Thomas Carlyle (1795 1881) was one of the most influential authors of the nineteenth century, and his essays and historical biographies led to him being regarded for much of the Victorian period as a literary genius and eminent social philosopher. This two-volume work, published in 1881, is a collection of Carlyle's reminiscences, which were edited by his friend, the historian J. A. Froude (1818 94). In 1871, Carlyle had given Froude a collection of his own papers, including these sketches, and of those belonging to his deceased wife, Jane, to be edited and published after his death. Froude who was simultaneously writing his two-part biography of Carlyle (also reissued in this series) had them ready for publication a month after Carlyle's death on 5 February 1881. Volume 1 contains Carlyle's reminiscences of his father, James, and of Edward Irving, a close friend from his early years."
Thomas Carlyle was a Scottish satirical writer, essayist, historian and teacher during the Victorian era. He called economics "the dismal science", wrote articles for the Edinburgh Encyclopedia, and became a controversial social commentator.
Coming from a strict Calvinist family, Carlyle was expected by his parents to become a preacher, but while at the University of Edinburgh, he lost his Christian faith. Calvinist values, however, remained with him throughout his life. This combination of a religious temperament with loss of faith in traditional Christianity made Carlyle's work appealing to many Victorians who were grappling with scientific and political changes that threatened the traditional social order.
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