19th Century British Literature
University of Calcutta
ENG-A-CC-4-10-TH/TU
Poetry: Matthew Arnold, ‘Dover Beach’
Dover Beach as Representative of Victorian Unrest
(Essay)
Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold reflects the intellectual and spiritual
distress of the 19th century. Arnold’s distress is poignantly expressed in
stanzas from the Grand Chartreuse in which he speaks of himself as
“wandering between two worlds, one dead/ The other powerless to be
born.” Between the two worlds Arnold finds a wasteland which is
blinkered, blind and ultimately dying no longer capable of giving direction.
Arnold’s attitude to the contemporary world is one of scepticism and
doubt. As Lionel Trilling observes, “The world of bourgeois enterprise
which arranged its own self-glorification in the Great Exhibition of 1851
could find little charm for Arnold.” It was apparent that beneath the
veneer of confidence and prosperity there was a deep conflict between
science and religion. Breakthrough discoveries made by Charles Darwin
and geologists undermined the very grounds of Christian faith. The impact
on scientific discoveries on religious faith turned many believers in
philosophical sceptics. However, the overriding sense of doubt
psychologically dented the spirit of the age more than anything else.
“We mortal millions live alone”- these prophetic words by Arnold
speak of the burden of the age where human optimism regarding the
continual progress of human society had been sadly belied by the
aggressive industrial culture. The sons of democracy and industrial
revolution are isolated men. Liberty and equality seem to negate
fraternity. Science creates a cosmos without a soul and the subsequent
loss of belief in cosmic order requires men to selfishly retreat into their
individual selves. There occurred a breach in the “community bonds” in
which the individual had earlier sought protection. The individual found
himself marooned psychologically in an island. The collective reason, the
product of the wisdom of thousands of years of experience could no
longer guide or safe-guard him. It has become scattered.
The poet’s attitude towards the subject of the poem is revealed
through key words. The most obvious one of these is “the sea” with its
nostalgic nature and ability to represent time and timelessness
simultaneously. “sadness”, “misery”, “melancholy”, “pain” these all
University of Calcutta
ENG-A-CC-4-10-TH/TU
Poetry: Matthew Arnold, ‘Dover Beach’
Dover Beach as Representative of Victorian Unrest
(Essay)
Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold reflects the intellectual and spiritual
distress of the 19th century. Arnold’s distress is poignantly expressed in
stanzas from the Grand Chartreuse in which he speaks of himself as
“wandering between two worlds, one dead/ The other powerless to be
born.” Between the two worlds Arnold finds a wasteland which is
blinkered, blind and ultimately dying no longer capable of giving direction.
Arnold’s attitude to the contemporary world is one of scepticism and
doubt. As Lionel Trilling observes, “The world of bourgeois enterprise
which arranged its own self-glorification in the Great Exhibition of 1851
could find little charm for Arnold.” It was apparent that beneath the
veneer of confidence and prosperity there was a deep conflict between
science and religion. Breakthrough discoveries made by Charles Darwin
and geologists undermined the very grounds of Christian faith. The impact
on scientific discoveries on religious faith turned many believers in
philosophical sceptics. However, the overriding sense of doubt
psychologically dented the spirit of the age more than anything else.
“We mortal millions live alone”- these prophetic words by Arnold
speak of the burden of the age where human optimism regarding the
continual progress of human society had been sadly belied by the
aggressive industrial culture. The sons of democracy and industrial
revolution are isolated men. Liberty and equality seem to negate
fraternity. Science creates a cosmos without a soul and the subsequent
loss of belief in cosmic order requires men to selfishly retreat into their
individual selves. There occurred a breach in the “community bonds” in
which the individual had earlier sought protection. The individual found
himself marooned psychologically in an island. The collective reason, the
product of the wisdom of thousands of years of experience could no
longer guide or safe-guard him. It has become scattered.
The poet’s attitude towards the subject of the poem is revealed
through key words. The most obvious one of these is “the sea” with its
nostalgic nature and ability to represent time and timelessness
simultaneously. “sadness”, “misery”, “melancholy”, “pain” these all
