Description

Bernard Bergonzi has written an absorbing and fascinating biography of Thomas Arnold the Younger (1824-1900), son of the celebrated headmaster of Rugby and younger brother of Matthew, father of Mrs. Humphrey Ward, and grandfather of Aldous Huxley. A scholar, teacher, and self-styled "wanderer," Arnold's path in life took him, after a brilliant start at Oxford, to colonial New Zealand, to Tasmania, to Dublin, back to Oxford, and once more to Dublin, where he died in 1900. This biography explores Arnold's diverse path through academia, his complex relationship with Catholicism, and his acquaintances with such luminaries as Wordsworth, Arthur Hugh Clough, Lewis Carroll, Gerard Manley Hopkins, and James Joyce.

Features

• An absorbing and lively biography which locates Thomas Arnold the Younger at the centre of key Victorian religious and educational concerns
• Explores in particular Arnold's complex relationship with the Catholic church and the religious history of the period
• Discusses Arnold's acquaintances with such luminaries as Wordsworth, Arthur Hugh Clough, Lewis Carroll, Gerard Manley Hopkins, and James Joyce

Reviews

"One never dips into Arnold family history without being fascinated. Professor Bergonzi has painted a perfect Victorian miniature."--A. N. Wilson, The Spectator

"Tom Arnold becomes, in Bergonzi's spirited account, simultaneously a study in what it could mean to be a younger brother in the Victorian period--particularly when one's elder sibling was spectacularly successful--and a means of coming at many of the central issues of the age from the often unexpected angle created by Tom Arnold's own unpredictable positions and temperament."--Studies in English Literature 1500-1900

"Bergonzi's biography of Victorian scholar and educator Thomas Arnold paints an elegant and detailed portrait of its subject. The text offers an intimate view into the life of Arnold himself as well as the type he represents: the Victorian liberal intellectual, concerned with a number of spiritual and moral questions.... The Victorian Wanderer is an intriguing read, and will no doubt have a long-lasting presence in the dialogue around nineteenth-century British studies.... As the author notes of his subject's overall lack of distinction, 'stories of human failure can be as interesting, moving, and enlightening as success stories.' This thoroughly researched and intricate account lives up to this goal."--Albion

"A highly informative read.... His life offers a convenient lens through which to look from a fresh angle at familiar issues and ideas. Bergonzi's book is a welcome addition to our knowledge of the lives and milieu of a class of Victorian men and women at a particularly rich moment in British cultural history."--Victorian Studies

Product Details

296 pages; 8 pages of b/w plates, 17 halftones; ISBN13: 978-0-19-925741-6ISBN10: 0-19-925741-8

About the Author(s)