Literary Criticism: Touchstone method of Matthew Arnold

The Study of Poetry is one of the best works of Matthew Arnold and is considered one of the best in English literary criticism. He wrote this essay at a time when different critics were talking against literature. One of the major arguments against literature was that it has no direct contribution in the economy hence literature is unimportant and one should not take it seriously. Arnold also countered this argument by saying that very soon literature and poetry will take over philosophy and without literature science is incomplete. 

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Arnold also wrote in the essay that readers should differentiate between good literature and poor quality literature and he gave a lot of emphasis on this differentiation. This question can come to our mind that how do we differentiate between good and bad literary piece. To solve this problem, Arnold talked about his famous touchstone method in this essay which can help the readers between good and bad.

Touchstone method helps readers to understand the difference between good and poor literary piece. In this method, a reader, in order to understand the quality of literary piece, should take up works of great writers which are considered to be masterpieces. We should take few lines from those works and then compare them with other writers’ works. It would help us to understand which one is good and which one is bad.

According to Arnold, touchstone method is very important for it would rid the readers from two fallacies. One is historical estimate and the other is personal estimate. Historical estimate refers to the idea of historical poets who we think are famous. Personal estimate is related to our feelings. Touchstone method helps readers to get rid of these two fallacies. 

Arnold said that if we do not follow touchstone method then we would not be able to differentiate between good and bad literary piece which would eventually destroy the value of literature. Hence, touchstone method is very important and we all should take it seriously.

In his essay, Arnold provided few examples using quotations from famous poems and dramas. Homer and Sophocles were two of Arnold’s favorite poets of ancient Greece. He also considered John Milton to be a great poet. Dante of Medieval period was ideal poet to him. He also liked the German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. He quoted poems of these poets for he held them at high esteem. He tried to show that Shakespeare was a good dramatist but not all his works were good.

Many things can be said against and for the touchstone method. In support of touchstone method, we can say that it contains major elements of thought. If we can read and appreciate the poems of Homer, Shakespeare or Milton then we would be able to understand the quality of other poets as well.

Against the touchstone method, it can be said that not all the lines of Homer’s poetry carried great weight. Shakespeare became popular through new literary style. The same thing can be said about William Wordsworth. He created an entirely new poetic style. It would be difficult to compare between an old and new poetic style. If we do so we would not be able to appreciate the new style and it would not be good for us as well.

In fact, touchstone method started a new idea. However, it did not gain much popularity for we see that modern writers experiment with their works.