Which of Matthew Arnold's works is famously defined as the 'criticism of life'?
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Correct answer: Poetry, as defined in 'The Study of Poetry'
In his essay 'The Study of Poetry', Arnold famously asserts that poetry is a 'criticism of life' under the conditions fixed for such a criticism by the laws of poetic truth and beauty. He believed poetry should serve as a spiritual and moral guide in a modernizing world.
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More Matthew Arnold questions
- In 'Dover Beach', what does the 'Sea of Faith' represent in the context of the Victorian era?
- Arnold’s 'Culture and Anarchy' categorizes the English middle class as which of the following?
- What 'touchstone method' did Arnold propose for evaluating the quality of poetry?
- Which elegiac poem did Arnold write to commemorate his friend Arthur Hugh Clough?
- What are the two primary qualities Arnold advocates for in 'Culture and Anarchy'?
- Which poem depicts a young man who leaves Oxford University to join a wandering tribe of nomads?