The correct answer is 4: C only (Matthew Arnold) because the concept of "high seriousness" as a characteristic of great poetry is most closely associated with Matthew Arnold.
Explanation:
Matthew Arnold discusses "high seriousness" in his essay The Study of Poetry (1880). According to Arnold, true poetry expresses not just beauty but also lofty moral ideas and profound insight into life. He believed that great poets possess a sense of moral responsibility and intellectual depth, which gives their work a sense of "high seriousness."
Arnold uses John Milton as an example to illustrate his argument, citing Milton’s Paradise Lost as embodying this high moral tone and seriousness.
This idea aligns with Arnold’s belief that literature, especially poetry, has a civilizing role and that poets must elevate human experience through their art.
Other Options:
T.S. Eliot (A) and Ezra Pound (B) focused more on modernist ideas, fragmentation, and experimentation in poetry, and their views were often contrary to Arnold’s.
I.A. Richards (D) and G.M. Hopkins (E) are more aligned with psychological and aesthetic aspects of poetry rather than Arnold’s moral seriousness.
Hence, the correct answer is C only (Matthew Arnold).
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