Matthew Arnold

Saintsbury, George, 1845-1933Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.7

Word count: 347K words
Chapters: 35

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Matthew Arnold by George SaintsburyAuthor: Saintsbury, George, 1845-1933,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Jul 13, 2005

Editor's review

This book is a critical biography of the poet Matthew Arnold by the British literary critic George Saintsbury, a classic character study in the history of English literary criticism. With the eye of a Victorian critic, Saintsbury surveys Arnold's poetic achievements and critical thought in prose marked by distinct personal judgment and argument, making it both an introduction to Arnold's life and work and primary material for observing the ecology of nineteenth-century English literary criticism. Its analyses of Arnold's poetic style and critical essays can be read against Arnold's own Culture and Anarchy and Essays in Criticism for intertextual comparison. As a public-domain ebook it is light and easy to obtain, suitable as supplementary reading for English literature courses or for special study in criticism history. While reading, note the author's evaluative stance; do not treat it as neutral verdict but as one view to be cross-referenced with later scholarship.

Who it's for

A good fit for

English literature students who need to know character studies by Victorian critics
General readers interested in Matthew Arnold's poetry and critical thought
Scholars and graduate students studying nineteenth-century English criticism history
Advanced learners who want to train academic reading through English originals

Not a good fit for

Readers who want Arnold's own works rather than commentary on him
Beginners with limited English who need Chinese annotations
Readers expecting a systematic biography, chronology or detailed life research

Reading tips

Read a few of Arnold's representative poems first, then return to this book's analyses to see the critic's choices.
While reading, mark the author's argumentative evaluations and compare them with later scholarship.
Read alongside relevant essays from Arnold's Essays in Criticism to understand his critical positions.
Read chapter by chapter as course supplementary material and write brief notes after each chapter.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book Arnold's own work?

No. It is a critical biography of Matthew Arnold by George Saintsbury, a study and commentary on Arnold by another writer, not Arnold's original work. Distinguish the author's views from the subject's own thought.

What English level is needed to read this book?

This is an English original in the academic critical prose of the late nineteenth to early twentieth century, with complex syntax. Upper-intermediate to advanced university English reading ability, or some background in English literature, is recommended; otherwise following the author's evaluations will be difficult.

Is this book suitable as a main reference for Arnold studies?

It can serve as an introduction and supplementary reference. Saintsbury's commentary carries distinct personal positions and period limitations; read it alongside later scholarship and Arnold's originals rather than as the sole basis.

Comments

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About the author

Saintsbury, George, 1845-1933 Author

George Saintsbury (1845–1933) was a British literary historian and critic. Public information on the details of his life is limited; he is known chiefly for his many works on literary history and prosody. The library holds twelve of his works, including the two volumes of A History of the French Novel, a historical manual of English prosody, a history of nineteenth-century literature, a history of Elizabethan literature, a short history of French literature, and studies of Sir Walter Scott and Matthew Arnold. His writing is distinguished by solid scholarship and clear organization; he was adept at assessing authors and genres within a general historical framework, and his surveys of prosody and of the novel are especially accomplished. These works long served as references for the study of English and comparative literature and remained influential into the twentieth century.