A Gift Imprisoned : The Poetic Life of Matthew Arnold

by IanHamilton (Author)

• Used

  Paperback
  1999

  $3.38

  As a youth, Matthew Arnold was an impassioned lyric poet, deeply at odds with his times. In his later years, he turned himself to more 'purposeful' prose composition and became a social prophet and literary critic. This biography addresses some of the mysteries surrounding Arnold's life.

• Used

  Hardcover
  1998

  $3.38

  Matthew Arnold had two lives. In his later years, he was Victorian England's best-known social prophet, educational reformer and literary critic. In his youth, he was an impassioned lyric poet, deeply at odds with his damned times . From the very start, however, Arnold viewed his poetry-writing self as irresponsible and deliquent. As the eldest son of Dr Arnold of Rugby, the great shaper of Victorian morality, his destiny - he knew - was inescapable. For about 20 years, however, he made efforts to resist this destiny and this book is the story of that losing battle. As a biographical narrative, it confronts a number of puzzles. Chief among these is the much-pondered Marguerite. Who was she: a dream-girl, an invention born of too much exposure to the novels of George Sand, or a real person Arnold met in Switzerland in 1848?