Thomas Carlyle: biography, essays. Quotes and aphorisms of Thomas Carlyle

Thomas Carlyle (December 4, 1795 - February 5, 1881) is a 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. Very popular stylist of the Victorian era. He had a great influence on legal thought.

A family

Born in the family of the Calvinists James Carlyle and his second wife, Janet Aitken, was the eldest of nine children (pictured Thomas's mother). My father was a bricklayer, later a small farmer. He was respected for his steadfastness and independence. Severely outwardly, he had a good heart. Carlyle's family connections were unusually strong, and Thomas treated his father with great respect, 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 in the parish school. When he was ten years old, he was transferred to Annan High School. His penchant for fights led to problems with many of the pupils of the school, but he soon showed a strong interest in learning, which prompted his father to teach him worship. In 1809 he entered the University of Edinburgh. He was not very interested in studying, except for the mathematics course of Sir John Lasley, who later became his good friend.

He also read a lot. However, the greatest influence on him was not the classical literature, but the work of his contemporaries. Several guys who were with him in one position, 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 at Annan's school, which allowed him to save a little money. In 1816 he was appointed a teacher at the school in Kirkland.

The spiritual crisis

In 1818 Carlyle decided to abandon his spiritual career. He did not explain to anyone the details of the transformations that took place in him, but his desire to abandon the dogmatic views of the spiritual mentors, who are always deeply respected, was obvious. For a while, atheism seemed the only way out, but he was deeply disgusted. All this led Carlyle to a spiritual crisis, which he managed to overcome only after writing "SartorResartus. Life and thoughts of Mr. Teifelsdrek "in June 1821. He expelled the spirit of denial, and since then the character of his sufferings has been changed forever. This was no longer "whining", but "indignation and dismal disobedience." In 1819 he began to study German, which led him to new interesting acquaintances. He was interested in German literature. Most of all he liked the works of Goethe. In them, he saw the possibility of throwing back obsolete dogmas without plunging into materialism. They met and corresponded for a long time. Goethe spoke positively about the translations of his books.

Personal life

After a lengthy courtship, in 1826, Thomas Carlyle married Jane Bailey Welch. She was from a much better off family, and it took him several years to earn enough and get consent to the marriage. They lived together for forty years, until Jane's death. The first years after the marriage lived in the village, 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 complex because of the psychological problems of Carlyle. Possessing a great emotionality and fragile psyche, he often suffered from depression of depression, his insomnia was tormented, and the loud singing of birds in his neighbor's garden was driving him crazy. Fits of rage were suddenly replaced by explosions of exaggerated humor. He was saved only by immersion in his work. For this loneliness and peace were necessary, and in their house was equipped with a special soundproof room. As a result, his wife was often forced to do all the household chores alone, often felt abandoned.

Literary works

In the mid-1830s Carlyle published "SartorResartus. Life and thoughts of Mr. Teifelsdrek "in the journal Fraser. Despite the depth of philosophical thought, the impressive validity of his conclusions, this book did not have sufficient success. In 1837 he published his work "On the French Revolution", which brought him real success. From 1837 to 1840 he read several lectures, of which only one ("The Cult of the Hero") 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 disciples and followers. From 1865 he became the rector of the University of Edinburgh.

Views on the organization of society

By the revolutionary and bitter mood of the Byron era, Thomas Carlyle, whose biography is presented in the article, contrasted the Gospel. He spoke for public reforms. In the struggle against the mechanical view of the world, the veneration of the majority and utilitarianism advocated a life full of meaning, the development of the highest, super-individual values of man. The leveled-out force of democratic tendencies, Thomas Carlyle, contrasted the cult of heroes. He believed that in society and the state should only be ruled by those who have a winning desire for power. The success of the will leading to power was cited as the argument of 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 major role as a theorist of imperialism, defending the idea of the historical mission of the English people to embrace the whole world. From the journalism it should be noted, first of all, the philosophical and historical reflections "Heroes, Heroes' Honor and Heroic in History", "About the French Revolution", "SartorResartus. Life and thoughts of Mr. Teyfelsdrek "and others.

Philosophical views on life

Under the influence of fascination with German romanticism, Calvinism left. His fascination with romantic philosophy was expressed in the translation of Goethe's book The Years of Science of Wilhelm Meister and the work Schiller's Life. From romanticism, he drew, first of all, a deeply developed individualism (Byronism).

In the center of the works of Carlyle is a hero, an outstanding personality who overcomes the power of vital activity, above all, moral. In emphasizing the advantages of the moral qualities of the hero over the intellectual, one can see the influence of Puritanism. Contrary to this, Carlyle also blindly accepted the anthropology of Nietzsche.

The End of Being

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 one cemetery with his parents.

Thomas Carlyle: aphorisms and quotations

The most famous of his aphorisms include the following:

1. At first glance, every outstanding work seems impossible.
2. Love is not the same as insanity, but they have much in common.
3. Without pressure there will be no diamonds.
4. A person who wants to work but can not find a job is probably the most sad situation that fate has given us.
5. Isolation is the result of man's poverty.
6. My wealth is not what I have, but what I do.
7. In every phenomenon the beginning is always the most memorable moment.
8. Egoism is the source and the result of all mistakes and sufferings.
9. No great man lives in vain. The history of the world is only the biographies of great people.
10. Endurance is concentrated patience.

Thomas Carlyle, whose quotes are full of wisdom and depth, left a bright trace in the history of philosophical thought.