Matthew Arnold

Matthew Arnold (1822-1888), one of the leading English poets and critics of the 19th century, was born in Laleham, England, in 1822. He was the eldest of the nine children of Dr. Thomas Arnold, a renowned educator. He studied at Oxford and in 1851 became an inspector of public schools, a position he held for three decades. He established himself early on as a poet and critic, culminating in his election as Professor of Poetry at the University of Oxford for two consecutive five-year terms (1857-1867). He passed away in Liverpool in 1888. His poetic works include the collections "The Strayed Reveller, and other Poems" (1849), "Empedocles on Etna, and other Poems" (1852), "New Poems" (1867), while, apart from "Culture and Anarchy," his essays "The Function of Criticism at the Present Time" (1888), "Friendship's Garland" (1871), "Literature and Dogma" (1873), among others, are considered classics.