Matthew Arnold uses the “the world-river of poetry” to refer to the Western tradition of poetry, dating back to the time of Homer and spanning all national traditions. In Arnold’s telling, this great tradition is the “mighty river” itself, and each national tradition—such as the English tradition Arnold focuses on in “The Study of Poetry”—is a tributary that feeds the “world-river.” Arnold’s use of this term emphasizes the universal, international character of poetry, as he sees it: all human beings can appreciate Homer, regardless of what countries they come from, and all human beings can write poetry that will flow into the great “world-river.” In addition, the river flows as the tradition of poetry moves forward into the future in an unstoppable manner, an idea that symbolically resonates with Arnold’s vision for poetry’s “high destiny.”
The River of Poetry Quotes in The Study of Poetry
In the present work it is the course of one great contributory stream to the world-river of poetry that we are invited to follow. We are here invited to study the stream of English poetry. But whether we set ourselves, as here, to follow only one of the several streams that make the mighty river of poetry, or whether we seek to know them all, our governing thought should be the same. We should conceive of poetry worthily, and more lightly that it has been the custom to conceive of it.
The River of Poetry Symbol Timeline in The Study of Poetry
