Matthew Arnold's poem "Dover Beach" seems to reflect on his honeymoon with his wife in the town of Dover. While parts of the poem describe the scenic views by the beach, it also expresses deeper questions and thoughts that were likely on Arnold's mind. The poem has a romantic and contemplative tone as it discusses the beauty of the natural landscape but also pondering issues like the rise of science and doubt in the world. The document provides historical context on Matthew Arnold and his marriage, as well as analyzing how "Dover Beach" relates to his honeymoon experience through its imagery and themes.

1. ELIT 46C: CLASS
H T T P S : / / W W W. Y O U T U B E . C O M / WATC H ? V = S R I C F E
C Z 6 4 E

2. “DOVER BEACH”
BY MATTHEW ARNOLD
1822-1888
• Matthew Arnold is unique in that his reputation rests equally
upon his poetry and his prose.
• In 1850 Matthew Arnold met and fell in love with Frances Lucy
Wightman. The couple announced their engagement in early
April, married on the 10 June 1851, and spent their one-week
honeymoon at Alverston in Hampshire. He and his wife stayed in
Dover on the last night of their honeymoon" (143).
• Parts of “Dover Beach” seem to reflect the honeymoon scenery.
Other scenes seem to express deeper thoughts and questions
that may have been considered beforehand. In any case, it’s
seems quite romantic, no?

3. AGENDA
Chair Poet
Lecture:
The Aesthetics
Author Presentation:
Oscar Wilde
Intro to Essay 1: How to
write a response to literature

4. CHAIR POET

5. HISTORICAL CONTEXT
Near the end of the 19th century drew, England experienced a
cultural and artistic turn against Victorian values (1837-1901).
Victorian virtues, such as self-help and respectability, were
embraced and encouraged in the 1860s and 70s. Soon after, the
tide turned. Farming practices changed, society suffered, and
people were less able raise their social standing. People began to
question social and moral values.
Some Artists responded by reacting against the mass-produced
goods, made possible by both the Industrial Revolution and
technological advances. In particular, William Morris railed against
mass-produced objects. He valued craftsmanship and quality over
quantity. The term "Arts and Crafts," coined in 1888, refers to
Morris's revival of traditional crafts, which he considered "high art."

6. HISTORICAL CONTEXT
Another way in which artists reacted against Victorian values was by
defying the tradition that art had to be didactic or morally instructive.
John Ruskin, a popular critic, had earlier written that art's highest
purpose was to instruct and enlighten. Ruskin was shocked when he
saw a sketchy, impressionistic painting by James Abbot McNeill
Whistler which had paint spattered on it; he claimed that Whistler had
"flung a pot of paint in the public's face." Whistler sued Ruskin for libel,
winning the case and bringing the debate over the purpose of art into
the public.
Supporters of Whistler approved of "art for art's sake," meaning that
paintings need not have a purpose other than to be aesthetically
pleasing, even if it was pleasing to see paint spattered on the canvas.
This liberated the public from standard ideas about what was "good"
art; they no longer had to rely on the views of critics to instruct them in
the meaning of a painting.

7. AESTHETICISM
This new movement in art is known as
Aestheticism; art could now be
appreciated on purely aesthetic terms.
Wilde followed Whistler as the
spokesperson for the movement,
writing and lecturing on the beauty of
art for art's sake. He argued that life
should imitate art rather than art
imitating life. Aesthetes such as Wilde
were mocked as foppish, unrealistic
individuals who strove to live up to
the beauty of their home furnishings.

8. OSCAR WILDE (1854-1900)
Born in Dublin
Educated at Trinity College, Dublin, and then
Oxford.
1884: Married Constance: two sons.
1890: The Picture of Dorian Gray. Super gay. Lots of criticism
for it.
1891: introduced to Lord Alfred Douglas (“Bosie”), who was an
undergrad at Oxford.
February 1895: The Importance of Being Earnest.
February 1895: Bosie’s father, the Marquess of
Queensberry, calls Wilde a “somdomite
[sic],” and Wilde (at Bosie’s
encouragement) sues for libel.

9. THE TRIALS:
April 1895: Queensberry acquitted. Wilde is liable for
Queensberry’s legal fees, which leaves him
bankrupt.
April 1895: Wilde prosecuted for “gross indecency” under
Labouchere Amendment. Acquitted.
May 1895: second trial. Wilde is convicted and sentenced to two
years of hard labor.
1897: his health broken, Wilde is released and sails immediately
for France. Reunites with Bosie for a while in Naples, until
they are separated by their families. Bosie marries a lesbian
in 1902, converts to Roman Catholicism in 1911, condemns
Wilde, publishes anti-Semitic newspaper.
• 2017: Wilde pardoned posthumously.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxyJoenJ644

10. WILDE’S AESTHETICISM IN THE
PREFACE TO DORAN GRAY
• “There is no such thing as a
moral or an immoral book.
• No artist desires to prove
anything. […] No artist has
ethical sympathies.
• All art is at once surface and
symbol. Those who go beneath
the surface do so at their peril.
• Those who read the symbol do
so at their peril. It is the spectator,
and not life, that art really mirrors.
• All art is quite useless.” (1732-33)
What to make of this?
Where does this leave
meaning?
Where does this leave
critique?

11. TO WATCH OUT FOR IN
THE IMPORTANCE OF
BEING EARNEST
Morals and Morality
Love, Passion, and Marriage
Culture Clash
Language and Meaning
Freedom
Doubling (AGAIN!)

12. ESSAY #1
HOW TO WRITE A
RESPONSE TO
LITERATURE
A D A P T E D F R O M A H A N D O U T F R O M T H E
W R I T I N G C E N T E R , U N I V E R S I T Y O F N O R T H
C A R O L I N A AT C H A P E L H I L L

13. INTERPRETATIONS OF FICTION ARE GENERALLY
OPINIONS, BUT NOT ALL OPINIONS ARE EQUAL.
A good, valid, and interesting interpretation will do the
following:
avoid the obvious (in other words, it won’t argue a
conclusion that most readers could reach on their own
from a general knowledge of the story)
support its main points with strong textual evidence from
the story and/or secondary sources.
use careful reasoning to explain how that evidence
relates to the main points of the interpretation.

14. A good paper begins with the writer having a solid
understanding of the work. Being able to have the
whole text in your head when you begin thinking
through ideas will actually allow you to write the
paper more quickly in the long run.
 Spend some time just thinking about the story. Flip
back through the book and consider what interests
you about this book—what seemed strange, new,
or important?
Be Familiar with the Text

15. EXPLORE POTENTIAL TOPICS
 Even though you have a list of topics from which to
choose, you must develop your own interpretation.
 Consider how you might approach each topic.
What will your answer to each question show about the text?
So what? Why will anyone care?
Try this phrase for each prompt to see if you have an idea:
“This book/poem/play/short story shows
______________________. This is important because
______________________.”

16. Narrow down your list of
possible topics by identifying
how much evidence or how
many details you could use
to investigate each potential
issue.
Keep in mind that papers
rely on ample evidence and
that having a lot of details to
choose from can make your
paper easier to write.
Jot down all the events or
elements of the story that
have some bearing on the
two or three topics that seem
most promising.
Don’t launch into a topic
without considering all the
options first because you
may end up with a topic that
seemed promising initially
but that only leads to a dead
end.
Select a Topic with Plenty of Evidence

17. Skim back over the story
or poem and make a
more comprehensive list
of the details that relate to
your point.
As you make your notes
keep track of page
numbers so you can
quickly find the passages
again when you need
them.
Make an extended list of evidence

18.  Once you’ve made your expanded list of
evidence, decide which supporting details are the
strongest.
 First, select the facts which bear the closest relation to
your thesis statement.
 Second, choose the pieces of evidence you’ll be able to
say the most about. Readers tend to be more dazzled
with your interpretations of evidence than with a lot of
quotes from the book.
 Select the details that will allow you to show off your own
reasoning skills and allow you to help the reader see the
story in a way he or she may not have seen it before.
Select your evidence

19. Now, go back to your working thesis and refine it
so that it reflects your new understanding of your
topic. This step and the previous step (selecting
evidence) are actually best done at the same time,
since selecting your evidence and defining the
focus of your paper depend upon each other.
Refine your thesis

20.  Once you have a clear thesis, go back to your list of
selected evidence and group all the similar details
together. The ideas that tie these clusters of evidence
together can then become the claims that you’ll make in
your paper.
 Keep in mind that your claims should not only relate to
all the evidence but also clearly support your thesis.
Once you’re satisfied with the way you’ve grouped your
evidence and with the way that your claims relate to
your thesis, you can begin to consider the most logical
way to organize each of those claims.
Organize your evidence

21. Avoid the temptation to load your paper with evidence
from your story. Each time you use a specific reference
to your story, be sure to explain the significance of
that evidence in your own words.
To get your readers’ interest, draw their attention to
elements of the story that they wouldn’t necessarily
notice or understand on their own.
If you are quoting passages without interpreting them,
you’re not demonstrating your reasoning skills or helping
the reader. In most cases, interpreting your evidence
merely involves putting into your paper what is already in
your head.
Interpret your evidence

22. KEEP IN MIND
Don't forget to consider the scope
of your project: What can you
reasonably cover in a paper of that
length?
Eliminate wordiness and repetition
to ensure that you have room to
make all of your points.
See me if you are lost or confused!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xAc4yZ8VSA&t=6s

23. HOMEWORK
Brainstorm Essay #1
HW: Discussion Question 7: Write
a one paragraph summary of your
proposed essay topic
Watch the Film: The Importance
of Being Earnest
Suggested Reading: The
Importance of Being Earnest 1733
Take Quiz 3
Suggested Reading: “Wilde's Play
and Victorian Concepts of
‘Earnestness’”
HW: Discussion Question #8