Classical stoicism and romantic passion : the golden mean in Arnold's "Tristram and Iseult".

In "Tristram and Iseult," Matthew Arnold attempts to find the balance between calmness and passion in an effort to discover a way of life suitable to the problems of modernity. In the poem, Tristram and la belle Iseult demonstrate Romantic passion, and Iseult le Blanche Mains practices Classical Stoicism. Each of the sides receives both Arnold's endorsement and his denunciation. Born between the two worlds of Classicism and Romanticism, Matthew Arnold, the son of the Classicist Dr. Thomas Arnold and the friend and admirer of the Romantic William Wordsworth, sought this balance throughout much of his life, and a close examination of much of his other poetry, prose, and letters bears out this search. However, just as his melancholia swayed the balance in his own life, his temperament sways the balance in the poem, and in the end, the reader finds that the qualified endorsement of a life that is quiet, albeit at times numb, wins out over his endorsement of a life which promotes powerful feelings that culminate in destruction.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.A.

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters

Grantor

Baylor University.

Year dc:date.issued

1995

Author dc:creator

• Wilder, Lance J.

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Brooks, Roger L. (Roger Leon)

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

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/2104/15026

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:baylor-ir.tdl.org:2104/15026