Culture and Anarchy: Thinking Activity

CULTURE AND ANARCHY

                                      The classic History of English Literature written by David Daiches describes Matthew Arnold as-

“The literary critic is no dilettante or optional luxury in civilization: he is, or ought to be, one of its mainstays, perhaps indeed its high priest.” (973)

                                 Arnold was a cultural critic who worked as an inspector of schools. Arnold as a critic is widely known for his critical works like-

Essays in Criticism (1865)

Culture and Anarchy (1869)

                                       In these writings, the predominant values of the Victorian era are greatly reflected. His writings mostly are idealistic which directly connects him to the Victorian Era as idealism was one of the literary characteristics of the age. 

                                     Well, this blog is a thinking activity assigned by Prof. Dr. Dilip Barad Sir to prepare a chart on key points of the classic essay, “Culture and Anarchy” & describe the way we understand them in each chapter of the essay. In Culture and Anarchy, Matthew Arnold (1822-88) articulated a theory of culture that continues to influence thinking about the value of the humanities in higher education.

                                     Culture and Anarchy is a series of periodical essays by Matthew Arnold, first published in Cornhill Magazine 1867-68 and collected as a book in 1869. The preface was added in 1875. (Wikipedia)

Chapters	Key Points	My understanding
Preamble- What is Culture?	Study of perfection  Harmonious expansion of human capacities  A whole way of life	Arnold’s ideas are too idealistic to relate with contemporary happenings. Today, it can be assumed that culture is a superficial recognition of an individual’s identity. The ‘subject’ is merely ignored and the perfectionism of culture should not turn into hideousness of must performing duty.
Chapter 1.  “Sweetness and Light”	Arnold explains the origin of the phrase, "sweetness and light" which is referred from Swift’s Battle of the Books, and explains how culture will enable men to "look beyond machinery." The analogy of honeybee and spider is provided is related to ancient writers and the modern writers.    It suggests the sense of beauty and active intelligence Culture looks beyond machinery, culture hates hatred, and culture has one great passion, the passion for sweetness and light. Pursuit of perfection is like pursuit of sweetness and light.	It can be said that Arnold wants to convey by quoting Jonathan Swift's phrase- "Two noblest things- Sweetness and Light" that the ancient writers were maintaining the classical forms like beehive and the modern writers are like spiders weaving a web to trap and satarize other writers.
Chapter 2. Doing as One Likes -Anarchy	By sugges
Chapter 3. Barbarians, Philistines, Populace
Chapter 4. Hebraism and Hellenism
Chapter 5. Porro Unum est Necessarium
Chapter 6. Our Liberal Practitioners

Thank you.