Record Number: 31630
Reading Experience:
Evidence:
'Meeting held at 72 Shinfield Road. 5th May 1941
A. G Joselin in the chair.
[...]
5. F. E. Pollard then undertook to guide us through “the moon-silvered inlets” of
Matthew Arnold’s poetry.
First Muriel Stevens read three sonnets
Shakespeare
The better Part
& The Good Shepherd with the Kid.
illustrating most convincingly that Matthew Arnold ranks among the great sonnet
writers of the English language. Most of his poetry was written in the earlier part
of his life, it is serious and moral in spirit and reveals a stoical philosophy. ‘The
Scholar-Gypsy’ and ‘Thyrsis’ (the latter written in memory of his friend Arthur
Hugh Clough) are probably the best of his longer poems – their austere but serene
melancholy contrasts strangely with his lively and controversial prose. Mr. Pollard
pointed out how Matthew Arnold has a way of writing on a very tragic subject and
then rounding up the poem with a few lines of serene beauty, and he read from
‘Sohrab and Rustum’ to illustrate this.
Rosamund Wallis read “Stagirius” a very beautiful prayer offered up by a young
monk.
Mr. Pollard then told us of Matthew Arnold’s “Theory of Poetry” as expounded in
his “Essays in Criticism” – this was that great poetry has to be a criticism of Life –
a questionable theory since it rules out all the great lyrical poetry which has been
written. Arnold’s own poetry is for the most part rather rugged in metre, irregular
and unrhymed and for tis reason is said by some to be lacking in music. His
Philosophy is illustrated in the ‘Sonnet to a Friend” which Mr. Pollard read, and
summed up in the line “He saw life steadily, and saw it whole”. Mr Pollard then
read from ‘Tristram & Iseult’ and Mrs. Pollard read ‘The Forsaken Merman’ to
illustrate other rather different verses.
Questioned as to whether he agreed with the critics who place Matthew Arnold
third to Browning and Tennyson among Victorian Poets Mr Pollard said he thought
not – that they are all on one level but each in a different category. He concluded
by reading William Watson’s Poem on Matthew Arnold “In Laleham
Churchyard”.
[Signed as a true record] R. D. L. Moore
May 31. 1941'
1900-1945
Date:Until: 5 May 1941
Country:England
Timen/a
Place:city: Reading
county: Berkshire
(Reader):
silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown
(Listener):
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown
Reader / Listener / Reading Group:
Reader: Age:Adult (18-100+)
Gender:Male
Date of Birth:1872
Socio-Economic Group:Professional / academic / merchant / farmer
Occupation:Formerly schoolmaster, now occasional lecturer and supply teacher, and supported also by wife's unearned income
Religion:Quaker or associated with the Friends
Country of Origin:n/a
Country of Experience:England
Listeners present if any:e.g family, servants, friends
n/a
Additional Comments:
n/a
Text Being Read:
Author: Title:The Scholar-Gypsy
Genre:Poetry
Form of Text:Unknown
Publication Detailsn/a
Provenanceunknown
Source Information:
Record ID:31630
Source:Manuscript
Author:Margaret Dilks
Title:XII Book Club Minute Book, Vol. 4 (1938-1943)
Location:private collection
Call No:n/a
Page/Folio:96–100
Additional Information:
Margaret Dilks was secretary to the XII Book Club from 1940 to 1970. It is inferred from this, and from the handwriting, that she was the author of this set of minutes.
Citation:
Margaret Dilks, XII Book Club Minute Book, Vol. 4 (1938-1943), private collection, 96–100, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=31630, accessed: 26 September 2024
Additional Comments:
Reading in preparation for the presentation given to the XII Book Club on 5 May 1941, mentioned in the report of the presentation.
Material by kind permission of the XII Book Club. For further information and permission to quote this source, contact the Reading Experience Database (http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/contacts.php).