Past and Present

Carlyle, Thomas, 1795-1881Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.5

Word count: 649K words
Chapters: 65

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Past and Present by Thomas CarlyleAuthor: Carlyle, Thomas, 1795-1881,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Sep 27, 2004

Editor's review

Carlyle's Past and Present sets twelfth-century monastic records against the social realities of nineteenth-century England, mounting a critique of utilitarianism and the spirit of the mechanical age. The book combines deep excavation of historical detail with fierce commentary on contemporary social problems; its prose is eloquent and rich in rhetorical tension, making it an important text for understanding Victorian intellectual debate. Its value lies less in accepting all its conclusions than in experiencing a way of thinking that holds history and the present up to each other, and in the author's persistent questioning of human dignity and the dignity of labor. Because the writing carries a heavy period rhetoric and religious coloring, modern readers may need patience to adjust to its sentence patterns and tone. Reading it alongside background material on British society during the Industrial Revolution is recommended.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in Victorian intellectual history and social criticism
Literature lovers who want to understand Carlyle's style and declamatory prose
Those concerned with issues such as the dignity of labor and the critique of utilitarianism
Readers with some experience of English originals who are willing to work patiently through a classic

Not a good fit for

Readers who want quick conclusions and prefer concise argument
Those impatient with religious rhetoric and long nineteenth-century sentences
Beginners who need systematic scholarly annotation and guidance to contemporary research

Reading tips

Read introductory material on nineteenth-century English society before entering the text; this greatly reduces the difficulty.
Read the medieval sections against the contemporary ones, noting how the author uses history to mirror the present.
In dense rhetorical passages, grasp the topic sentence first rather than parsing every word; return to sort things out after finishing the chapter.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What is this book mainly about—is it history or social commentary?

Both. Part of the book draws on twelfth-century monastic records, and part discusses social conditions in nineteenth-century England; the author uses history to mirror the present and launches a critique of utilitarianism and the spirit of the mechanical age. It is less a pure work of history than a social commentary that uses history as a mirror.

Is the English original difficult to read?

It is somewhat difficult. Carlyle's sentences are long, his rhetoric dense, and his tone heavily religious and period-specific, differing considerably from modern English usage. Readers with a good foundation in English who are willing to slow down can attempt it; those mainly seeking the ideas may first consult relevant Chinese introductions before reading the original.

What background knowledge should I have beforehand?

It is advisable to learn first about social conditions during the British Industrial Revolution, Victorian utilitarian thought, and Carlyle's own basic intellectual orientation. With this background, the book's commentary on the issues of its time is easier to understand, and dense rhetoric is less likely to divert attention from the main points.

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About the author

Carlyle, Thomas, 1795-1881 Author

Thomas Carlyle (Carlyle, Thomas, 1795-1881) was a Scottish essayist and historian. The library holds 37 of his works, including Sartor Resartus, On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and the Heroic in History, Past and Present, The French Revolution: A History, and the multi-volume History of Friedrich II of Prussia. His writing is known for its eloquent and fervent style, often using historical figures and eras of upheaval to explore faith, order, and heroism, and it exerted a profound influence on Victorian thought and literature. Public information is limited, and details of his life such as nationality and exact dates are not specified in the library records; this introduction therefore focuses on the themes, style, and circulation of his works.