Matthew Arnold

About

English poet who wrote the melancholy masterpiece, "Dover Beach," as well as "The Scholar-Gipsy" and "Thyrsis." He was also a writer of prose and literary, social, and religious criticism.

Before Fame

As a student at the Rugby School, he won numerous awards for his poetry and essays and wrote both in English and Latin. He earned a scholarship to Balliol College, Oxford.

Trivia

Arnold's godfather, the Reverend John Keble, was an important early influence on the young writer.

Family Life

He married Frances Lucy Wightman in June of 1851; together, the couple had six children. Matthew Arnold's father, Thomas Arnold, was the headmaster of Rugby School.

Associated With

He traveled throughout the United States lecturing on the literary work and philosophies of Ralph Waldo Emerson.