1. TOPIC
CONCEPT OF CULTURE IN
CULTURE & ANARCHY
NAME: JANKIBA K. RANA
PAPER NO: 6
THE VICTORIAN LITERATURE
M.A. SEM – II ROLL NO: 09
YEAR 2014-2015
SUBMITTED TO:
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
MAHARAJA KRISHNAKUMARSINHJI
BHAVNAGAR
2. • Mathew Arnold (1867-68)
• ‘Culture and Anarchy’ is a pioneer work for cultural
studies.
3. • ARNOLD’S VIEW:
• Arnold’s views published in his essay ‘culture and anarchy’
about culture, anarchy, three classes of society, Hebraism
and Hellenism.
• THE IDEA OF CULTURE:
• In this essay Mathew Arnold tries to say the idea of
culture. He introduces culture as
• “The whole scope of essay in to recommend culture as the
great help out of our present difficulties; culture being a
pursuit of our total perfection by means of getting to know,
on all the matters which most concern us; ‘the best which
has been thought and said in the world.’ And through this
knowledge turning a stream of Fresh and Free thought
upon our stock notions and habits, which we now follow
staunchly but mechanically…”
4. IMPORTANCE OF CULTURE:
• To show the importance of culture he gave an
example of American Culture.
• He proposes to try and enquire in the simple
unsystematic way,
– What culture really is?
– What good it can do?
– What is our special need of it?
• Arnold’s Belief:
– That the culture is a study of perfection.
• He further adds that,
– “To conceive of true human perfection as a harmonious
perfection, as a general perfection, developing all sides of
society.”
5. CHARACTER PERFECTION:
• Character perfection is recommended in
culture.
• Perfection of culture is not possible while the
individual remains isolated.
• Thus, the notion of perfection as culture brings
us to conceive it:
– A harmonious perfection
– A perfection in which the characters of beauty and
intelligence are both present which unites ‘the two
noblest of things- Sweetness and Light’.
6. IDEA OF “SWEETNESS AND LIGHT”
• Arnold connects his idea of sweetness and
light with culture and explain with:
– The Greek words,
‘aphuia and euphoria’
– Because of that central idea, this first chapter is
called
– “SWEETNESS AND LIGHT”
Which is about the introduction of culture.
