeare, Milton and the like is a serious criticism of life. So it is good poetry. Excellence of poetry lies both in its matter or substance and in its manner of style. But matter and style must have the accent of high beauty, worth and power. If the matter of a poet has truth and high seriousness, the manner and diction would also acquire the accent of superiority. The two are vitally connected together. Arnold was very much dissatisfied with the kind of poetry written in his own time. He reacted against it. He felt that the poets paid more attention to the form and expression of the poem than to its subject. They tried to attract readers by the purple patches in the poem. They never paid attention to the total impressions of the work. Arnold thinks that poetic subject is the first consideration with a great Poet. Poetic expression comes only afterwards. According to him, human actions are the best subject matter of poetry. The ancient poets were better than the moderns. They regarded the whole but the moderns regard the parts. With them, the action predominated over the expression of it. But with the moderns, the expression predominates over the action. Like Wordsworth, Arnold believes that poetry is the breath and finer spirit of all knowledge. It is the impassioned expression of what is in the countenance of all science. Arnold also thinks that the greatness of a poet lies in his powerful and beautiful application of ideas of life. Truth and seriousness of substance and matter, Felicity and perfection of diction and manner are exhibited in the best poets. Poetry interprets by expressing with magical Felicity the physiognomy and movement of the outer would. It interprets the ideas and laws of the inward world of man's moral and spiritual nature. In other words, poetry is interpretative by having natural music in it and by having moral profundity.

According to Arnold, there is no difference between art and morality. He says that poetry of revolt against moral idea is poetry of revolt against fife. Poetry of indifference towards moral ideas is poetry of indifference towards life. Arnold pleads for treating in poetry moral ideas. But this does not mean that he talks to compose moral and didactic poems. He suggests the poems which give answer to the question, "how to live well?"

Arnold's views on poetry have aroused considerable controversy among the critics. Prof. Saintsbury thinks that the objects of poetry are not merely actions but thoughts and feelings also. So Arnold unnecessarily limits the scope of poetry. Than Saintsbury thinks that Arnold's definition of poetry is too wide. All literature is the application of ideas to life. So "poetry is an application of ideas to life" is simply a vain repetition. Arnold believes that the ideas and sentiments to have any permanent value must be based on actual life. Thoughts and feelings excluded from the action might be the creed of a few poets. But they have no charm for him.

Arnold was actually against romantic poetry. During the Victorian Period, he saw that materialism had dominated the life of the people. Religious values were crushed due to the development of science. Arnold knew the malady of his age very well and protested vigorously against it. He wanted to renew the permanent ethical values of life. He wished to reconstruct art on its true basis. He also believed that art would help men in achieving ethical values. Therefore, he has insisted on the union of the best subjects and the highest expression in poetry. Only poetry of this sort can achieve its ultimate end.

In respect of our analysis above, we can say that Arnold's theory of poetry expressed in "The Study of poetry" may be questionable in details and on minor points. It is true that his views on poetry are quite mature. They are in harmony with modern ideas. Arnold believes in the high destiny of poetry. So he does not hesitate to express his exalted view of poetry. He has analysed the nature and function of excellent poetry highlighting its striking features.