8 Matthew Arnold Quotes on Poetry

Matthew Arnold quotes on poetry

2. Had Shakspeare and Milton lived in the atmosphere of modern feeling, had they had the multitude of new thoughts and feelings to deal with a modern has, I think it likely the style of each would have been far less curious and exquisite. For in a man style is the saying in the best way what you have to say. The what you have to say depends on your age. In the 17th century it was a smaller harvest than now, and sooner to be reaped; and therefore to its reaper was left time to stow it more finely and curiously. Still more was this the case in the ancient world. The poet's matter being the hitherto experience of the world, and his own, increases with every century.

16. Ah! two desires toss about The poet's feverish blood; One drives him to the world without, And one to solitude.

44. For poetry the idea is everything; the rest is a world of illusion, of divine illusion. Poetry attaches its emotion to the idea; the idea is the fact. The strongest part of our religion today is its unconscious poetry.

75. The grand style arises in poetry, when a noble nature, poetically gifted, treats with simplicity or with severity a serious subject.

83. Poetry is simply the most beautiful, impressive and wisely effective mode of saying things, and hence its importance.

115. The best poetry will be found to have a power of forming, sustaining, and delighting us, as nothing else can.

118. It is important, therefore, to hold fast to this: that poetry is at bottom a criticism of life; that the greatness of a poet lies in his powerful and beautiful application of ideas to life - to the question: How to live.

119. The crown of literature is poetry.

     Attribution disputed; shown as originally published.