Darwin’s Theory of Evolution and The Victorian Crisis of Faith: A Critical Reading of Dover Beach

Throughout time many men in many cultures have suffered of a crisis of faith. Because of what they see around them they begin doubting that there may be a kind and ever present god watching over the world. The victorian period was no exception. The Victorian Era, because of Darwin’s papers on evolution, was a period when the religious crisis was in the core of every man’s heart. Matthew Arnold, a poet of the victorian era, is often considered the spokesperson for those who suffer through a crisis of faith. It may be that even now, in the 21st century, some may learn insights to life because of his poetry.