Selected Writings

by Thomas Carlyle, Alan Shelston (Editor)

The entire text of Chartism and chapters from The French Revolution and Frederick the Great are among these selections from the writings of the Scottish historian

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Classics, Essays, History, 19th Century, Victorian

400 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 20, 1980

About the author

Thomas 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

Reviews

[noblethumos · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Selected Writings" by Thomas Carlyle offers a comprehensive collection of the works of one of the most influential writers and thinkers of the 19th century. Carlyle's works span various genres and topics, including history, literature, philosophy, and social criticism. This review aims to provide an academic evaluation of Carlyle's selected writings, discussing the book's strengths, weaknesses, and its significance within the fields of literature, history, and intellectual thought.


"Selected Writings" by Thomas Carlyle brings together a diverse range of works that highlight Carlyle's profound insights into the social, political, and cultural issues of his time. The collection includes notable pieces such as "Sartor Resartus," "On Heroes and Hero-Worship," and "The French Revolution." Carlyle's writing style is characterized by its vivid imagery, rhetorical flourishes, and a unique blend of historical analysis and moral philosophy.

Carlyle's works stand out for their thought-provoking content and their significant impact on intellectual and literary circles of the 19th century. His exploration of themes such as the nature of heroism, the challenges of industrialization, and the role of history in shaping human destiny offers valuable insights into the social and intellectual climate of the time. Carlyle's prose captivates readers, challenging their preconceptions and prompting critical reflections on the complexities of human existence.


One of the notable strengths of "Selected Writings" lies in Carlyle's distinctive writing style. His eloquent and poetic prose captivates readers, imbuing his works with a sense of grandeur and urgency. Carlyle's use of vivid imagery and rhetorical devices creates a compelling reading experience, drawing readers into his philosophical and historical explorations.

Furthermore, Carlyle's ability to weave together historical analysis, moral philosophy, and social criticism is particularly noteworthy. His works provide a multifaceted perspective on the challenges and possibilities of the 19th century, offering nuanced insights into the interconnectedness of ideas, events, and individuals. Carlyle's examination of the French Revolution, for example, sheds light on the complexities of political upheaval and the consequences of societal transformation.


While "Selected Writings" offers a rich collection of Carlyle's works, it is not without its limitations. Some critics argue that Carlyle's writing can be overly verbose and complex, making it challenging for some readers to fully grasp his ideas. A more concise and accessible presentation of his arguments would enhance the book's readability and broaden its appeal to a wider audience.

Additionally, Carlyle's works have faced criticism for their occasional elitism and for espousing views that can be perceived as exclusionary or dismissive of certain groups. A more nuanced engagement with social issues and a greater sensitivity to diverse perspectives would strengthen the book's overall argument and relevance in the context of contemporary readership.


"Selected Writings" holds significant importance within the fields of literature, history, and intellectual thought as a seminal collection of Thomas Carlyle's works. Carlyle's writings played a crucial role in shaping 19th-century intellectual discourse, influencing thinkers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Friedrich Nietzsche. The book's enduring significance lies in its ability to provoke critical reflections on the social, cultural, and political complexities of the 19th century and its relevance for contemporary readers interested in the intersection of literature, history, and philosophy.

GPT

[Kribsoo · Rating 4 out of 5]

is the greatest neglected book in cultural history, endlessly complex, subtle, always self-critical, ironic, mysterious, beautiful and powerful Not a book to read through from beginning to end but one to dip into, explore, examine from different angles. As in the book itself the so called Editor attempts to piece together the shards of the philosopher-hero Teufelsdrockh identity so the reader needs to plunge into striking into its magical maze of ideas

[James Askari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Splenetic, ecstatic, repetitious, increasingly drawn to the personal charisma of despots.... In his 'Latter-Day Pamphlet' on 'Model Prisons', Carlyle imagined he could have written a better book had he the space and calmness granted to an inmate in a rational gaol conceived on Benthamite principles (he writes off the prisoners as reprobates, entered into the 'devil's regiment'). This probably speaks a lack of self-knowledge, in that Carlyle would have taken his internal stormy weather wherever he went.

In the first part of his career, the organised chaos of his methods of presentation (disconnected scenes, prophetic commentary, excoriation, personality, indignant feeling) often illuminates what he is talking about. He sees the eighteenth century as made of falseness and trumpery so much that he can value both its exceptional personal figures (Frederick the Great, a misconceived object of his hero-worship) and its doom--the inevitable French Revolution. History for him, erratically, remains a text on which God's hard-to-read purpose is being written. If there is just one fundamental question--will a parliamentary arrangement reform men and rescue souls, or should we look to another source of elevation--Carlyle is quite possibly in the right, and is hard to wave away. But this framing of questions becomes more and more idiosyncratic and questionable. Possibly his best writing is on similarly hampered figures--big, like Coleridge, or smaller, like John Sterling--who share his essential antipathy to the 'age of machinery', but from whom he needs to measure his distance and state his grounds of difference.

[Paul Moss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Initially difficult to get into the period style of prose but a rewarding insight into Carlyle’s
View of humanity and to role of society in human progress. Contemporary comment on the changes in English society and the role of the working classes an interesting of conflicted study.
Certainly worth the effort.

[Jeff Russo · Rating 3 out of 5]

in what I think is an unusual development for a selected writings or anthology, the editor doesn't seem particular fond of the author. Carlyle is a bit back on the radar, at least in the podcast and fringe intellectual space, so I wanted to read up, it's fine.... can't say I'd recommend to someone with no baseline interest.

[Dylan Rock · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fine collection of the great Victorian iconoclast who is seldom discussed today.

[Wagmi32 · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF. Some interesting ideas about industrialization and mechanization, but I couldn't get into his style.

[Adrian Hunt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hard work. Dense and allusive style became wearying. His opinions often overwhelmed the subject of his writing and robbed it of worth. As for his authoritarian outlook...

[Fred R · Rating 3 out of 5]

"For the Past is all holy to us; the Dead are all holy, even they that were base and wicked while alive. Their baseness and wickedness was not They, was but the heavy and unmanageable Environment that lay round them, with which they fought unprevailing: they (the ethereal god-given Force that dwelt in them, and was their Self) have now shuffled off that heavy Environment, and are free and pure: their life-long Battle, go how it might, is all ended, with many wounds or with fewer; they have been recalled from it, and the once harsh-jarring battlefield has become a silent awe-inspiring Golgotha, and Gottesacker (Field of God)!"