Matthew Arnold

Matthew Arnold was a British poet, cultural critic, and educational theorist. Although he is well-known for his poetry, Matthew Arnold spent much of his life as a school inspector, and this experience shaped his work as a literary and social theorist. As a social theorist and cultural critic, he focused on the importance of the humanities and liberal education as well as the influence and direction of the state in secondary education. His most influential work of social criticism was Culture and Anarchy, a series of essays published in 1869. In this work, he discussed culture as a never-ending process of learning from a body of canonical knowledge in order to disrupt the status quo and create a better society. He popularized the concept of “sweetness and light” – a blend of appreciation for arts and literature and intelligence and education – coupled with a commitment to social improvement. This chapter examines Arnold’s contributions to education as a discipline and to pedagogy, first focusing on his history, influences, and motivations. Additionally, this chapter discusses Arnold’s critical contributions to education as a discipline, exploring how these contributions influence modern educational thought, as well as examining his legacy as an educational scholar.