马修·阿诺德虽为英国维多利亚时期的知名批评家,但在当时的批评界他几乎单枪匹马。这不仅是因为整个社会物质至上的风气及由此产生自满意识,使社会各界对阿诺德的批评与忠告置若罔闻;还在于对社会各阶层的批评使他树敌过多,在文化批评阵地中难觅知音;也由于当时是文化批评的真空期。这些要素共同造就了阿诺德特殊的文化际遇。 Although Matthew Arnold was a well-known British Victorian critic, he was almost single-handedly criticized at the time. This is not only because of the materialistic supremacy of the whole society and the resultant sense of complacency that has left all sectors of society turning a blind eye to Arnold’s criticisms and advices. His criticisms of all walks of life have made him too enemies and hard to find in cultural criticism positions ; Also because of the vacuum of cultural criticism at the time. These elements together created Arnold’s special cultural experience.