Derry Ellis

773 Words2 Pages

Matthew Arnold, a man with such creativity, technique, and intellectual mastery when it comes to poetry.
Arnold, born December 24, 1822 in Laleham, United Kingdom was the oldest of two brothers; William
Arnold and Tom Arnold. He is also known as the son of Thomas Arnold and Mary Penrose Arnold.
Matthew Arnold was genuinely; remember for his elegantly argued critical essays. As a child he attended a school called “Rugby” most of his young life where his father worked at as a head master. Later Arnold graduated from Rugby and studied at Balliol College, and Oxford University. In 1844 he received his ungraduate degree at Oxford, he then returned to Rugby to teach classics(1-1). In 1850 he Arnold ended up meeting and falling in love with a young women named Frances Lucy Wightman, the daughter of Sir
William Wightman, Judge of the Court of Queen's Bench. He planned on marrying her, but her father wouldn’t it because Arnold did not seem to have the financial means to support a wife and future children. "Arnold earned about 300 dollars a year from his Lansdowne House appointment. The Oriel fellowship was worth about 120 dollars a year, but this of course would not be paid if he got married"
Hamilton stated. He was forbidden to see his beloved until he could prove that his financial situation had changed. However, both were able to exchange letters on a regular basis. In August 1850, the Judge took his family on a trip to Flanders and Germany. Arnold, himself on a trip to the Italian lakes, stayed in Calais for a few days, just hoping to catch a glimpse of Frances Lucy (5-6). Later some time that year Arnold was appointed an Inspector of Schools, a job which would earn him 700 dollars a year enough to support his wife and fu...

... middle of paper ...

...newed religious faith and morals, are particularly represented of main stream Victorian intellectual concerns (1-2). Arnold’s gentle and subtle style to these problems led to criticism as an art form, and influenced almost every major English critic. T.S Elliot, Lionel Trilling, and Harold Bloom are just a few examples. Although the huge influence he had on other poets to release their inner most feelings with complete transparency, can easily be noticed in writers. Later in life Arnold made two lecturing tours of the United States. On April 15, 1888 at

age sixty-six Matthew Arnold had died. While in Liverpool he was waiting for his daughter to return from

America. He was running for a tram car in the city when he began to suffer from a heart attack. On that

day the world had lost one of the best poets of all time, and that is the story of Matthew Arnold.

Open Document