er. He explains his view of modern life "as a thing to be put
up with, replacing the zest for existence which was so intense in
early civilization." His pessimistic philosophy strikes at the core of
life and human endeavor. Sorrow appears in his work, not as a
punishment for crime, but as an unavoidable result of human life and
its inevitable mistakes. Events, sometimes comic but generally tragic,
play upon the weaknesses of his characters and bring about
entanglements, misunderstandings, and suffering far in excess of the
deserts of these well-intentioned people. No escape is suggested.
Resignation to misfits, mistakes, and misfortune is what remains.

Hardy is one of the great Victorian story-tellers. His personality is
never obtruded on his readers. His humor is not grafted on his scenes,
but is a natural outgrowth of his rustic gatherings and conversations.
He relates a straightforward tale, and makes his characters act and
speak for themselves. He selects the human nature, the rural scene,
and the moral issue upon which his whole being can be centered. The
result is a certainty of design, a somberness of atmosphere, and an
intensity of feeling, such as are found in elegiac poetry. Natural
laws, physical nature, and human life are engaged in an uneven
struggle, and the result is usually unsatisfactory for human life. The
novels are pitilessly sad, but they are nevertheless products of a
genuine artist in temperament and technique. His novels show almost as
much unity of plot and mood as many of the greatest short stories.

MATTHEW ARNOLD, 1822-1888

[Illustration: MATTHEW ARNOLD. _From the painting of G.F. Watts,
National Portrait Gallery_.]

Life.--Matthew Arnold, Robert Browning, Alfred Tennyson, A.C.
Swinburne, and the much younger Rudyard Kipling are the most noted
among a large number of Victorian poets. All of these, with the
exception of the two greatest, Browning and Tennyson, also wrote
prose.

Matthew Arnold was born in 1822, at Laleham, Middlesex. His father,
Dr. Thomas Arnold, was the eminent head master of Rugby School, and
the author of _History of Rome, Lectures on Modern History_, and
_Sermons_. Under the guidance of such a father, Matthew Arnold enjoyed
unusual educational advantages. In 1837 he entered Rugby, and from
there went to Baliol College, Oxford. He was so ambitious and studious
that he won two prizes at Oxford, was graduated with honors, and, a
year later, was elected fellow of Orie