Culture and Anarchy by Matthew Arnold

Culture and Anarchy by Matthew Arnold

                           Culture and Anarchy is a series of periodical essay by Matthew Arnold collected as a book in 1869. The preface was added in 1875. The book contains most of the terms-culture, sweetness and light barbarians, philistines, Hebraism and many others which are more associated with Arnold’s work influence.

                        Culture was new social and intellectual movement.

1.       Cultivation

2.       Cultivated

3.       Civilization

                       Culture is way of life of a group of people. The term ‘culture’ this originally meant the cultivation of human mind and soul.’ Culture’ is a study of perfection. Culture is a process, it is always going on and it is not static but it is changeable. Culture is an internal thing. As power of god remains within; similarly, culture also remains within. Culture remains within us remain us in a form of manner.

                      The culture is the only thing that differentiates human from animal. It makes perfect our humanity. Culture has nothing to do with religion or God. But at a same time they are part of the culture. Culture conceives perfection. He has divided the society of England into three classes and analysis them with their virtue and defects.

1.       The Barbarians

2.       The philistine

3.       The populace

1)      The Barbarians   

·         Free minded

·         Liberty

·         Rich class people fashionable

·         Free to live and think

·         More civilise

2)      The  philistine

·         Money-maker

·         Commerce

·         Idea about business

·         Industrialization

       

3)       The Populace

·         Hard working

·         Narrow minded

·         Bad activity

·         Orthodoxy

·         Rigidity

‘Doing as one likes” is an outcome of middle and working class. Arnold says that freedom is necessary, but not on the shoulder of chaos or anarchy.

Hebraism and Hellenism

1)      Hebraism

·         Spirit of mind

·         Spirit of Greek

·         Open minded

·         Knowledge

·         Thought for practical

2)      Hellenism

·         Spirit of thought

·         Spirit of bible

·         Narrow minded

·         Religious

·         Thought only for God

·         Follow the Biblical idea

The finale aim of both is ‘salvation’