What are the limitations of Victorian criticism NU Matthew Arnold wrote The Study of Poetry in In this work he studied poetry and also gave views on criticism He pointed out the limits of Victorian criticism These critics often failed to judge poetry properly Focus on History Victorian critics placed too much emphasis on history They judged poems based on the poets' age and background Arnold called it the historic estimate He said this view hides a poem s true worth History should not rule literary value as Arnold says Our estimate of poetry should be governed by the real estimate based on the presence or absence of high poetic quality Too Much Personal Taste Victorian critics often used their own feelings Arnold called it the personal estimate They praised poems they liked personally This method ignored the deep truth and real value Arnold warned readers to avoid this weak