''Culture and Anarchy: An Essay in Political and Social Criticism'' is a series of periodical essays by

Matthew Arnold Matthew Arnold (24 December 1822 – 15 April 1888) was an English poet and cultural critic who worked as an inspector of schools. He was the son of Thomas Arnold, the celebrated headmaster of Rugby School, and brother to both Tom Arnold, lit ...

, first published in

Cornhill Magazine ''The Cornhill Magazine'' (1860–1975) was a monthly Victorian magazine and literary journal named after the street address of the founding publisher Smith, Elder & Co. at 65 Cornhill in London.Laurel Brake and Marysa Demoor, ''Dictiona ...

1867–68 and collected as a book in 1869. The preface was added in 1869.Robert H. Super, ''Culture and Anarchy with Friendship's Garland and Some Literary Essays'', Volume V of ''The Complete Works of Matthew Arnold'', The University of Michigan Press, 1965. Arnold's famous piece of writing on

culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups ...

established his High Victorian cultural agenda which remained dominant in debate from the 1860s until the 1950s. According to his view advanced in the book, "Culture ..is a study of perfection". He further wrote that: " ultureseeks to do away with classes; to make the best that has been thought and known in the world current everywhere; to make all men live in an atmosphere of sweetness and light ... His often quoted phrase " ulture isthe best which has been thought and said" comes from the Preface to ''Culture and Anarchy'': :The whole scope of the essay is 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, vainly imagining that there is a virtue in following them staunchly which makes up for the mischief of following them mechanically. The book contains most of the terms –

, sweetness and light,

Barbarian A barbarian (or savage) is someone who is perceived to be either uncivilized or primitive. The designation is usually applied as a generalization based on a popular stereotype; barbarians can be members of any nation judged by some to be less ...

Philistine The Philistines ( he, פְּלִשְׁתִּים, Pəlīštīm; Koine Greek ( LXX): Φυλιστιείμ, romanized: ''Phulistieím'') were an ancient people who lived on the south coast of Canaan from the 12th century BC until 604 BC, when ...

Hebraism Hebraism �hiːbreɪz(ə)mis a lexical item, usage or trait characteristic of the Hebrew language. By successive extension it is often applied to the Jewish people, their faith, national ideology or culture. Idiomatic Hebrew Hebrew has many idiom ...

, and many others – which are more associated with Arnold's work influence.

Notes

References

* Robert H. Super (editor), ''The Complete Prose Works of Matthew Arnold'' in eleven volumes (Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press, 1960–1977) :Volume V: ''Culture and Anarchy with Friendship's Garland and Some Literary Essays'' (1965). * Stefan Collini (editor), ''Culture and Anarchy and other writings'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993) part of the ''Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought'' series. :Collini's introduction to this edition attempts to show that "''Culture and Anarchy'' ... has left a lasting impress upon subsequent debate about the relation between politics and culture" —Introduction, pg ix. *

Lionel Trilling Lionel Mordecai Trilling (July 4, 1905 – November 5, 1975) was an American literary critic, short story writer, essayist, and teacher. He was one of the leading U.S. critics of the 20th century who analyzed the contemporary cultural, social, ...

, ''Matthew Arnold'' (New York: Norton, 1939) * Park Honan, ''Matthew Arnold, a life'' (New York, McGraw-Hill, 1981) * Stefan Collini, Arnold (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988) * Robert J.C. Young, ''Colonial Desire: Hybridity in Culture, Theory and Race'' (Routledge: London and New York, 1995) :Young demonstrates the extent of Arnold's indebtedness in his book ''Culture and Anarchy'' to the nationalist and "racial" theories of French writer

Ernest Renan Joseph Ernest Renan (; 27 February 18232 October 1892) was a French Orientalist and Semitic scholar, expert of Semitic languages and civilizations, historian of religion, philologist, philosopher, biblical scholar, and critic. He wrote in ...

, whose ideas were used to rationalize and justify European colonialism.

External links

'' Culture and Anarchy'' at Internet Archive: 1889 print Culture and Anarchy at Internet Archive: 1894 print * 1869 books Works by Matthew Arnold Works originally published in The Cornhill Magazine {{cultural-studies-book-stub