The major critical evaluations of the religious writings of Matthew Arnold, 1888-1965.

In 1863 Matthew Arnold first ventured from his more secure field of poetry and literary criticism to enter the religious controversy in England, a controversy largely involving the publications Essays and Reviews (1860) and Colenso's The Pentateuch ... Critically Examined (1862). From 1869 to 1877 Arnold devoted himself almost exclusively to religious issues, attempting to reconcile traditional and liberal thought through his major religious works: St. Paul and Protestantism, Literature and Dogma, God and the Bible, and Last Essays on Church and Religion. Fearing a moral and aesthetic decadence which might accompany a loss of faith in Christianity, Arnold sought to give both conservatives and liberals a new approach to the Church and the Bible. The Church was to be thought of primarily as a unifying agency for the promotion of goodness. The Bible was to be approached, not as a talisman, but as the primary document of the Christian faith, which, when properly interpreted, is an indispensable manual for righteousness. From Arnold's death in 1888 through 1904, there were several attempts to assess the value of his religious writings--many regretted them; some attempted to be sympathetic to them; few found value in them. Furthermore, those who tried to be sympathetic were, nonetheless, perplexed by them. From 1905 through 1938, with few exceptions, Arnold was not discussed at all, and of those who did discuss him, most tended either to minimize or to deprecate his religious writings. However, during the thirties a revival of interest in the religious thought of Arnold was sparked in part by a renewed interest in his literary criticism and in part by the publication of his letters to A. H. Clough. Trilling's Matthew Arnold (1939) began a period of growing understanding (1939-1965). During this period a twofold awareness developed: Arnold's religious writings are integral to his total contribution, and they have continuing value for the twentieth century.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.A.

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters

Grantor

Baylor University.

Year dc:date.issued

1968

Author dc:creator

• Scrutchins, James Robert, 1934-

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Fall, Christine.

• Arnold, Matthew, 1822-1888 -- Criticism and interpretation.
• Arnold, Matthew, 1822-1888 -- Religion.
• Arnold, Matthew, 1822-1888 -- Ethics.

Statement dc:rights

• Baylor University works are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. Contact libraryquestions@baylor.edu for inquiries about permission.

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/2104/14437

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:baylor-ir.tdl.org:2104/14437