Critical analysis of Matthew Arnold's Touchstone Method
Critical analysis of Matthew Arnold's Touchstone Method Matthew Arnold’s Touchstone Method, introduced in his essay The Study of Poetry (1880), is a landmark in literary criticism. It represents Arnold’s attempt to establish objective criteria for evaluating poetry by comparing contemporary works to excerpts from the masterpieces of great poets such as Homer, Dante, Shakespeare, and Milton. While the method has been influential in shaping literary criticism, it has also been critiqued for its limitations and subjective nature. This expanded analysis explores the strengths, weaknesses, and legacy of the Touchstone Method in greater detail. Strengths of the Touchstone Method 1. Objectivity in Literary Evaluation One of Arnold’s primary goals with the Touchstone Method was to introduce objectivity into literary criticism. He argued that critics often fall into two traps when evaluating poetry: The Historical Estimate: Judging a poem based on its historical importance rathe...