Victorian Intellectual Shift: Arnold's Literary Criticism (1840–1880)

Victorianism: A Period of Transition (1840–1880)

The Victorian era (1840–1880) was characterized by profound doubts, significant changes, and hesitation. It was a period of great movement, connecting the old world with the new, the ancien régime with modernity, serving as a crucial transition toward the modernity of the 20th century.

Key Features Shaping Victorian Criticism

1. Growth of Literacy

   A large segment of the population gained the ability to read and write English. In 1807, a bill providing universal education was defeated by the British Parliament because the Napoleonic Wars introduced revolutionary ideas, and Parliament feared the English populace reading them. The bill was eventually passed in 1877.

2. Weakening of Religious Dogma

   Religious certainty was weakened by the advance of science. Charles Darwin proposed the evolutionary theory, suggesting that humans evolved from apes rather than being a direct creation of God.

3. Decline of Classical Education (Greek and Latin)

   Public interest in learning Greek and Latin diminished significantly. Matthew Arnold utilized the increasing knowledge of English—which strengthened the sense of belonging within English society—to advocate for an intellectual class based not on classical literature, but on English literature. Poetry was called upon to replace these weakening subjects and reinforce the sense of English unity.

Intellectual and Cultural Theories of Matthew Arnold

Disinterestedness in Criticism

Arnold defined Disinterestedness as the equivalent of critical objectivity. For him, a good critic must be disinterested.

A good critic:

• Should not engage in directly polemical or controversial criticism.
• Should keep aloof from "the practical view of things" (e.g., using criticism to solve an ideological problem).
• Must not lend himself to mere political or practical considerations.

Poetry, Religion, and Science

In the Victorian age, Religion and Science were fighting to capture the public mind. While Science appeared to be winning, Matthew Arnold argued that both would ultimately lose, and neither would ever fully triumph. Furthermore, he dismissed philosophy, calling it "no more than shadows and dreams and false shows of knowledge."

For Arnold, the only solid remaining foundation was Poetry, which he believed would replace religion, science, and philosophy. This poetry must possess High Seriousness—a solemnity comparable to his Victorian ideals.

Arnold's Criteria for Evaluating Poetry

Arnold proposed three types of criteria for differentiating poetry: Personal, Historical, and Real estimates.

He considered the first two useless:

"Neither the historical nor the personal approach will aid us. Both approaches are fallacious since both are liable to make us praise and dispraise for reasons that have nothing to do with poetry."

These approaches are considered external criteria to poetry itself. The Real Estimates are based on the theory of Touchstones (objective criteria) used to compare and evaluate poetry.