ENGLISH LITERATURE (CBSE/UGC NET)

Detailed explanation-1: -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.

Detailed explanation-2: -Society needs a strong dose of Hellenism, and so Arnoldian culture favored originality in thought, creativity in art, and experimentation in science, all without regard for practical outcomes. Arnold particularly attacked conventionality and mindless conformity, whether it stemmed from religion or politics.

Detailed explanation-3: -Matthew Arnold’s Culture and Anarchy was a response to the Protestant business mindset that dominated Britain during industrialization.

Detailed explanation-4: -Matthew Arnold was the most important educational reformer of the 19th century. He realised that, in the modern world, education would be one of the keys to a good society. But it had to be education of a special kind – and not one that we nowadays necessarily recognise or strive for.