The letters of Matthew Arnold to Arthur Hugh Clough

This collection, edited by Howard Foster Lowry and published by Oxford University Press in 1932, serves as a critical primary source for understanding the intellectual development of Matthew Arnold. Compiled decades after the deaths of both correspondents, the volume gathers letters written by Arnold to his close friend and fellow poet, Arthur Hugh Clough, during the mid-19th century. The publication was intended to offer scholars a window into the private anxieties and creative philosophies of a Victorian literary giant whose work often grappled with the tension between religious tradition and modern scientific inquiry.

The editorial work of Howard Foster Lowry was highly regarded upon its release for its meticulous annotation and contextual framing, which helped to illuminate the complex dialogue between the two men. By preserving these letters, the edition documents the formative years of a friendship that was deeply influential to Arnold’s literary perspective, including the evolution of his views on the role of the critic and the poet in society. The volume remains a staple of 19th-century studies, favored for providing an intimate glimpse into the social and intellectual circles of Oxford during the Victorian era.