Previous
Matthew Arnold
Homer (8th century B.C.E) was the ancient Greek figure credited with composing The Odyssey and The Iliad, epic poems that are considered foundational works in Western culture. For Matthew Arnold, Homer’s works are poetry of the highest value and paragons of epic verse—works of high seriousness and timeless aesthetic merit. Arnold uses an example from The Iliad to demonstrate that the Song of Roland does not belong to the first rank of poetry.
Homer Quotes in The Study of Poetry
The The Study of Poetry quotes below are all either spoken by Homer or refer to Homer. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
The Study of Poetry Quotes
Only one thing we may add to the substance and matter of poetry, guiding ourselves by Aristotle’s profound observation that the superiority of poetry over history consists in its possessing a higher truth and a higher seriousness… Let us add, therefore, to what we have said, this: that the substance and matter of the best poetry acquire their special character from possessing, in an eminent degree, truth and seriousness.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire The Study of Poetry LitChart as a printable PDF.
"My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." -Graham S.
Homer Character Timeline in The Study of Poetry
The timeline below shows where the character Homer appears in The Study of Poetry. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
The Study of Poetry
...of Roland to the highest rank of poetry, uses language that is only appropriate for Homer. To show his readers the travesty of describing The Song of Roland in terms reserved...
(full context)
...of examples to prove what kinds of lines he has in mind, including verses by Homer, Dante Alighieri, William Shakespeare, and John Milton. These examples, he insists, are enough in themselves...
(full context)
...writes about lofty, grandiose subjects, such as God and fate. Chaucer—unlike Dante, William Shakespeare, and Homer— does not exhibit this high seriousness, for all the freedom and good humor with which...
(full context)
