ABSTRACT
Matthew Arnold’s writing reflects a search for transcendence that drew on the relationship between William Wordsworth’s influence and evolutionary theory. Arnold’s formula of experiencing inspiration through loving connections with others is far removed from Wordsworth’s poetry, in which other people fade out of transcendent moments. The analogy between Arnold’s criticism and the direct selection of horticulture draws on Arnold’s keen interest in botany and gardening. Arnold’s artificial selection model of literary history implies that it is the critics, rather than the poets, whose struggle matters most for literary history. Arnold’s ideas on shaping the public’s literary taste were not limited to the indirect tools of criticism, but also included interventions on a mass scale through school and university curriculum. Arnold sought to spread culture through Wordsworth’s influence beyond the academy and literary establishment. Arnold worked exclusively with the newly established, publicly funded compulsory elementary schools.
