Thomas Carlyle (December 4, 1795 - February 5, 1881) - Scottish writer, publicist, historian and philosopher, popularizer and one of the founders of a special style of artistic and philosophical historical literature - the "Cult of Heroes". A very popular Victorian era stylist. He had a great influence on legal thought.
Family
Born into a Calvinist family, James Carlyle and his second wife, Janet Aitken, was the eldest of nine children (pictured is Thomas's mother). His father was a bricklayer, later a small farmer. He was respected for his stamina and independence. Stern in appearance, he had a kind soul. Carlyle's family ties were unusually strong, and Thomas treated his father with great reverence, as reflected in his memoirs. He always had the most tender feelings for his mother and was a wonderful brother.
Study
Parents did not have much money, so seven-year-old Carlyle was sent to study at a parochial school. When heAt the age of ten, he was transferred to Annan High School. His penchant for fighting led to problems with many of the students at the school, but he soon showed a strong interest in learning, prompting his father to teach him the worship. In 1809 he entered the University of Edinburgh. He had little interest in his studies, except for Sir John Leslie's mathematics course, who later became a good friend of his.
He also read a lot. However, it was not classical literature that had the greatest influence on him, but the work of his contemporaries. Several guys in the same position as him saw him as an intellectual leader, and their correspondence reflects the general literary tastes. In 1814, Carlyle, still preparing to become a priest, received a master's degree in mathematics from the Annan school, which enabled him to save some money. In 1816 he was appointed as a teacher at a school in Kirkland.
Spiritual Crisis
In 1818, Carlyle decided to give up his spiritual career. He did not explain to anyone the details of the transformations that had taken place in him, however, his desire to abandon the dogmatic views of spiritual mentors, who were always deeply respected by him, was obvious. For a while, atheism seemed the only way out, but he was deeply disgusted with it. All this led Carlyle to a spiritual crisis, which he managed to overcome only after writing Sartor Resartus. The life and thoughts of Mr. Teufelsdrock” in June 1821. He banished the spirit of denial, and since then the nature of his suffering has been changed forever. It was no longer “whining”, but “indignation and gloomydisobedience . In 1819, he began to study German, which led him to new interesting acquaintances. He was very interested in German literature. Most of all he liked the works of Goethe. In them, he saw an opportunity to discard obsolete dogmas without plunging into materialism. They met and corresponded for a long time. Goethe spoke positively of the translations of his books.
Private life
After a long courtship, in 1826 Thomas Carlyle married Jane Bailey Welsh. She was from a much more affluent family, and it took him several years to earn enough to get his marriage approved. They lived together for forty years, until Jane's death. The first years after their marriage they lived in the countryside, but in 1834 they moved to London. Lady Welch was childless, which later led to quarrels and jealousy. Evidence of this is their correspondence. Their life was also difficult because of Carlyle's psychological problems. With great emotionality and a fragile psyche, he often suffered from the pangs of depression, he was tormented by insomnia, and the loud singing of birds in his neighbor's garden drove him crazy. Bouts of rage abruptly gave way to outbursts of exaggerated humor. He was saved only by immersion headlong into work. For this, solitude and peace were necessary, and a special soundproof room was equipped in their house. As a result, his wife was often forced to do all household chores alone, often feeling abandoned.
Literary works
In the mid-1830s, Carlyle published SartorResartus. Life andthe thoughts of Mr. Teufelsdrock" in Fraser's journal. Despite the depth of philosophical thought, the impressive validity of his conclusions, this book did not have sufficient success. In 1837, his work "On the French Revolution" was published, which brought him real success. From 1837 to 1840 he gave several lectures, of which only one ("The Hero's Cult") was published. All of them brought him financial success, and at the age of forty-five he managed to become financially independent. He had many students and followers. From 1865 he became rector of the University of Edinburgh.
Views on the structure of society
The revolutionary and bitter moods of Byron's era, Thomas Carlyle, whose biography is presented in the article, opposed the Gospel. He spoke out for social reforms. In the struggle against a mechanical view of the world, respect for the majority and utilitarianism, he advocated a life filled with meaning, the development of the highest, supra-individual human values. Thomas Carlyle countered the leveled power of democratic tendencies with the cult of heroes. He believed that only those who have a victorious desire for power should rule in society and the state. The success of the will leading to power cited as an argument an idealism based on a constant striving for personal higher goals, and this is the weakness and danger of his science, which is a mixture of Scottish puritanism and German idealism.
In politics, he played a big role as a theorist of imperialism, defending the idea of the historical mission of the British people to embrace the whole world. From journalismIt should be noted, first of all, the philosophical and historical reflections “Heroes, the veneration of heroes and the heroic in history”, “On the French Revolution”, “Sartor Resartus. The Life and Thoughts of Mr. Teufelsdrock” and others.
Philosophical outlook on life
Influenced by the charm of German romanticism, left Calvinism. His passion for romantic philosophy was expressed in the translation of Goethe's book "The Years of Science by Wilhelm Meister" and the work "The Life of Schiller". From romanticism, he drew, first of all, a deeply developed individualism (Byronism).
At the center of Carlyle's works is a hero, an outstanding personality, overcoming himself with the power of vital activity, primarily moral. In emphasizing the superiority of the moral qualities of the hero over the intellectual, one can see the influence of puritanism. Despite this, Carlyle also blindly accepted Nietzsche's anthropology.
The End of Life
Thomas Carlyle, whose photo is presented in the article, died February 5, 1881 in London. After the official farewell ceremony, his remains were transferred to Scotland, where he was buried in the same cemetery with his parents.
Thomas Carlyle: aphorisms and quotes
The most famous of his aphorisms include the following:
- Every great work seems impossible at first glance.
- Love is not the same as insanity, but they have a lot in common.
- Without pressure, there will be no diamonds.
- The person who wants to work but can't find a job is probably the mosta sad situation presented to us by fate.
- Isolation is the result of human misery.
- My we alth is not what I have, but what I do.
- In every phenomenon, the beginning is always the most memorable moment.
- Egoism is the source and result of all mistakes and suffering.
- No great man lives in vain. The history of the world is only biographies of great people.
- Stamina is concentrated patience.
Thomas Carlyle, whose quotes are full of wisdom and depth, left a bright mark on the history of philosophical thought.
