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Which Matthew Arnold poem explores the decline of religious faith?
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Matthew Arnold
Matthew Arnold, detail of an oil painting by George Frederick Watts, 1880; in the National Portrait Gallery, London.
The Matthew Arnold poem that explores the decline of religious faith in the modern world is titled "Dover Beach."
First published in 1867, this 37-line work is considered the author's most celebrated poem. It famously addresses the retreat of the "Sea of Faith" and suggests that, in the absence of traditional religious certainty, the fidelity of human affection may serve as a successor.1