Thomas Carlyle was a Victorian Era essayist as well as historian who was born in Annan, Scotland on December 4th 1795 and would later die in 1881 on February 5th. His parents since birth, expected Thomas to grow up and be a preacher due to their strict Calvinist beliefs, which he most likely would have done had he not lost his faith and values during his attendance at the University of Edinburgh.
During the Victorian times, there were a lot of people who were having a hard time dealing with the drastic changes which were both political as well as scientific. For this reason, the works written by Mr. Carlyle after losing his faith became more appealing to the general public and thus gave him substantial grounds from which to write on.
Upon his completion of studies at the University of Edinburgh, he would return to his home town of Annan and become the mathematics teacher at the local school. Shortly afterwards, Thomas Carlyle would then take up a position with the Kirkcaldy School.
By 1819, Thomas found his way back to the University of Edinburgh were he would begin the work entitled Sartor Resartus. Furthermore, at this period in his life, Carlyle took up reading various German literatures which would prove to be useful in his later work, Fichte. After writing this book and showing eagerness in the understanding of German Literature, he was soon considered to be an expert in German Literature and would be offered a position writing for the Fraser’s Magazine in which he would translate works from German to English.
Thomas Carlyle had written a number of works throughout his early life, but most were not as well known. Prior to writing Sartor Resartus in 1832, he also wrote Cruthers and Jonson but this book was never as well received.
In his most famous works, Sartor Resartus, he wrote in an all new fashion which had never been used previously. Not only was part of the book factual, but it also contained fictitious events as well being both serious and of historical importance. This book was published originally in the Fraser’s Magazine from 1833 until 1834 under the name The Tailor Retailored. The story itself, goes on to talk about an editor who was attempting to write a biography about a German Philosopher, but was greeted with nothing less than rhetorical remarks of which has some sort of underlying meaning of which the average person would never grasp, leaving the editor to make things up as he goes.
All throughout the French Revolution, Thomas would move to London where he would write a series of historically important essays entitled The French Revolution. This book of essays was compiled into a three part manuscript, of which the first volume had been accidentally burned by the maid of philosopher John Stuart Mill.
Thomas Carlyle’s sceptical form of writing would be later seen in several other Victorian Era writers including that of Mathew Arnold as well as John Ruskin. By 1843, Thomas had written another book which was titled, Past and Present which was more of a humorous book which compared the lives of the average 19th century male versus that of an Abbot living during the medieval period.
Carlyle’s books were considered not only to have historical and philosophical importance, but they also paved the way for some great writers for years to come like Charles Dickens. One of the most influential to the great Dickens was the book, On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and the Heroic in History. In this particular book Thomas took a closer look into the lives of the Philosopher and even had a special chapter dedicated to Prophet Muhammad which was aptly named, Hero as a Prophet.
By 1850 the onset of the concept of democracy began to unfold throughout the world. In retaliation, Thomas Carlyle would write the Latter-Day Pamphlets which would mark the fall of his career since they were considered to be nonsensical in light of the times. His last major literary work was about Frederic the Great, in which he wrote about how Frederic could create a state as well as a new set of morals for the advancement of a nation’s culture. After the release of this book, Thomas Carlyle would refrain from any major works and would instead focus only on short essays.
By 1866, Thomas Carlyle’s wife, Jane, had died and he returned to Edinburgh to take up a position as rector at the University of Edinburgh. By 1881, Thomas Carlyle would return to London where he would die at his home on Ampton Street. His remains would later be buried along the other greats of literature of the time in Westminster Abbey.
Original Authors: Globel Team (Nick)
Edit Update Authors: M.A.Harris
Updated On: 22/05/2008
