Poetical Works of Matthew Arnold

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

27739

Title

Poetical Works of Matthew Arnold

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

A definitive collection of Matthew Arnold's poetry, this volume explores the tension between nature and human emotion, the decline of faith, and the search for moral certainty. Blending classical forms with Victorian introspection, Arnold's work offers profound meditations on isolation, art, and the human condition against a backdrop of shifting social and spiritual landscapes.

Summary up to 500 words

Matthew Arnold's *Poetical Works* stands as a comprehensive record of a poet navigating the profound anxieties of his era while striving to reconcile classical tradition with modern disillusionment. The collection opens with early sonnets and lyrics that establish Arnold's signature tone: a blend of melancholic reflection and intellectual rigor. In his narrative poems, such as *Sohrab and Rustum* and *The Forsaken Merman*, Arnold adapts classical and Arthurian legends to critique contemporary society and explore the devastating complexities of love, loss, and the fragility of human life. His dramatic verse, including the tragedy *Merope* and the philosophical poem *Empedocles on Etna*, utilizes Greek forms to examine fatalism and the relentless struggle between individual will and destiny. The elegiac section, featuring the celebrated *The Scholar-Gipsy* and *Thyrsis*, mourns the passing of a pastoral ideal and commemorates the deaths of contemporaries like Tennyson and Browne. Throughout these varied forms, Arnold grapples with the erosion of religious certainty, most notably in *Dover Beach*, where he depicts a world retreating into chaos and silence. His later lyrics and dramatic pieces continue to probe the nature of poetry itself, the progress of civilization, and the enduring human need for connection and meaning. Ultimately, the volume serves as a profound meditation on the human condition, capturing a voice that sought to find stability in a shifting world.

LLM editorial rating

4.5/5

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Categories

• Classics
• Poetry