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Wordsworth’s Poetry

As discussed in the “Literary Context” essay on British Romanticism, “Dover Beach” owes much to Wordsworth’s revitalization of the lyric form.

Charles Dickens, Hard Times

The development of the Industrial Revolution plays a major role in this Dickens novel. It could help to understand some of the social and spiritual dynamics at play for Arnold’s speaker in “Dover Beach.”

Charles Darwin

Darwin’s work on evolution helped to spur on the society-wide crisis of faith experienced during the Victorian period. In this regard, it provides another useful touchstone for understanding the social transformation lamented by Arnold’s speaker.

Sophocles, The Oedipus Plays

The allusion to Antigone in second paragraph makes the Oedipus cycle an important point of reference. It would be an interesting comparative exercise to think about how the ancient Greek tragedian framed the human condition.

Previous section Historical & Literary Context

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