Matthew Arnold : characteristic of good poetry and Criticism

Hello readers,

Here, I write blog on the Matthew Arnold's views about the good poetry and it with touchstone Method.  So it has a some kind of elements that makes poetry meaningful and it has a Criticism of life. 

• What is poetry and characteristic of poetry :-

Matthew Arnold was one of the most important Victorian poet and critics of the 19 century write upon a literary criticism and social , cultural issues, education excetra. He given views about as he elaborated in "The study of poetry". 

He has the higher value of poetry and with the concept of poetry pointed out that poetry has a future and the nature of function and characters as a value in poetry. 

According to him if poetry has a place of religion and their ideas of life with that best kind of poetry that should has the criticism of life. In the poetry the Spiritual power in satisfaction, that's why the human will find the emotion, thoughts in action.

Poetry covers with real of  spirit and it takes the changes in  the places and is based on fundamental ideas of humnity poetry is cover with interpretation of life. so it has a power in console provide. It delight and it plays  a place a vital role in life. Arnold's essays in 

"poetry as a criticism of life under the conditions fixed for such a criticism by the laws of poetic truth and poetic beauty".

 Therefore poetry has a classic nature and Homer, Dante, Shakespeare, Milton that all have serious criticism of life so it is called as a good poetry. 

“Genius is mainly an affair of energy, and poetry is mainly an affair of genius; therefore a nation whose spirit is characterized by energy may well be imminent in poetry – and we have Shakespeare.”

                               — Matthew Arnold 

• Touchstone Method:-

Touchstone method of Criticism that given by Matthew Arnold. Basically the main concept of this is in order to does a poet's work properly criticize and  critics should compare the passages with the work of great Master of poetry. Arnold recommend some writer like Homer, Dante, Shakespeare and Milton as touchstones. 

For testing and even the selected passage for sentences will have a purpose and serve a quite sufficiently. Therefore judging individual talent Arnold introduced scientific objectivity to critical evaluation and observation. So it providing a somewhere comparison and an analysis as the two primar tools. Arnold always  chosen ideal poets and he find ''high seriousness '. Whereas some are like Dante, Milton,  sophocles and moderns and ancient writer.

Here, I put the poem of wordsworth thatis about the sunset time.

The sun has long been set,
The stars are out by twos and threes,
The little birds are piping yet
Among the bushes and the trees;
There's a cuckoo, and one or two thrushes,
And a far-off wind that rushes,
And a sound of water that gushes,
And the cuckoo's sovereign cry
Fills all the hollow of the sky.
Who would go `parading'
In London, `and masquerading',
On such a night of June
With that beautiful soft half-moon,
And all these innocent blisses?
On such a night as this is!

-  wordsworth 

- Thank you....