A Matter of Ellipsis: Love, Strife and the Pressure for Specialty in Matthew Arnold’s ‘Empedocles on Etna'

Abstract

Disputes the claim that Arnold knew little about Empedocles’ philosophy. Demonstrates how the Greek philosopher’s idea about the constant flux between love and strife that characterizes human existence is the informing principle of Arnold’s poem. Explains why Arnold chose Empedocles as the principal figure to illustrate the modern condition.