Matthew Arnold Career as a Poet
Matthew Arnold began his career as a poet with the publication of The Strayed Reveller and Other Poems by "A" in 1849. It was a highly original and modern experiment in free verse on a Homeric theme. But as far as the public was concerned, it was a still-born volume. The author himself withdrew it from the market. This volume contained the famous poems Forsaken Merman, Resignation and the Sonnet to Shakespeare. The second volume of his poems, Empedocles on Etna and Other Poems by "A" came in 1852. This second volume shared the fate of its predecessor, being withdrawn before fifty copies were sold, as the author was dissatisfied with the title piece. This volume was, however, again published in 1867 at the request of Robert Browning. The notable poems in this volume were Tristram and Iseult, A Summer Night, and the Obermann Stanzas. In 1853 appeared a new collection, Poems by Matthew Arnold, containing the best of his old work and much that was new. The most striking new pieces in this volume were Sohrab and Rustam, and The Scholar Gypsy. The volume of 1853 had another remarkable feature. To it Matthew Amold appended a Preface in which he propounded his theory of poetry. This was recognized even in his own day as the most important contribution to literary criticism since Wordsworth's famous treatise Preface to the Lyrical Ballads. This placed Matthew Arnold at the height of his literary reputation. He was recognized not merely as a poet but a poet with a new theory of poetry of abiding importance. Another series of poems containing, however, nothing exceptional but Separation and Balder Dead appeared in 1855. In recognition of his distinction as a poet and critic Arnold was offered the Professorship of Poetry at Oxford in 1857. He held this distinguished chair for ten years. His last volume of poems, New Poems, appeared in 1869. This volume was Arnold's crowning achievement as a poet. It contained such unforgettable pieces as Thyrsis, Rugby Chapel, Heine's Grave, A Southern Night, Dover Beach and Obermann Once More. With this ended the illustrious poetic career of Matthew Arnold. He was gradually driven away from poetry under the heavy pressure of official work. Rawlinson describes the situation thus: "The poet was becoming lost in the administrator and critic; visits to the continent, and the drafting of reports upon educational topics occupied an ever increasing proportion of his time. When we admire the exquisite jewel-like finish of Matthew Arnold's poetry we should remember that they represent only a small portion of his activities, and were composed in the rare intervals of leisure of a busy official life."
His Prose
Arnold wrote a series of essays and lectures with a purpose. He had a message to give his generation. As an Inspector of Schools he came in close contact with the people of various sections. He was also confronted with a number of social, political and religious problems. He was convinced that he could not appeal to general public until he abandoned the medium of verse and adopted prose as a vehicle of establishing contact with larger masses. Consequently he started writing essays and critical views on various problems. His chief works on theological and social subjects were Culture and Anarchy: An essay in Political and Social criticism (1869); Saint Paul Protestantism (1870); Friendship's Garland (1871); and Literature and Dogma: An Essay Towards a Better Apprehension of the Bible (1873). Arnold also gave a series of excellent lectures On the Translating of Homer. But he gained popularity outside the academic world with the publication of the first series of Essays in Criticism in 1865. In 1867 he published the famous essay On the Study of Celtic Literature.
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