The Essays in Criticism is the basis of Arnold's high reputation as critic of literature. The range of subject—from the classical humor of Theocritus and the serious morality of Marcus Aurelius to the romantic religious struggles of Maurice de Guerin and the sober piety of his sister—gives scope for all Arnold's skill."The Function of Criticism at the Present Time" lays down wittily and urbanely doctrines which have shaped literary criticism for a century. Here too are his devastating attacks on the Biblical criticism of Bishop Conlenso, his needle pricks at the complacent politicians, and his sensitive analysis of the "natural magic" of English poetry.