Culture and Anarchy
Matthew Arnold's famous series of essays, which were first published in book form under the title Culture and Anarchy in 1869, debate important questions about the nature of culture and society. Arnold seeks to find out what culture really is, what good it can do, and if it is really necessary. ...
show more
Matthew Arnold's famous series of essays, which were first published in book form under the title Culture and Anarchy in 1869, debate important questions about the nature of culture and society. Arnold seeks to find out what culture really is, what good it can do, and if it is really necessary. He contrasts culture, which he calls the study of perfection, with anarchy, the mood of unrest and uncertainty that pervaded mid-Victorian England. This edition reproduces the original book version, revealing the immediate historical context and controversy of the piece. The introduction and notes broaden out the interpretative approach to Arnold's text, elaborating on the complexities of the religious context. The book also reinforces the continued importance of Arnold's ideas its influences in the face of the challenges of multi-culturalism and post-modernism.About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.
show less
Format: paperback
ISBN:
9780199538744 (0199538743)
ASIN: 199538743
Publish date: June 15th 2009
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Pages no: 272
Edition language: English
Category:
Classics,
Non Fiction,
Writing,
Essays,
History,
Literature,
Criticism,
Culture,
Politics,
Philosophy,
19th Century,
Theory
But what is greatness?— culture makes us ask. Greatness is a spiritual condition worthy to excite love, interest, and admiration; and the outward proof of possessing greatness is that we excite love, interest, and admiration. Matthew Arnold's Culture and Anarchy was an odd book to come back to in t...
AbbreviationsIntroductionNote on the TextSelect BibliographyA Chronology of Matthew Arnold--Culture and AnarchyAppendix: Henry Sidgwick, 'The Prophet of Culture'Explanatory Notes
Reason -- "Sweetness and Light" -- Culture -- Perfection -- for Arnold these terms are nearly synonymous, and all underlie the same central claim: the cause of disorder is both identifiable and curable. Arnold's goal here is not to propose a specific program of reform but, as he says in Democracy, t...