Matthew Arnold

Matthew Arnold was born in Middlesex, England in 1822. Attending the prestigious Rugby School, where his father was the headmaster, Arnold won several awards for his essays and poetry. Arnold received a scholarship to attend Balliol College, Oxford, where his poem “Cromwell” won the Newdigate Prize. Arnold then took the position of Her Majesty’s Inspector of Schools to support his family while he pursued his literary career, writing poetry, literary criticism, and prose. Some of his notable works include the poem “Dover Beach” and the essay collection Culture and Anarchy. He was elected Professor of Poetry at Oxford in 1857 and was reelected in 1862. Arnold did not retire from school inspection until 1886; he died suddenly of heart failure two years later.