The Scholar Gipsy critical analysis

 The Scholar Gipsy analysis 

"The Scholar Gipsy" by Matthew Arnold, revolves around the seventeenth-century Oxford story taken from philosopher Joseph Glanvil's The Vanity of Dogmatizing (1661). The poem is a take on the conflicts that prevailed in seventeenth-century Victorian Society. This period was a time of confusion and doubt. People grew more fascinated by the modern encroachments sprouting in their society. Developments in science questioned the very base of people's religious beliefs and many were put into a trance of scepticism. The publication of Charles Darwin’s monumental work ‘Origin of species’ released the Victorian conflict of ‘religion vs science


Arnold has based this poem on a story from Glanvil’s work where he tells the tale of a poor Oxford scholar who left his University life and his studies behind to join a band of wandering gipsies. The Oxford Scholar is mesmerised by the wonders of mysticism practised by the gipsies and decides to learn every bit of it. Arnold was weary of the materialism and scepticism of the Victorian age. As a staunch moralist, Arnold was irresistibly drawn to the story of scholar gipsy made by Glanvil and through the poem, he makes a severe criticism of the Victorian way of life. In the words of T.S. Eliot, Scholar Gipsy can be considered Arnold’s ‘objective correlative’.

The poem is written with a pessimistic tone terminating in utter hopelessness. Arnold describes the Victorian era as an age of ‘sick hurry’ and ‘divided aims’ that is struck down by a strange disease called modernity. It was a time of doubts, distractions and perplexed questionings. Life was wearing down even the strongest of men. His choice of the word “disease” implies that this lifestyle is contagious. Even those that attempt to avoid modern life will eventually become infected. Amongst this chaos and unrest, Arnold finds scholar gipsy, the only soul with a steadfast belief in his religion and spirituality. He has just ‘one aim, one desire and one ambition’ while other people are on a never-ending epistemological search for the ultimate truth. The line below echoes the above sentiment;

“Thou waitest for the spark from heaven! and we,

Light half-believers of our casual creeds,”

The poem starts off in the style of a pastoral elegy bringing in the image of shepherds and their flocks. Being a man of nature, Arnold through this poem showcases his ideology by putting forward a criticism of life. He has transformed Glanvil’s gipsy into an immortal being, embodying infinite faith. Scholar gipsy is venerated to the position of God, who transcends the limitations of time and space. Gipsy is represented as a dream figure, the perfect idol, a grand vision of idealism and honesty in faith. He is taken to be a man of unconquerable hope and inviolable shade.

Arnold brings together two opposed worlds-the idyllic worlds of the scholar gipsy and the sick world of the poet. He is a poet who appeals to the head rather than the heart. His poetry does not have spontaneity, passion or music but it is reflective, stoic and full of wistful melancholy. According to him, the greatness of poetry lies in his application of ideas to life, to the question "How to live? " The tranquillity of the Oxford Hills, by contrast, reminds Arnold of the feverish life of the modern men. In the Victorian era, a modern man fluctuated without hope or scope. The Scholar Gipsy was fed up with the life around him. His ideas and ideals were exactly opposite to those of his contemporaries. This is because he was born before this storage disease of modern life with its sick hurry and divided aims. Oxford in those days was in turmoil on account of the religious controversy. The Oxford Movement tried to restore religion. Scholar Gipsy, however, found that religion was on trial. He found himself helpless among "light half believes of his casual creed." Thus Arnold criticized the existing trends in life.


The poem renders an aesthetically beautiful description of nature. Though Arnold is speaking against the modern advancements that have brought confusion in people's minds, he can be seen romanticising Oxford and its beautiful surroundings, despite Oxford being one of the major pillars of modern developments. The poem describes the beauty of nature and its vivid landscapes. Arnold also gives us a rich and detailed description of its topography. Romanticising about hills, valleys and river Thames around Oxford.


Central Conflicts

• Self-destructive aspect of Science and modern subjects.
• Victorian dilemma - religion vs science
• Juxtapositioning of urban and rural life.
• Materialistic & utilitarian ideologies vs rural life.

The very essence of this poem speaks about the ‘spirit of unrest’ in Victorian society. Scholar Gipsy is an elegy but does not lament the death of an individual. Instead, the poet laments about the death of age, religious faith, and the treasured values of life. He speaks in a nostalgic tone about the lost spirit of the once unbothered and clear-headed society. Arnold presents Victorian Society as dead in faith, where people have divided beliefs. He laments about the depreciating values of modern life mainly its ‘sick hurry’ and ‘divided aim’, ‘its heads overtaxed, its palsied hearts’.

“Before this strange disease of modern life,

With its sick hurry, its divided aims,”

The poem ends on a note of hopelessness. Arnold who initially said that the Scholar gipsy will be safe from the disease of modernity finally loses hope it. He admits that no matter what, the steadfast believer of one aim and one desire will too fall prey to the black hole of modernity. No matter how religious and spiritual he is, no matter if he is bestowed with a divine spark and natural harmony he will eventually face the same plight as the Victorian people. Arnold has no hope even in the case of scholar gipsy. He too will be poisoned, distracted, swayed and divided, becoming one among the dilapidated society. He will lose his power of immortality and die just like any man.

Arnold’s solution to escape this chaos is to run away and he shamelessly tells scholar gipsy to do so. He consoles it is okay to run away from this place. Arnold requests scholar gipsy not to equate himself with Victorian society, for the society is dull and numb. It is in a state of confusion. There is no vitality in their people's lives. People lack the capability of unification sensibility combining thought and feeling together. To make his language musical and memorable Arnold employed many figures of speeches. He cited the instances of simile, metaphor, antithesis, etc. For example, he advises the scholar through a simile to avoid modern people.

“Averse, as Dido did with gesture stern

From her false friend's approach in Hades turn,

Wave us away, and keep thy solitude!”

Arnold has taken in a lot from various authors. His first fourteen stanzas are under the influence of Wordsworth and the last thirteen stanzas are influenced by T. S Eliot. There are several lines in the poem where we can see the essence and echoing words of writers like John Keats, John Milton, P.B.Shelley and Thomas Grey. The first fourteen lines are the most memorable as in these Arnold creates the myth of the gipsy. There is a dreamlike quality in the verses in the tradition of John Keats's “Ode to a Nightingale”.