Matthew Arnold
Matthew Arnold was an English poet and cultural critic who worked as an inspector of schools. He was the son of Thomas Arnold, the famed headmaster of Rugby School, and brother to both Tom Arnold, literary professor, and William Delafield Arnold, novelist and colonial administrator. Matthew Arnold has been characterised as a sage writer, a type of writer who chastises and instructs the reader on contemporary social issues.
*About one idea of Matthew Arnold which you find interesting of relavent in your time?
I think the principle of "Disinterestedness" or "Detachment" given by Matthew Arnold is interesting & relevant in recent times.
It is really important to understand a literary work completely than giving judgement. And one should not be attached emotionally with the thing & should judge or do what is right & should be free from the prejudices ...either personal or historical.
*One idea of Matthew Arnold with I found out of date and irelevent in this time
Touch stone method introduced scientific objectivity to critical evaluation by providing comparision and analysis as the two primary tools for judging individual poets. In a simple language he wants to say that for judging any new poet's best work and by taking best work of old poet we have to compare it with new poet's work and analyze the new work and if its have the same quality which old work has then we can consider that new work as good or best work. There is no need to comparision. Everyone has their own qualities we can not except to all to have same qualities and we cannot consider one quality as best and other inferior. We must accept work with it's originality comparing with other work losses feeling of that work. And Arnold himself say that, "The poet must choose those action which most powerfully appeals to great primary Human feeling which subsist importance to feeling rather that the words or comparing with other poet or there work.
