Introduction 1
0.1 Amoldian studies in Britain and America 6
0.1.1 Controversies over Arnold's poetic and critical identity 8
0.1.2 Controversies over Arnold's gift for consistency 18
0.2 Amoldian studies in the Chinese context 24
0.3 Argument for Arnold's consistency in pursuit of an ideal of harmonious perfection 29
Chapter 1 Harmonious Perfection in Literary Criticism 36
1.1 An Amoldian definition of literature and literary criticism 37
1.2 Choice of subject matter for writing poetry and criticism 41
1.2.1 Considerations behind the choice of poetic models 41
1.2.2 Considerations behind the choice of critical objects 46
1.3 Notion of intellectual deliverance through literature 51
1.4 Criticism on the false practice in translating Homer 62
1.5 View of relationship between poetry and criticism 70
1.5.1 Poetry as a criticism of life 71
1.5.2 Poet's contribution to criticism 74
1.5.3 Critic's commitment to disinterestedness 80
Chapter 2 Harmonious Perfection in the Theorization of Culture 89
2.1 The conception of culture 90
2.1.1 Evolution of the concept of culture 91
2.1.2 Culture as akey word 93
2.2 Culture defined as an embodiment of the ideal of harmonious perfection 94
2.2.1 Culture's union of scientific and ethical passions 96
2.2.2 Culture's combination of knowing and doing 100
2.3 Culture in criticism of the falseness of the middle-class values 103
2.3.1 Domination of the middle-class values in Victorian England 103
2.3.2 Culture's analysis on the falseness of the middle-class faith inmachinery 107
2.3.3 Culture's rational attitude towards machinery as distinguished from the blind faith of the fanaticism 117
2.4 Culture in evaluation of historical movements and forces 120
2.4.1 Appreciation of the Oxford movement 120
2.4.2 Criticism on Philistinism and Jacobinism 124
2.5 Insistence upon the best that has been thought and known for all humanity 129
Chapter 3 Harmonious Perfection in the Conception of State 140
3.1 Disputes over Amold's idea of the State 141
3.2 Desire to save the nation from the danger of anarchy 147
3.3 Sympathy for democracy and concern with popular benefit 155
3.4 Principle of authority as an institutional norm for the State 163
3.5 Faith in an idealized State based on the collective best self 176
Conclusion 190
Appendix 1 Matthew Arnold:A Chronology 195
Appendix 2 Transcriptions for Chinese Names and Titles 198
1．Transcriptions for Chinese Names 198
2．Selected Transcriptions for Chinese Titles 200
Bibliography 202