20 Questions
Who wrote the extract that prefaced Arnold's poem?
Glanvill
What was the Oxford student trying to achieve by joining the gipsies?
To learn their secrets and share them with the world
What did the gipsies have among them, according to Glanvill's story?
A traditional kind of learning
Who is argued to be the identity of the mysterious figure in the story?
Francis Mercury van Helmont
What mode does Arnold begin the poem in?
Pastoral
What does Arnold imagine the scholar gipsy as?
A shadowy figure waiting for the spark from Heaven to fall
What is the result of the scholar gipsy renouncing the life of mortal men?
He is unaffected by aging and death
Why does Arnold doubt the scholar gipsy's immortality?
Because he has lived for two centuries
What wears out the life of mortal men, according to Arnold?
Repeated shocks and changes
What is the state of the scholar gipsy, according to Arnold?
Free from fatigue and doubt
What is the theme of 'The Scholar Gipsy' that Arnold warns against?
Sickness of modern life
When was 'The Scholar Gipsy' written?
1853
What is the significance of the Cumner hills in the poem?
The place where Arnold and his friends went on delightful wanderings
What is the companion-piece of 'The Scholar Gipsy'?
Thyrsis
Where was 'The Scholar Gipsy' first published?
Arnold's Poems (1853)
What does Arnold think the complaining millions of men want?
Something to animate and ennoble them
What does John William Mackail say about 'The Scholar Gipsy'?
It is the poetry of Oxford made complete
What does Edmund Blunden say about the poem?
It represents the ghost of each one of us, the living ghost, made up of many recollections and some wishes and promises
What does F.R. Leavis say the poem offers?
A charm of relaxation
What does the Scholar-Gipsy symbolize according to F.R. Leavis?
Victorian poetry
Study Notes
The Poem "The Scholar Gipsy"
- The poem is prefaced with an extract from Glanvill, telling the story of an impoverished Oxford student who joins a band of gipsies and learns their secrets.
- The student, who claims to have learned everything the gipsies can teach, plans to leave and share their secrets with the world.
The Story of the Scholar Gipsy
- The poem begins with a pastoral scene, describing a rural area near Oxford, and then repeats the story of the scholar gipsy.
- The scholar gipsy is said to be a shadowy figure, still seen in the countryside, waiting for inspiration from heaven.
- The poet imagines having seen the scholar gipsy himself, but entertains doubts about his continued existence.
The Scholar Gipsy's Immortality
- The scholar gipsy is free from the fatigue and doubt that comes with trying many things and being baffled.
- He is not subject to ageing and death, having renounced the life of mortal men.
Critique of Modern Life
- The poem critiques modern life as having "sick hurry" and "divided aims", which can be exhausting and lead to death.
- The poet implores the scholar gipsy to avoid those who suffer from this disease.
Writing and Publication
- The poem was written in 1853, possibly after "Sohrab and Rustum".
- It was first published in Arnold's Poems (1853) and later appeared in various anthologies, including The Oxford Book of English Verse and Palgrave's Golden Treasury.
Critical Opinions
- The poem has been criticized for only evoking a "pleasing melancholy" and not animating or ennobling the reader.
- Others have praised the poem as capturing the essence of Oxford and representing the "living ghost" of each individual's recollections and wishes.
- Some have seen the poem as a symbol of Victorian poetry, offering a charm of relaxation and a holiday from serious aims.
Explore the story behind Matthew Arnold's poem, which tells the tale of an Oxford student who joins a band of gipsies and uncovers their secrets of traditional learning and imagination.
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