should balance the scientific spirit with moral and spiritual insight Criticism for Arnold was therefore not only the evaluation of books but also a tool to civilize society Arnold as a Literary Critic As a literary critic Arnold gave poetry a supreme place He believed that religion and philosophy were losing their authority in the modern world Science though powerful could not answer questions of the spirit Only poetry if it contained truth and beauty could give guidance and consolation In his essay The Study of Poetry he argues that poetry should replace religion as the chief spiritual force He says Like religion literature works primarily by emotion and experience and so was admirably well-fitted to carry through the ideological task which religion left off Thus for Arnold literature is not mere art or ornament but a serious expression of moral truth Standards of Judgment Arnold insisted that poetry must be judged by strict standards He rejected the historical estimate and the personal estimate Instead he proposed the real estimate based on permanent excellence He also suggested the touchstone method About this he says have always in one s mind lines and expressions of the great masters and to apply them as a touchstone to other poetry This shows his practical approach to evaluation Doctrine of High Seriousness For Arnold great poetry must show truth and high seriousness These qualities give moral weight and lasting value Without seriousness style and diction lose power He praised poets like Dante Homer Shakespeare and Milton for embodying these virtues At the same time he found Chaucer Pope and Burns lacking in the highest degree of seriousness Limitations as a Critic Arnold s criticism is admired but also criticized His strength was moral seriousness and high ideals But he often neglected artistic form imagery and historical context He judged too much by ethical standards and not enough by aesthetic ones His touchstone method though useful was sometimes mechanical He had little sympathy for Romantic imagination and often undervalued contemporary writers Yet his insistence on truth beauty and seriousness preserved the dignity of literature He made criticism an instrument of culture and education not just of analysis In summary Matthew Arnold remains a key figure in English criticism He combined cultural and literary ideals stressing that poetry should guide life His touchstone method his idea of real estimate and his doctrine of high seriousness shaped literary studies Though moralistic at times he raised the value of criticism and established it as a serious discipline