Overcoming Matthew Arnold ethics in culture and criticism - Caufield, James Walter (Ashgate, 2012)
Includes bibliographical references (pages 203-226) and index
Culture and conduct -- The buried life -- Poetry is the reality -- Culture hates hatred -- To the wise, foolish; to the world, weak -- Less than joy and more than resignation
Opening the way for a reexamination of Matthew Arnold's contributions to ethical criticism, James Walter Caufield emphasizes the central role of philosophical pessimism in Arnold's master tropes of 'culture' and 'conduct.' He argues that Arnoldian conduct is grounded in an ethic of 'renouncement' that wholly informs both his poetry and prose and has continuing relevance to much contemporary ethical criticism
Keywords: Arnold, Matthew / 1822-1888 / Criticism and interpretation; Arnold, Matthew / 1822-1888; Arnold, Matthew -- 1822-1888 -- Criticism and interpretation; Arnold, Matthew -- 1822-1888; POETRY / English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh; Kulturkritik; Pessimismus; Literaturkritik; Ethik