ENGLISH LITERATURE (CBSE/UGC NET)

Detailed explanation-1: -This poet might be described as a moral or philosophical critic for arguing that works must have “high seriousness.” This quote comes from Matthew Arnold. Plato similarly insisted that literature must exhibit moralism and utilitarianism, and Horace believed literature should be “delightful and instructive."

Detailed explanation-2: -According to Arnold, the greatness of Wordsworth lies in his powerful application of the subject of ideas to man, nature and human life. Another quality attributed to great poetry by him is that of high seriousness.

Detailed explanation-3: -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.

Detailed explanation-4: -Lastly Arnold turned to religion, the constant preoccupation and true centre of his whole life, and wrote St. Paul and Protestantism (1870), Literature and Dogma (1873), God and the Bible (1875), and Last Essays on Church and Religion (1877).

Detailed explanation-5: -Introduction: Matthew Arnold (1822-1888), the Victorian poet and critic, was ‘the first modern critic’ [1], and could be called ‘the critic’s critic’, being a champion not only of great poetry, but of literary criticism itself.