Eminent Victorians · Character

Dr. Arnold

The Rugby headmaster whose earnest piety and moral seriousness remade English public schools — and, some said, remade the English character itself.

major

Also known as Arnold, Thomas Arnold, Mr. Thomas Arnold

First appearance: Dr. Arnold

As a major figure in Eminent Victorians, Dr. Arnold is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

One of the four subjects, representing education and moral reform.

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Arnold arrives at Rugby in 1828 with a reputation for piety and a mandate to reform, and he sets about turning a rough school into a nursery of Christian gentlemen. His early religious doubts, soothed by Keble's advice to stop inquiring and start praying, left him with a settled conviction and a horror of idle speculation. Strachey treats him as the archetype of Victorian earnestness — a man whose influence on education was immense and whose limitations were inseparable from his strengths.

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Character Web

18 connections

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Relationship types

Social
Other

Character groups

Catholic Church Hierarchy
Supporting Historical Figures

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Falling action.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This is the story's dramatic climax because it marks the emotional and psychological peak where Miss Nightinga…

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Relationships

Li Hung Chang
social · ambivalent
Li Hung Chang
social · ambivalent

Relationship notes

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In the story

Dr. Arnold appears across 4 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Eminent Victorians
One of the four subjects, representing education and moral reform.
II
Arnold is mentioned as a Churchman who proposed allowing Dissenters into the Church, representing the liberal views the Movement opposed.
Dr. Arnold
The central figure of the chapter, headmaster of Rugby, who sought to reform public school education through moral and religious principles.
Bibliography
Referenced through the work 'Life and Correspondence of Dr. Arnold' by Dean Stanley.

Chapter companion notes

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