British writer, publicist, historian and philosopher of Scottish origin, author of the multi-volume essays The French Revolution (1837), Heroes, Heroic Worship and the Heroic in History (1841), Life History of Frederick II of Prussia (1858-65). He professed a romantic "cult of heroes" - exceptional personalities like Napoleon, who, with their deeds, fulfill the divine destiny and move humanity forward, towering over the crowd of limited inhabitants. Also known as one of the brilliant stylists of the Victorian era.
Born into a simple peasant family; destined by his parents - strict Calvinists for a spiritual career, at the age of 14 he entered the University of Edinburgh. Not wanting to be a priest, after completing his course at the university, he became a mathematics teacher in the provinces, but soon returned to Edinburgh. Here, living on casual literary earnings, for some time he was intensively engaged in law, preparing for the practice of law; but he quickly abandoned this, carried away by German literature.
The translation of Goethe's Wilhelm Meister in 1824 and the Life of Schiller in 1825 were Carlyle's first major works. These were followed by critical analyzes and translations from Jean-Paul.
He read a course of lectures on German literature, in 1838 - on European literature, in 1839 he read on the topic "Revolution in modern Europe." The last time I read the course was in 1840. It was the only published and therefore extant course on the role of the hero in history. The list of heroes itself: Dante, Shakespeare, Luther, Rousseau, Napoleon, Cromwell, and others. These lectures brought some income to Carlyle, and after 1840 he no longer needed money and was rarely able to move him to speak.
The same originality as these works is distinguished by the “History of the French Revolution” (“French Revolution, a history”, 1837), the caustic pamphlet “Chartism” (1839), lectures on heroes and the heroic in history (“On Hero Worship”, 1841) and historical and philosophical reflections "Past and present" (1843).
Not suited to any of the established political parties, Carlyle felt lonely and thought for some time about publishing his own magazine to preach his "believing radicalism". All these works of Carlyle are imbued with the desire to reduce the progress of mankind to the life of individual outstanding personalities-heroes (according to Carlyle, world history is a biography of great people, see The Theory of Great People), to put exclusively moral duty at the basis of civilization; his political program is limited to the preaching of labor, moral feeling and faith. An exaggerated appreciation of the heroic in history and distrust of the power of institutions and knowledge led him to a formal cult of times past, more favorable to heroic people. His views are brighter than anywhere else, reflected in the twelve "Latter-day pamphlets" ("Latter-day pamphlets", 1858); here he laughs at the emancipation of the Negroes, at democracy, philanthropy, political and economic doctrines, etc. Not only did the former enemies resent Carlyle after these pamphlets, but many admirers ceased to understand him.
Throughout the 1840s, Carlyle's views shifted towards conservatism. Gradually, in the works of Carlyle, criticism of capitalism sounded more and more muffled, and his statements directed against the actions of the masses became more and more sharp. In the book Before and Now, he painted idyllic pictures of medieval society, where simple noble customs allegedly reigned, a good monarch ensured the well-being and freedom of his subjects, and the church baked about high moral values. It was a romantic utopia that brought Carlyle closer to the feudal socialists.
Of all Carlyle's writings, the Letters and Speeches of Oliver Cromwell (1845-46), with commentaries, is of the greatest historical importance; the latter are far from impartial to the "hero" Cromwell. Carlyle showed in a new way the role of Cromwell in the history of the country, in particular, his merits in the rise of the sea power of England and in strengthening its international prestige. The work was innovative for its time. Until that time, English historians ignored this figure, seeing only a “regicide” and a “tyrant” in him. Carlyle made an attempt to reveal the true motives and significance of Cromwell's state activities. He also tried to understand the nature of the revolution itself, but proceeded from the fact that the English Revolution, unlike the French, was of a religious nature and had no "earthly goals."
Carlyle's most extensive work is "History of Friedrich II of Prussia, Called Frederick the Great II" (1858-65), which forced him to undertake a trip to Germany. With many brilliant qualities, it suffers from great prolongation. Carlyle sings of this "hero-king" and admires the order of feudal Prussia.
In 1841, being dissatisfied with the policy of the British Library, he initiated the creation of the London Library.
In 1847 his "Historical and Critical Essays" (a collection of journal articles) appeared, in 1851 a biography of his friend of his youth, the poet Sterling. From 1868 to 1870, Carlyle was busy publishing a complete collection of his works ("Library edition", in 34 volumes). This edition was followed the following year by a cheap "People's edition", which was repeated many times. He went on to publish a series of essays entitled The First Norwegian Kings (1875).
In 1866, Carlyle was offered the honorary position of rector of the University of Edinburgh. In addition to this position, he never held any position, remaining only a writer all his life. During the Franco-Prussian War, he took the side of Prussia and passionately and sincerely defended her cause in his letters to The Times, published separately (1871).
Thomas Carlyle died in 1881.
Which by their deeds fulfill the divine destiny and move humanity forward, towering over the crowd of limited inhabitants. Also known as one of the brilliant stylists of the Victorian era.
| Thomas Carlyle | |
|---|---|
| English Thomas Carlyle | |
| Date of Birth | December 4(1795-12-04 ) […] |
| Place of Birth |
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| Date of death | February 5th(1881-02-05 ) […] (85 years old) |
| A place of death | |
| Citizenship | Scotland |
| Occupation | linguist, literary historian, historian, translator, mathematician, philosopher, essayist, writer, literary critic, novelist, teacher |
| Language of works | English |
| Awards |
|
|
|
| Files at Wikimedia Commons | |
| Quotations on Wikiquote | |
Start of activity
Born into a simple peasant family; destined by his parents - strict Calvinists for a spiritual career, at the age of 14 he entered the University of Edinburgh. Not wanting to be a priest, after completing his course at the university, he became a mathematics teacher in the provinces, but soon returned to Edinburgh. Here, living on casual literary earnings, for some time he intensively studied law, preparing for the practice of law; but he quickly abandoned this too, becoming carried away by German literature.
Essays on German Literature
"Prophetic grief, as deep as Dante" disguised in "sunny and refined Goethe", Carlyle considered accessible only to a few mortals.
He gave a course of lectures on German literature, in 1838 - on European literature, in 1839 - on the topic "Revolution in modern Europe". The last time I read the course was in 1840. It was the only published and therefore extant course on the role of the hero in history. The list of heroes itself: Dante, Shakespeare, Luther, Rousseau, Napoleon, Cromwell, and others. These lectures brought some income to Carlyle, and after 1840 he no longer needed money and was rarely able to move him to speak.
A book about the French Revolution. Historical and philosophical views
The same originality as these works is distinguished by the “History of the French Revolution” (“French Revolution, a history”, ), the caustic pamphlet “Chartism” (), lectures on heroes and the heroic in history (“On Hero worship”, ) and historical and philosophical reflections "Past and present" ().
Not suited to any of the established political parties, Carlyle felt lonely and thought for some time about publishing his own magazine to preach his "believing radicalism". All these works of Carlyle are imbued with the desire to reduce the progress of mankind to the life of individual outstanding personalities-heroes (according to Carlyle, world history is a biography of great people, see The Theory of Great People), to put exclusively moral duty at the basis of civilization; his political program is limited to the preaching of labor, moral feeling and faith. An exaggerated appreciation of the heroic in history and distrust of the power of institutions and knowledge led him to a formal cult of times past, more favorable to heroic people. His views are brighter than anywhere else, reflected in the twelve "Latter-day pamphlets" ("Latter-day pamphlets",); here he laughs at the emancipation of the Negroes, at democracy, philanthropy, political and economic doctrines, etc. Not only did the former enemies resent Carlyle after these pamphlets, but many admirers also ceased to understand him.
Other historical writings
Throughout the 1840s, Carlyle's views shifted towards conservatism. Gradually, in the works of Carlyle, criticism of capitalism sounded more and more muffled, and his statements directed against the actions of the masses became more and more sharp. In the book Before and Now, he painted idyllic pictures of medieval society, where simple noble customs allegedly reigned, a good monarch ensured the well-being and freedom of his subjects, and the church baked about high moral values. It was a romantic utopia that brought Carlyle closer to the feudal socialists.
Of all Carlyle's writings, the Letters and Speeches of Oliver Cromwell (1845-46), with commentaries, is of the greatest historical importance; the latter are far from impartial towards the "hero" Cromwell. Carlyle showed in a new way the role of Cromwell in the history of the country, in particular, his merits in the rise of the sea power of England and in strengthening its international prestige. The work was innovative for its time. Until that time, English historians ignored this figure, seeing in him only a “regicide” and a “tyrant”. Carlyle made an attempt to reveal the true motives and significance of Cromwell's state activities. He also tried to understand the nature of the revolution itself, but proceeded from the fact that the English Revolution, unlike the French, was of a religious nature and had no "earthly goals."
Carlyle's most extensive work is "History of Friedrich II of Prussia, Called Frederick the Great II" (1858-65), which forced him to take a trip to Germany. With many brilliant qualities, it suffers from great prolongation. Carlyle sings of this "hero-king" and admires the order of feudal Prussia.
In 1841, being dissatisfied with the policy of the British Library, he initiated the creation of the London Library.
In 1866, Carlyle was offered the honorary position of rector of the University of Edinburgh. In addition to this position, he never held any position, remaining only a writer all his life. During the Franco-Prussian War, he took the side
A prominent place in the European historiography of the 19th century is occupied by the English historian, writer, philosopher Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881). His contemporary, the French historian I. Taine, wrote: "Ask any Englishman who they read the most, and everyone will answer you - Carlyle." Thomas Carlyle was born in Scotland to a farmer's family, was brought up in the strict rules of Puritanism, studied first at a rural school, then at a seminary, where he studied arithmetic, algebra, geometry, French, Latin. After graduating from seminary at the age of 15, Thomas went to the University of Edinburgh. He did not have money for transport, that is, travel in a postal carriage, so together with a friend they walked 100 miles from their home to Edinburgh. Many students at the universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow came from poor families. After graduating from university, they became teachers, priests, and lawyers. While studying at the university, as Carlyle later wrote, he managed to "catch from the chaos of the university library a lot of books that even the librarian did not know about." He learned to read almost all European languages fluently.
After graduating from the university, Carlyle worked as a mathematics teacher in a seminary, then in a rural school, which was maintained by local residents, he gave private lessons. In the early 30s. Carlyle moved to London and took up literary work. He published a biography of Schiller in the London Journal, then translated from Goethe, Hoffmann, Tieck, Richter and other German romantics. In 1834, Carlyle wrote his first major work, Sartor Resartus ( literally"The Turned Tailor"), in which he showed the various aspects of British life of that time and his intellectual and spiritual quest. The book was widely known and drew attention to the personality of the author.
In 1838, his first history book, The French Revolution, was published. Explaining his interest in this topic, he said that the world would have seemed hopeless to him if not for the French Revolution. He paid little attention to the economic and political issues of the revolution, but tried to give a moral assessment of the actions of its participants. He sees the revolution in persons, not in events. Carlyle paints a gloomy portrait of an active figure in the first stage of the revolution, Duke Philippe of Orleans: “the moon-shaped face darkens like unoxidized copper, anxiety appears in glass eyes. Satiation and greed, laziness, not knowing rest, petty ambition, suspiciousness, insignificance. Oh, what a turmoil of turmoil is hidden under this skin covered with carbuncles. Philip of Orleans, a relative of the king, a freemason, for the purpose of personal exaltation, supported the revolution at the very beginning, during the period of the Jacobin dictatorship he was executed. Giving such an unattractive, grotesque description of the external and internal appearance of this person, Carlyle shows his attitude to the motives for which Philippe d'Orleans joined the revolution.
Carlyle gives his negative assessment to another of the most famous figures of the revolution - Marat, the ideologist of the Jacobin dictatorship. Carlyle writes about him: “Marat is a Friend of the People, an eater like blackthorn alcohol. This man is poor, untidy, lives in the attic, a man unpleasant in appearance and inner qualities. A repulsive person - and suddenly he becomes a fanatic, obsessed with an obsession.
The image of another active figure in the revolution, journalist Camille Desmoulins, seems to him brighter. He sees him “with a hint of mischief on his face, glowing with genius, everything that Desmoulins touches acquires an unexpected shade of nobility against the backdrop of terrible confusion, what came out from under his pen is worth reading, you can’t say the same about others.” Carlyle cites paradoxical characteristics of other participants in the revolution. So, Danton has a “colossal reality”, and Robespierre has a “greenish formula” or simply “green”. Carlyle noted the great influence of Mirabeau on the course of events in the first years of the revolution and wrote that “it was Mirabeau who moved old France from its foundation, and it was only with his own hand that he kept the building ready to collapse from the final fall.” Carlyle believed that if Mirabeau had not died so early, then the whole history of France and the world "would have gone a different way."
He does not describe in detail the actions of the masses during the revolution, sometimes depicting the situation with one metaphor: "The boundless chaos of the rebellion shrinks around the palace, like the Ocean around a diving bell, and can seep into any crack." Describing the futility of the constitutional monarchy established at the first stage of the revolution, its doom, despite the efforts of Lafayette, who had great authority at that time, Carlyle writes that "constitutional royal power withers like a cut branch, no matter how much Lafayette waters it." Carlyle's book on the history of the French Revolution was called a poem, it was said that readers see everything that happened at that time, as if in a flash of lightning.
About the causes of the revolution, Carlyle wrote in his unusual style: “For so many centuries a growing mass of malice, deceit, oppression of man by man has been accumulating. Kings sinned, priests sinned, people sinned. The harvest of many centuries has been ripening, and now it is reaped at once, overnight, in this Kingdom of Terror. In his opinion, the main figures of the revolution were Famine, Nakedness, a nightmarish oppression that crushed 25 million creatures. Revealing the unattractive aspects of the revolution and the activities of its participants, Carlyle nevertheless wrote that the revolution was the time of the baptism of Democracy. However, in his opinion, no less than two more centuries are needed before Democracy, having gone through the inevitable and disastrous stages of the False Cracy, will revive this plagued world and a new world will appear, young and green. Carlyle tried to evoke high moral ideals in the readers of his book.
In 1839 Carlyle published the book The Chartists. He put the words of the folk proverb “There is no smoke without fire” as an epigraph to it. He sought to draw the attention of the authorities to the fact that the Chartist movement was caused by the difficult financial situation of the workers. Carlyle urged to understand that "Chartism is our French Revolution", and it cannot be destroyed without destroying poverty. He sharply criticized the Parliamentary Act of 1834, according to which, instead of material assistance to the poor, workhouses were created in the cities, where the poor had to work only for meager food and lodging. In Past and Present, published in 1840, Carlyle describes a visit to a workhouse. According to him, this book is an expression of the protest of the oppressed Poor against the idle Rich.
To help England, which found itself in a rather difficult position during the period of the Chartist movement, according to Carlyle, only a hero could. The modern world, he believed, should find its hero, to whom the worker must submit, and the aristocracy must also submit to him. By this time, Carlyle had developed an original conception of the role of the individual in history. He outlined his views on this problem in the brochure "Heroes, the veneration of heroes and the heroic in history", published in 1844. It was a summary of lectures, the course of which he read publicly. Ministers, deputies, cultural figures, ladies of high society came to listen to him. Already in the first lecture, he said: “World history, everything that a person has done in this world, is, in my opinion, in essence, the history of great people who have worked here on earth. The unknown masses are only the backdrop against which the heroes make history.
Each of Carlyle's lectures is devoted to a special form of heroism: the hero is a deity, God; the hero is a prophet (Mohammed); the hero is a poet (Dante, Shakespeare); the hero is a pastor (Luther); the hero-writer (Rousseau, Johnson, Burns) and, finally, the hero-leader (Cromwell, Napoleon). In them, Carlyle saw the highest embodiment of heroism. At a time when the former exaggeration of the role of kings and commanders was receding into the past, Carlyle created his own cult of heroes. This shows the influence of romanticism. Like other romantics, he bowed to the heroic, as opposed to the everyday pursuit of profit, profit, capital in his contemporary society. The hero of Carlyle appears as a person of high morality, sincerity, and activity. Giving work a higher, almost religious significance, Carlyle saw in the true hero a person who was constantly working, active. In his opinion, heroes are conscious bearers and executors of divine providence, in contrast to ordinary people, who serve only as a passive tool in the hands of God.
Carlyle recognizes the idea of the progressive development of society as a result of struggle. However, in his opinion, it is not the classes in history that are fighting, but the eternally opposite principles of good and evil, faith and unbelief. Fruitful and happy eras of faith are replaced by dark periods of unbelief, general lies and decay. Recognizing that the transition from an age of disbelief to an age of faith often takes the form of revolution, which is a purifying sacrifice for the lies of the previous age, Carlyle accepts revolution as one of the forms of historical development that is sometimes necessary. In particular, Carlyle saw the beginning of the beginnings in the French Revolution of 1789 in the fact that the old feudal elite forgot about their duty to "graze the human flock." This led to the collapse of the dams that held back the destructive forces that always lurk in the people. Only a hero, through whom Providence reveals its plans, can rein in the people again.
Carlyle considered Mirabeau to be a hero capable of taming the French Revolution, who allegedly discovered the innermost meaning of events earlier than others, but Mirabeau died in 1791. Danton could have been a hero if he had defeated Robespierre. Finally, the "necessary person" Napoleon appeared, who "destroyed the revolution with its right to revolt with grapeshot." The hero, in Carlyle's words, is "the only living rock among all kinds of downfalls, the only stable point in modern revolutionary history." The hero must be the savior of society from revolution. “As long as man remains man,” wrote Carlyle, “Cromwells and Napoleons will always be the inevitable end of sans-culottes.”
In 1845, Carlyle's Letters and Speeches of Oliver Cromwell, with Interpretation, was published in five volumes. The historian also applied his biographical method to the English Revolution. His book consists of authentic letters of Cromwell, his speeches, as well as commentaries and explanations of the historian. In the comments, Carlyle shows the whole course of the revolution and strives to be precise in detail. To give a description of the battle at Nazby, he went to inspect the place. The book was perceived by contemporaries as an example of historical research. By Carlyle's own admission, the purpose of this work was the rehabilitation of Cromwell as a man and politician. Before him, English historians saw in Cromwell only "a regicide and a tyrant." Carlyle, he said, wanted to "remove from the gallows the corpse of Cromwell, hung up on it by historians of the 18th century." He views the whole revolution as the embodiment of the activities of the hero Cromwell and even calls it "Cromwellia". He justifies all the actions of Cromwell and condemns all his opponents. He considers the dispersal of the "rump" of the Long Parliament in 1653 and the establishment of the Cromwell Protectorate as the culminating point of the revolution, since after this act the people finally had a true leader-hero.
In Heroes, Honoring Heroes, Carlyle writes that of all the people who took part in the Puritan struggle, only Cromwell was the inescapably necessary person to see, dare and decide, to be "an unbreakable rock in the maelstrom of various accidents." Napoleon Carlyle does not consider equal in greatness to Cromwell. In Napoleon, he sees "some monstrous mixture of a hero and charlatanism." According to him, Cromwell was a sincere man, and under Napoleon in France, the expression "false as a report" became a common saying. Napoleon, justifying his lie, said that it was necessary to mislead the enemy, to maintain good spirits in his ranks, etc. Carlyle, on the other hand, believes that there can be no justification for deceit. Lies are nothing, nothing can be made into something. In the end, you also get nothing and still lose time and labor. Carlyle wrote: “True! At least the heavens crushed me for her! Not the slightest fake! At least for apostasy they promised all the bliss of paradise!
The last historical work and the most extensive work of Carlyle "History of Frederick II". Thirteen volumes of this work are devoted to the praise of Frederick the Great as a politician, philosopher and man, although archival documents cited by the historian depict this Prussian king as both a treacherous and cruel person. In the image of Frederick II, Carlyle saw a patriarchal sovereign in the style of medieval feudal aristocrats, whom he idealized, paying tribute to romanticism. Frederick II was for Carlyle the embodiment of Prussia, whose state system he contrasted with the state system of England and France of the 18th century.
In the Prussian state, as is known, the patriarchal Junker way of life and military drill dominated. But Carlyle considers this an obligatory attribute of any "correctly organized state." Frederick II in the image of Carlyle stands as a stronghold of peace and order in the elements of the decaying 18th century raging around him, this era of unbelief, skepticism and denial. He is a “real” king, unlike the dissolute Louis XV and the insignificant George I. Carlyle contrasts Frederick II not only with his contemporaries, the monarchs of the 18th century, but also with the “bad leaders of Europe” of the 19th century, to whom he wanted to set a “worthy example” in the image Frederick the Great.
In 1865, Carlyle was elected rector of the University of Edinburgh by the students, defeating Disraeli. This testifies to his great popularity as a writer, historian, and thinker. The works of Carlyle occupy a prominent place in the historiography of the events he studied. In many ways, Carlyle's conclusions are relevant that only a strong personality can put an end to the revolution and the destructive processes that accompany it, such as the weakening of power, anarchy, arbitrariness, lawlessness.
The experience of history shows that, as a rule, this is a person who grew up on the ideas of the revolution, who took part in it until the moment after which it begins to bring only destruction. Possessing a strong will, an appropriate character and a desire for personal power, this person stops further transformations that have become dangerous for society with harsh measures. He stops, and the attempts of the defenders of the old order to return the old order. With his power, he consolidates those achievements of the revolution that at the given moment correspond to the possibilities of the country and the needs of its population. In addition to Cromwell and Napoleon, whom Carlyle wrote about, other “strong personalities” who played a similar role in their countries are known in history. How long and fruitful their reign may be depends on the specific conditions of each country.
Thomas Carlyle, -) - British writer, publicist, historian and philosopher of Scottish origin, author of the multi-volume essays "The French Revolution" (1837), "Heroes, the veneration of heroes and the heroic in history" (1841), "History of the life of Frederick II of Prussia" (1858- 65). He professed a romantic "cult of heroes" - exceptional personalities like Napoleon, who fulfill the divine destiny with their deeds and move humanity forward, towering over the crowd of limited inhabitants. Also known as one of the brilliant stylists of the Victorian era.Start of activity
Born into a simple peasant family; Destined by his strict Calvinist parents for a spiritual career, at the age of 14 he entered the University of Edinburgh. Not wanting to be a priest, after completing his course at the university, he became a mathematics teacher in the provinces, but soon returned to Edinburgh. Here, living on casual literary earnings, for some time he intensively studied law, preparing for the practice of law; but he quickly abandoned this too, becoming carried away by German literature.
Essays on German Literature
A book about the French Revolution. Historical and philosophical views
The same originality as these works is distinguished by the “History of the French Revolution” (“French Revolution, a history”, ), the caustic pamphlet “Chartism” (), lectures on heroes and the heroic in history (“On Hero worship”, ) and historical and philosophical reflections "Past and present" ().
Not suited to any of the established political parties, Carlyle felt lonely and thought for some time about publishing his own magazine to preach his "believing radicalism". All these works of Carlyle are imbued with the desire to reduce the progress of mankind to the life of individual outstanding personalities-heroes (according to Carlyle, world history is the biography of great people), to put exclusively moral duty at the basis of civilization; his political program is limited to the preaching of labor, moral feeling and faith. An exaggerated appreciation of the heroic in history and distrust of the power of institutions and knowledge led him to a formal cult of times past, more favorable to heroic people. His views are brighter than anywhere else, reflected in the twelve "Latter-day pamphlets" ("Latter-day pamphlets",); here he laughs at the emancipation of the Negroes, at democracy, philanthropy, political and economic doctrines, etc. Not only did the former enemies resent Carlyle after these pamphlets, but many admirers also ceased to understand him.
Other historical writings
Throughout the 40s, Carlyle's views changed towards conservatism. Gradually, in the works of Carlyle, the criticism of capitalism sounded more and more muffled, and his statements directed against the actions of the masses - more and more sharply. In the book Before and Now, he painted idyllic pictures of medieval society, where simple noble customs allegedly reigned, a good monarch ensured the well-being and freedom of his subjects, and the church baked about high moral values. It was a romantic utopia that brought Carlyle closer to the feudal socialists. Of all Carlyle's writings, the Letters and Speeches of Oliver Cromwell (1845-46), with commentaries, is of the greatest historical importance; the latter are far from impartial towards the "hero" Cromwell. Carlyle showed in a new way the role of Cromwell in the history of the country, in particular, his merits in the rise of the sea power of England and in strengthening its international prestige. The work was innovative for its time. Until that time, English historians ignored this figure, seeing in him only a “regicide” and a “tyrant”. Carlyle made an attempt to reveal the true motives and significance of Cromwell's state activities. He also tried to understand the nature of the revolution itself, but proceeded from the fact that the English Revolution, unlike the French, was of a religious nature and had no "earthly goals." Carlyle's most extensive work is "History of Frederick II" (1858-65), which forced him to take a trip to Germany; with many brilliant qualities, it suffers from great prolongation. Carlyle sings of this "hero-king" and admires the order of feudal Prussia. His "Historical and Critical Essays" (a collection of journal articles) appeared in the city, and a biography of his friend of his youth, the poet Sterling, appeared in the city. From to the city of Carlyle was busy publishing a complete collection of his works ("Library edition", in 34 volumes). This edition was followed the following year by a cheap People's edition, which was repeated many times. Then he published a series of essays under the title "The First Norwegian Kings" (). In Carlyle, they offered the honorary post of rector of the University of Edinburgh; apart from this position, he never held any position, remaining only a writer all his life. During the Franco-Prussian War, he took the side of Prussia and passionately and sincerely defended her cause in his letters to The Times, published separately (). He died in 1881.
Carlyle and Nazism
The English philosopher Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) was one of those who returned to the idea of the prominent role of individuals, "heroes" in history. One of his most famous works, which had a very strong influence on contemporaries and descendants, was called “Heroes and the Heroic in History” (1840, Russian translation 1891; see also: Carlyle 1994). According to Carlyle, world history is the biography of great men. Carlyle concentrates in his works on certain personalities and their roles, preaches lofty goals and feelings, and writes a number of brilliant biographies. He says much less about the masses. In his opinion, the masses are often only tools in the hands of great personalities. According to Carlyle, there is a kind of historical circle or cycle. When the heroic principle in society weakens, then the hidden destructive forces of the masses can break out (in revolutions and uprisings), and they act until the society again discovers in itself the “true heroes”, leaders (such as Cromwell or Napoleon). Such a heroic approach undoubtedly drew attention to the role of individuals, set (but did not solve) the problem of revealing the reasons for the fluctuations of this role in history. But it had too obvious flaws (besides unsystematic presentation): only “heroes” were considered, society was rigidly divided into leaders and the masses, the causes of revolutions were reduced to social feelings, etc.
Carlyle's views somewhat anticipated the views of Nietzsche with his cult of the superman, and through him, Hitler and other fascist ideologists. Thus Professor Charles Saroli, in his pro-fascist 1938 article "Was Carlyle the First Nazi?", attempts to answer this question in the affirmative in the Anglo-German Review:
The well-known historian Manuel Sarkisyants devoted a separate chapter to the question of Carlyle's influence on the development of Nazi ideas in his book The English Roots of German Fascism.
Compositions
- "Historical and critical experiments"
- "Heroes and the heroic in history" ("Sovremennik" g.)
- "Nibelungen" ("Bibl. for reading" g.).
- Art. in "Vestn. Europe” (g., books 5 and 6);
- "The latest English literature"
- I. Ten; "The Autobiography of D. S. Mill";
Notes
Literature
| Thomas Carlyle at Wikiquote | |
| Thomas Carlyle at Wikimedia Commons |
- // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: In 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg. , 1890-1907.
- "Thomas Carlyle and the "divine sergeant majors - line-up instructors" for the poorest Englishmen" - a chapter from the book "The English Roots of German Fascism" by Manuel Sarkisyants
- Engels F. The position of England
- V. G. Sirotkin. THOMAS CARLYLE AND HIS LABOR "FRENCH REVOLUTION. HISTORY"
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See what "Carlyle, Thomas" is in other dictionaries:
- (Carlyle) Carlyle, Thomas Carlyle (Carlyle, Thomas) (1795 1881) English writer, publicist, historian, philosopher. Born December 4, 1795, Eklfehan. 1814 graduated from the University of Edinburgh. He died February 5, 1881 in London. The author of the concept of the cult of heroes ... Consolidated encyclopedia of aphorisms
- (Carlyle, Thomas) (1795–1881) Scottish writer, historian and political scientist. Born in Eclefehan (South West Scotland) near the border with England in the family of a master mason, professing Calvinism. Studied at Annan Academy and Edinburgh ... ... Political science. Dictionary.
Carlyle Thomas- (Carlyle, Thomas) (1795 1881), Scotland. historian and publicist. For some time he was a teacher and contributed to the Edinburgh Review, in 1824 he wrote a book. Schiller's life. In 1826 he married Jane Welsh, later a famous writer, ... ... The World History
- (Carlyle) (1795 1881), English publicist, historian and philosopher. He put forward the concept of the "cult of heroes", the only creators of history. * * * CARLYLE Thomas CARLYLE Thomas (1795 1881), English publicist, historian and philosopher. Pushed out... ... encyclopedic Dictionary
Thomas Carlyle (eng. Thomas Carlyle, 1795 1881) British (Scottish) writer, historian and philosopher. Contents 1 Beginning of activity ... Wikipedia
Carlyle, Carlyle Thomas (December 4, 1795, Ecclefehan - February 5, 1881, London), English publicist, historian, and philosopher. Graduated from the University of Edinburgh (1814). K.'s worldview was formed under the strong influence of German romanticism and classical ... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia
- (Carlyle, Thomas) (1795 1881), English writer, philosopher. Born December 4, 1795 in Ecklehen (Scotland). He was brought up in strict Puritan rules, taking from his father, an uneducated bricklayer and farmer, an unshakable conviction in ... ... Collier Encyclopedia
Carlyle, Thomas- (1795 1881) English historian, critic and publicist. He began his literary career with enthusiastic articles on classical poetry and the idealistic philosophy of the Germans. Carlyle looked at history as a product of the creativity of great people. In their… … Historical reference book of a Russian Marxist
