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Past and Present
Appreciation by Ralph Waldo Emerson.
324 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1897
54 people are currently reading
1172 people want to read
About the author
Thomas Carlyle
1,716 books523 followersThomas Carlyle, Scottish historian, critic, and sociological writer. was born in the village of Ecclefechan, Dumfriesshire, eldest child of James Carlyle, stonemason, and Margaret (Aitken) Carlyle. The father was stern, irascible, a puritan of the puritans, but withal a man of rigid probity and strength of character. The mother, too, was of the Scottish earth, and Thomas' education was begun at home by both the parents. From the age of five to nine he was at the village school; from nine to fourteen at Annan Grammar School. where he showed proficiency in mathematics and was well grounded in French and Latin. In November 1809 he walked to Edinburgh, and attended courses at the University till 1814, with the ultimate aim of becoming a minister. He left without a degree, became a mathematical tutor at Annan Academy in 1814, and three years later abandoned all thoughts of entering the Kirk, having reached a theological position incompatible with its teachings. He had begun to learn German in Edinburgh, and had done much independent reading outside the regular curriculum. Late in 1816 he moved to a school in Kirkcaldy, where he became the intimate associate of Edward Irving, an old boy of Annan School, and now also a schoolmaster. This contact was Carlyle's first experience of true intellectual companionship, and the two men became lifelong friends. He remained there two years, was attracted by Margaret Gordon, a lady of good family (whose friends vetoed an engagement), and in October 1818 gave up schoolmastering and went to Edinburgh, where he took mathematical pupils and made some show of reading law.
During this period in the Scottish capital he began to suffer agonies from a gastric complaint which continued to torment him all his life, and may well have played a large part in shaping the rugged, rude fabric of his philosophy. In literature he had at first little success, a series of articles for the Edinburgh Encyclopaedia bringing in little money and no special credit. In 1820 and 1821 he visited Irving in Glasgow and made long stays at his father's new farm, Mainhill; and in June 1821, in Leith Walk, Edinburgh, he experienced a striking spiritual rebirth which is related in Sartor Resartus. Put briefly and prosaically, it consisted in a sudden clearing away of doubts as to the beneficent organization of the universe; a semi-mystical conviction that he was free to think and work, and that honest effort and striving would not be thwarted by what he called the "Everlasting No."
For about a year, from the spring of 1823, Carlyle was tutor to Charles and Arthur Buller, young men of substance, first in Edinburgh and later at Dunkeld. Now likewise appeared the first fruits of his deep studies in German, the Life of Schiller, which was published serially in the London Magazine in 1823-24 and issued as a separate volume in 1825. A second garner from the same field was his version of Goethe's Wilhelm Meister which earned the praise of Blackwood's and was at once recognized as a very masterly rendering.
In 1821 Irving had gone to London, and in June 1821 Carlyle followed, in the train of his employers, the Bullers. But he soon resigned his tutorship, and, after a few weeks at Birmingham, trying a dyspepsia cure, he lived with Irving at Pentonville, London, and paid a short visit to Paris. March 1825 saw him back; in Scotland, on his brother's farm, Hoddam Hill, near the Solway. Here for a year he worked hard at German translations, perhaps more serenely than before or after and free from that noise which was always a curse to his sensitive ear and which later caused him to build a sound-proof room in his Chelsea home.
Before leaving for London Irving had introduced Carlyle to Jane Baillie Welsh daughter of the surgeon, John Welsh, and descended from John Knox. She was beautiful, precociously learned, talented, and a brilliant mistress of cynical satire. Among her numerous suitors, the rough, uncouth
During this period in the Scottish capital he began to suffer agonies from a gastric complaint which continued to torment him all his life, and may well have played a large part in shaping the rugged, rude fabric of his philosophy. In literature he had at first little success, a series of articles for the Edinburgh Encyclopaedia bringing in little money and no special credit. In 1820 and 1821 he visited Irving in Glasgow and made long stays at his father's new farm, Mainhill; and in June 1821, in Leith Walk, Edinburgh, he experienced a striking spiritual rebirth which is related in Sartor Resartus. Put briefly and prosaically, it consisted in a sudden clearing away of doubts as to the beneficent organization of the universe; a semi-mystical conviction that he was free to think and work, and that honest effort and striving would not be thwarted by what he called the "Everlasting No."
For about a year, from the spring of 1823, Carlyle was tutor to Charles and Arthur Buller, young men of substance, first in Edinburgh and later at Dunkeld. Now likewise appeared the first fruits of his deep studies in German, the Life of Schiller, which was published serially in the London Magazine in 1823-24 and issued as a separate volume in 1825. A second garner from the same field was his version of Goethe's Wilhelm Meister which earned the praise of Blackwood's and was at once recognized as a very masterly rendering.
In 1821 Irving had gone to London, and in June 1821 Carlyle followed, in the train of his employers, the Bullers. But he soon resigned his tutorship, and, after a few weeks at Birmingham, trying a dyspepsia cure, he lived with Irving at Pentonville, London, and paid a short visit to Paris. March 1825 saw him back; in Scotland, on his brother's farm, Hoddam Hill, near the Solway. Here for a year he worked hard at German translations, perhaps more serenely than before or after and free from that noise which was always a curse to his sensitive ear and which later caused him to build a sound-proof room in his Chelsea home.
Before leaving for London Irving had introduced Carlyle to Jane Baillie Welsh daughter of the surgeon, John Welsh, and descended from John Knox. She was beautiful, precociously learned, talented, and a brilliant mistress of cynical satire. Among her numerous suitors, the rough, uncouth
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
March 19, 2017
Carlyle was one of the most prominent writers and thinkers of the mid 19th century. This is a short polemical work he knocked off as a break from a writing a serious history. It is mostly Carlyle opining about the social ills of his time, but wrapped around a comparison with medieval life, illuminated via a newly-discovered monastic chronicle that Carlyle summarizes for us.
The book is vivid, illuminating, and written with the authors idiosyncratic but peculiarly powerful prose style. The problems he is interested in -- the social alienation of laissez-faire capitalism, corrupt incompetent political leaders, grasping selfish aristocracies -- are all very much still with us. He's not simply a conservative or an apologist for tradition. He thinks radical social reform is desirable and necessary - and in particular, reform to improve the condition of the poor.
It is also one of the wickedest books I can remember reading. The author is either one of the last enthusiasts of feudalism, or else one of the first proto-fascists: he is firmly in favor of hierarchy and rule, and not particularly fond of democracy. He speaks approvingly of things to make a modern reader shudder -- like medieval monasteries clearing their debts by having the Jewish money-lenders exiled or killed.
And yet...I have the sense that Carlyle does have useful things to say and teach. Liberal democracy is the "default" view in the western world today, but there are a great many opponents of liberal democracy. It is tempting, but wrong, to think that those opponents are either thoughtless or blinded by selfishness, anger, or some other mental condition. But this is not right -- there are people out there who really disagree, and Carlyle is an unusually articulate, informed, and _relevant_ critic. If we cannot answer the philosophical challenge he offers, that suggests we are wrong in our beliefs, or at least confused about them. I don't think Carlyle is right, but I think it's important to do the mental work to understand where and why he goes wrong.
The book is vivid, illuminating, and written with the authors idiosyncratic but peculiarly powerful prose style. The problems he is interested in -- the social alienation of laissez-faire capitalism, corrupt incompetent political leaders, grasping selfish aristocracies -- are all very much still with us. He's not simply a conservative or an apologist for tradition. He thinks radical social reform is desirable and necessary - and in particular, reform to improve the condition of the poor.
It is also one of the wickedest books I can remember reading. The author is either one of the last enthusiasts of feudalism, or else one of the first proto-fascists: he is firmly in favor of hierarchy and rule, and not particularly fond of democracy. He speaks approvingly of things to make a modern reader shudder -- like medieval monasteries clearing their debts by having the Jewish money-lenders exiled or killed.
And yet...I have the sense that Carlyle does have useful things to say and teach. Liberal democracy is the "default" view in the western world today, but there are a great many opponents of liberal democracy. It is tempting, but wrong, to think that those opponents are either thoughtless or blinded by selfishness, anger, or some other mental condition. But this is not right -- there are people out there who really disagree, and Carlyle is an unusually articulate, informed, and _relevant_ critic. If we cannot answer the philosophical challenge he offers, that suggests we are wrong in our beliefs, or at least confused about them. I don't think Carlyle is right, but I think it's important to do the mental work to understand where and why he goes wrong.
March 23, 2011
Pretty amazing stuff. Written with the volume at 11 the whole way through! The second part, about the medieval stuff, is very moving.
February 14, 2018
This was my first entry into Carlyle. It is quite a strange book. Past and Present is , essentially, a critique of Victorian Capitalism from a very Reactionary viewpoint, with a nice diversion into Mediaeval History. This is through a portrait of the 12th century monk, Abbott Samson. Carlyle considers Samson to be a true embodiment of "The Hero", something sorely missing in Carlyle's day.
Carlyle's writing is wonderfully flavourful even if it is quite disorderly and rambling.
Who else (when discussing Chartism and Fair Wages) can reference Cromwell and state: "and his wages, as I understand, were burial under the gallows tree near Tyburn Turnpike, with his head on the gable of Westminster Hall, and two centuries now of mixed cursing and ridicule from all manner of men."?
Carlyle's writing is wonderfully flavourful even if it is quite disorderly and rambling.
Who else (when discussing Chartism and Fair Wages) can reference Cromwell and state: "and his wages, as I understand, were burial under the gallows tree near Tyburn Turnpike, with his head on the gable of Westminster Hall, and two centuries now of mixed cursing and ridicule from all manner of men."?
July 20, 2024
This was an excellent work discussing some potential pitfalls of pure capitalism and laissez-faire economics: “The Gospel of Mammonism,” as Carlyle calls it. The digression to follow the diary of a 12th century monk was especially interesting. I’m still struggling to familiarize myself with Carlyle’s massive vocabulary, and extremely dense writing style.
April 20, 2024
About the closest representation of what I believe with little to no corrections being necessary—a Paganism that is diagonal to warrior Christianity and, in every respect, hateful of Mammon.
September 14, 2022
The most remarkable segment is the one third of the book which deals with St. Edmundsbury Abbey. This part pulls you in really well with historical examples. The rest of the book feels like a one long rant about the same themes; this can feel tedious at times, but eventually it'll grow on you. The point of the author's rants about the England of his time isn't to constantly present new information at every turn, rather the point is to keep you in a particular state of mind where believing what the author believes begins to feel familiar. Though, of course, the 2/3 of the book not dealing with the Abbey has its own share of peculiar revelations sparsely sprinkled in, which feel like pleasant oases. The book is worth it for the Abbey's historical account alone; reading the primary source from the 1200s wouldn't be the same, for it doesn't have Carlyle's own insights.
December 22, 2020
"Good Heavens, will not one French Revolution and Reign of Terror suffice us, but must there be two? There will be two if needed; there will be twenty if needed; there will be precisely as many as are needed."
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February 14, 2019this seems mostly reasonable - a little crazy but as a genevan i can attest that calvinists just Be Like That - until you realise carlyle wanted to bring slavery back
August 17, 2021
One of the best authors I have ever read.
October 11, 2025
(all books get 5 stars) I only read selections of this one, but for a Victorian, this guy is pretty animated about social justice and industrialism ("Mammonism").
"To whom, then, is this wealth of England wealth? Who is it that it blesses; makes happier, wiser, beautifuller, in any way better?...We have more riches than any Nation ever had before; we have less good of them than any Nation ever had before...In the midst of plethoric plenty, the people perish, with gold walls, and full barns, no man feels himself safe or satisfied" (21).
"Insincere Speech, truly, is the prime material of insincere Action. Action hangs, as it were dissolved in Speech, in Thought whereof Speech is the shadow; and precipitates itself therefrom. The kind of Speech in a man betokens the kind of Action you will get from him. Our Speech, in these modern days, has become amazing" (141).
Tell me about it, Carlyle.
"To whom, then, is this wealth of England wealth? Who is it that it blesses; makes happier, wiser, beautifuller, in any way better?...We have more riches than any Nation ever had before; we have less good of them than any Nation ever had before...In the midst of plethoric plenty, the people perish, with gold walls, and full barns, no man feels himself safe or satisfied" (21).
"Insincere Speech, truly, is the prime material of insincere Action. Action hangs, as it were dissolved in Speech, in Thought whereof Speech is the shadow; and precipitates itself therefrom. The kind of Speech in a man betokens the kind of Action you will get from him. Our Speech, in these modern days, has become amazing" (141).
Tell me about it, Carlyle.
June 23, 2025
This volume presents Carlyle's perspective that there was more honour in the past than the present as his contemporary economy crushes the financially poor. Whereas the medieval period found many figures who could seem noble (and Carlyle puts forward an anecdotal allotment of them), the present gets lost in its progressivist goals. The same argument is being made today.
In true Carlyle fashion, the style overwrites conveyance of meaning and substance. That's not to say there isn't substance that Carlyle presents, merely that is gets lost underneath the prose. There's also the issue that Carlyle skews the view of different personages as he takes interest in them instead of presenting an objective viewpoint.
In true Carlyle fashion, the style overwrites conveyance of meaning and substance. That's not to say there isn't substance that Carlyle presents, merely that is gets lost underneath the prose. There's also the issue that Carlyle skews the view of different personages as he takes interest in them instead of presenting an objective viewpoint.
January 12, 2025
If Thomas Carlyle were the patron saint of heroes then Past & Present would be the gospel of work. His singular writing style befits his idiosyncratic views and makes for a unique philosophical treatise. Ultimately the work is an eloquent celebration of the Medieval and a damning condemnation of the Modern.
Past & Present is best understood as a mass of contradictions. It is an indictment of academia penned by a man of letters. As a political tract it is radical in its conservativism. Celebrity is indicted yet hero worship encouraged. In the end, no matter how poetic Carlyle's prose prove to be, it is too much for one to entertain the veracity of all the truths he espouses.
Past & Present is best understood as a mass of contradictions. It is an indictment of academia penned by a man of letters. As a political tract it is radical in its conservativism. Celebrity is indicted yet hero worship encouraged. In the end, no matter how poetic Carlyle's prose prove to be, it is too much for one to entertain the veracity of all the truths he espouses.
July 12, 2023
Difficult read, wouldn't recommend unless you're comfortable trying to parse the meaning out of a sentence written nearly 200 years ago that was already quite complex for its time.
Want to read
May 17, 2025Reprint 1954
May 2, 2018
If Carlyle's philosophy is successfully implemented and reached its natural conclusion, then the end result would be a utopian society ruled by a benevolent dictator. Of course this is if all things go well. I agree with Carlyle's premise on hero worship, but it just so happens that the "heroes" of our society are complete hacks and untalented, selfish buffoons. A true leader doesn't want to lead but feels a duty so. A true leader is a paragon of emotional and logical intelligence. A true leader is open-minded and is willing to take advice from those whom may have more experience and wisdom in a specific field. A true leader is decisive, goal driven but practices humility. A true leads knows how to make the smart yet difficult decision. Essentially, a true leader has to embody all the characteristics of a human being that has never existed--ever.
February 8, 2011
Carlyle makes some interesting points (that I think carry over to society today from the 19th Century) however at times his thoughts seems scattered. Parts of his writing are beautiful and read as prose, but at the same time there are other sections where it becomes easy to get bogged down in his wordy, and rather eccentric, descriptions.
January 24, 2012
All I can say is that I am relieved to be finished this. I think I deserve credit for doing so. Carlyle's picture of his current-day England is highly relevant which is why I gave this two stars. The fact that he is pretty much a racist, egotistical windbag made this a tedious read.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews