Prof. Sachin Subrav Gadhire

  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...

                                William Wordsworth's Theory of Poetic Diction Inrtoduction: William Wordsworth (1770-1850) was an English Romantic poet  and one of the most influential figures in English Literature. He is best known for his pionereeing role in launching the Romantic Age alongside Samuel Taylor Coleridge with thier point publication  Lyrical Ballads (1798),  which emphasized themes of nature, emotion, and the use of simple, everyday language in poetry.  Wordsworth’s poetic career began with works such as An Evening Walk (1793) and Descriptive Sketches (1793). However, his collaboration with Coleridge marked a turning point. Together, they produced Lyrical Ballads, which introduced a revolutionary approach to poetry by focusing on ordinary life and emotions expressed in simple language. His magnum opus, The Prelude, is a semi-autobiographical poem chronicling the “growth...