Poetry is the Criticism of life | Mathew Arnold

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Poetry is the Criticism of life | Mathew Arnold

Poetry is the Criticism of life-Mathew Arnold

Poetry is the Criticism of life | Mathew Arnold

Mathew Arnold, a valiant defender of poetry, defines poetry as, “The Criticism of life under the conditions fixed for such a criticism by the laws of poetic truth and poetic beauty.” If compared with the definitions of poetry made by others, Arnold’s one is wide and broad which gives rise to a good deal of speculation. Arnold, by the term ‘Criticism’ wants to mean that poetry is not a photographic picture of life. It has an ideal value also. To him, poetry should present an ideal life. But the ‘idea’ expressed in poetry should be integrated with life. By the phrase ‘poetic truth’ Arnolds wants to mean that the truth expressed in poetry should be universally common truth to the human sensitive heart; and by the phrase “poetic beauty”, he means that the form of a poem with its manner of expression should be integrated to the matter and they all should go hand in hand.

But to say impartially, Arnold’s definition is not true for all poems that have been being composed with times. This definition is partially true. Like every piece of art, poetry is also a representation of life. Many times the representation of life is seen through a critical point of view but this criticism, especially in poetry, is emotional— but emotional criticism is not true to real life; it only gives rise to a moment’s excitement that delights our sensitive heart. It’s true that emotion is common to all good poetry. So, emotional criticism cannot be true criticism. That is why it may be well commented that Arnold’s definition of poetry that “it is a criticism of life’’ is not wholly true. Because if it is said that poetry is the expression of emotion that rises up in our heart rounding a feeling—then it word comprises of all poetry created through the ages.

To conclude it is reasonable to say that though criticism of life expressed in poetry is not realistically true, yet any piece of poetry bears criticism of the poet’s emotional outlook on life. 0 0 0.

Poetry is the Criticism of life | Mathew Arnold

N. B. The article ‘Poetry is the Criticism of life | Mathew Arnold’ originally belongs to the book entitled ‘ Essays on Literary Theory and Principleby Menonim Menonimus

Poetry is the Criticism of life | Mathew Arnold

Books on Literary Criticism by M. Menonimus:

  1. World Short Story Criticism
  2. World Poetry Criticism
  3. World Drama Criticism
  4. World Novel Criticism
  5. World Essay Criticism
  6. Indian English Poetry Criticism
  7. Indian English Poets and Poetry Chief Features
  8. Emily Dickinson’s Poetry-A Thematic Study
  9. Walt Whitman’s Poetry-A Thematic Study
  10. Critical Essays on English Poetry
  11. Tawfiq al-Hakim’s Novel: Return of the Spirit-An Analytical Study
  12. Tawfiq al-Hakim’s Novel: ‘Yawmiyyat Naib Fil Arayaf’-An Analytical Study
  13. Analytical Studies of Some Arabic Short Stories
  14. A Brief History of Arabic Literature: Pre-Islamic Period (500 AD-622 AD)
  15. A Brief History of Arabic Literature: Early Islamic Period (622 AD-661 AD) …

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I am Menonim Menonimus, a Philosopher & Writer.

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