why did matthew arnold criticize the puritans?
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Matthew Arnold (1822-1888) was a British poet and critic during the Victorian era. Born in Laleham, a village in the valley to the Thames, Arnold spent his childhood near a river, which would act as a great influence later on in his life. In 1837, Arnold first attended the Rugby School where his father, Thomas Arnold, was the headmaster. Following the Rugby School, Arnold attended Oxford beginning in 1841 and while a student, focused less on his studies and was regarded as a “dandy.” The youthful frivolity displayed did not last long, as Arnold took the post of private secretary to Lord Lansdowne in 1847. Lord Lansdowne helped Arnold secure his job as Inspector of Schools in 1851 and for 35 years, he assumed this position. During the 1860s, Arnold acquired his reputation as a critic and shortly after became a public figure. His major works during this time period include Essays in Criticism, Culture and Anarchy, and Literature and Dogma. Following his time spent in the public spotlight, Arnold retired from school inspecting in 1886 and died of a heart failure on April 15, 1888. Arnold is remembered for his abilities as a poet and critic alike, as he stimulated change and inspiration in the world.
“My poems represent, on the whole, the main movement of mind over the last quarter of a century, and thus they will probably have their day as people become conscious to themselves of what that movement of mind is, and interested in the literary productions which reflect it. It might be fairly urged that I have less practical sentiment than Tennyson, and less intellectual vigour and abundance than Browning; yet, because I have perhaps more of a fusion of the two than either of them, and have more regularly applied that fusion to the main line of modern development, I am likely enough to have my turn, as they have had theirs.” (