Thomas Carlyle

PEOPLE | 1795 - 1881

Thomas Carlyle: An Overview

Thomas Carlyle was a historian and a highly idiosyncratic Scotsman, known as a writer of significant interest. His corpus is rather strange and difficult to approach, largely because his prolific output of articles and essays is scattered across numerous collections.

The definitive collected edition of his writings comprises 30 volumes. Carlyle’s literary output is conventionally divided into three broad categories: essays on literature, historical essays, and political writings or essays focused on politics and society.

His historical and literary themes are intrinsically connected, feeding into his political thought. Carlyle is regarded as one of the greatest British writers, placing him without doubt within the top ten. His social and political thinking profoundly influenced others, notably Charles Dickens, leading to the characterisation of Britain often portrayed by Dickens as truly Carlylean. Carlyle was offered a great award by Benjamin Disraeli but turned it down.

Literary Style and Method

Carlyle developed an exceptionally unique and recognisable prose style, often referred to as Carlylese or Carlilisms. His rhetoric is known for its electric, sermon-like energy, which led to him being called the prophet sage of Chelsea.

His style is characterised by an extraordinary torrent of allusion and inversion, frequent use of the dash, and a powerful rhetorical intensity that resembles the voice of a firebrand preacher, appearing as thunder and lightning on the page. Although addressing modern concerns such as capital, machines, and science, he utilised the structure and jargon of the pulpit, specifically transmuted language derived from John Knox.

He frequently employed various literary devices, including the use of distinct voices and differing narrators within his works. A shift in tone is perceptible between the more scholarly approach in Chartism and the prophetic voice adopted in Past and Present.

Carlyle often inserted a neutral observer character, such as the newspaper reporter from the Houndsditch Indicator or Felon McQuirk, as a distancing technique to critique polite liberal society. He also employed personification, creating characters such as Bobus Higgins, sausage maker on the great scale, and Plug, son of Undershot, to embody the failures he observed in contemporary England. Carlyle built up his own distinct vocabulary and in-jokes. Phrases originated by Carlyle, such as calling economics the dismal science, have become widely used.

The Condition of England Question

The central focus of Carlyle’s social and political inquiry is the Condition of England Question. His core diagnosis asserts that the fundamental causes of the problems afflicting England and Europe are Atheism, democracy, and laissez-faire economics.

He viewed the loss of spiritual values, or atheism, as the primary root cause, with democracy and laissez-faire economics serving as major symptoms that exacerbate the damage. These phenomena are considered rebellions against the natural order of the world, resulting in anarchy and disorder.

Carlyle bitterly lamented his contemporary Victorian Britain, viewing the age of mechanisation and industry as destructive. He described a world populated by sham captains, fakes, quacks, and professors of the dismal science who sold false remedies. He cited the rampant cash nexus replacing essential social bonds and the rise of nomadism as profound problems. His contempt for the ruling class of his time was legendary.

To resolve these issues and restore the transcendent order, Carlyle believed in the necessity of heroes and great men. He sought order and law and presented a positive vision for society by contrasting the problems of his contemporary era with the idyllic, communal, and non-material life of the 12th century, which he preferred.

Philosophy of History and Heroism

Carlyle conceived of history not as an antiquarian exercise concerned only with facts and dates, but as a living, breathing narrative. He strove to bring history alive for the reader, providing visceral accounts, such as detailing the smells and sights of the battlefield.

The theory for which he is most famous is the Great Man theory of History, articulated in On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and the Heroic in History.

This theory underscores the vital role of heroism and the great man’s capacity to seize history. The great man is capable of manifesting in various forms: as a prophet, a divinity, a priest, a poet, a man of letters, or a king. Shakespeare, who merely wrote plays, is presented as a great man of letters.

His examination of heroism is underscored by significant religious overtones. He praised notable figures from differing creeds, including Oliver Cromwell. His assessment of Napoleon Bonaparte concluded that he was only half a great man, as the French liberalism he spread was too Materialistic, meaning he lacked the necessary divine spirit.

Carlyle believed life was inherently hierarchical, but insisted that this hierarchy must be anchored in the principle of justice. This belief system renders his work uncomfortable reading for all forms of liberalism.

Religious and Germanic Influences

Tragically, Carlyle rejected Christianity, particularly refusing to accept Jesus Christ. He would not believe that God became man. Although sometimes labelled an atheist by contemporaries, he was a fully engaged follower of Perennialism. His religious convictions contain unmistakable Calvinist characteristics, including a strong belief in the sacred nature of work. James Anthony Froude described his religious thought as Calvinism without the theology.

Carlyle was instrumental in introducing German literature and thought to the English-speaking world, exalting Teutonic virtues. His Germanophile inclinations caused his reputation to suffer during the 20th century.

He corresponded with Goethe and advised others to open their Goethe. He venerated Martin Luther and Goethe as heroes and wrote influential articles on Novalis and Richter. His obsession later in life focused on Frederick II the Great of Prussia, leading to an enormous six-volume biography. This work is historically noted for influencing Adolf Hitler, who reportedly kept a copy under his pillow.