Past and Present by Thomas Carlyle

Past and Present Reviews

• 
  Ari

  Carlyle was one of the most prominent writers and thinkers of the mid 19th century. This is a short polemical work he knocked off as a break from a writing a serious history. It is mostly Carlyle opining about the social ills of his time, but wrapped around a comparison with medieval life, illuminated via a newly-discovered monastic chronicle that Carlyle summarizes for us.
  
  The book is vivid, illuminating, and written with the authors idiosyncratic but peculiarly powerful prose style. The problems he is interested in -- the social alienation of laissez-faire capitalism, corrupt incompetent political leaders, grasping selfish aristocracies -- are all very much still with us. He's not simply a conservative or an apologist for tradition. He thinks radical social reform is desirable and necessary - and in particular, reform to improve the condition of the poor.
  
  It is also one of the wickedest books I can remember reading. The author is either one of the last enthusiasts of feudalism, or else one of the first proto-fascists: he is firmly in favor of hierarchy and rule, and not particularly fond of democracy. He speaks approvingly of things to make a modern reader shudder -- like medieval monasteries clearing their debts by having the Jewish money-lenders exiled or killed.
  
  And yet...I have the sense that Carlyle does have useful things to say and teach. Liberal democracy is the "default" view in the western world today, but there are a great many opponents of liberal democracy. It is tempting, but wrong, to think that those opponents are either thoughtless or blinded by selfishness, anger, or some other mental condition. But this is not right -- there are people out there who really disagree, and Carlyle is an unusually articulate, informed, and _relevant_ critic. If we cannot answer the philosophical challenge he offers, that suggests we are wrong in our beliefs, or at least confused about them. I don't think Carlyle is right, but I think it's important to do the mental work to understand where and why he goes wrong.
• 
  Simon

  Pretty amazing stuff. Written with the volume at 11 the whole way through! The second part, about the medieval stuff, is very moving.
• 
  Piimavaras

  The most remarkable segment is the one third of the book which deals with St. Edmundsbury Abbey. This part pulls you in really well with historical examples. The rest of the book feels like a one long rant about the same themes; this can feel tedious at times, but eventually it'll grow on you. The point of the author's rants about the England of his time isn't to constantly present new information at every turn, rather the point is to keep you in a particular state of mind where believing what the author believes begins to feel familiar. Though, of course, the 2/3 of the book not dealing with the Abbey has its own share of peculiar revelations sparsely sprinkled in, which feel like pleasant oases. The book is worth it for the Abbey's historical account alone; reading the primary source from the 1200s wouldn't be the same, for it doesn't have Carlyle's own insights.
• 
  Adam Gossman

  One of the best authors I have ever read.
• 
  Mark Gonzalez

  If Carlyle's philosophy is successfully implemented and reached its natural conclusion, then the end result would be a utopian society ruled by a benevolent dictator. Of course this is if all things go well. I agree with Carlyle's premise on hero worship, but it just so happens that the "heroes" of our society are complete hacks and untalented, selfish buffoons. A true leader doesn't want to lead but feels a duty so. A true leader is a paragon of emotional and logical intelligence. A true leader is open-minded and is willing to take advice from those whom may have more experience and wisdom in a specific field. A true leader is decisive, goal driven but practices humility. A true leads knows how to make the smart yet difficult decision. Essentially, a true leader has to embody all the characteristics of a human being that has never existed--ever.
• 
  Brenna

  Carlyle makes some interesting points (that I think carry over to society today from the 19th Century) however at times his thoughts seems scattered. Parts of his writing are beautiful and read as prose, but at the same time there are other sections where it becomes easy to get bogged down in his wordy, and rather eccentric, descriptions.
• 
  Elisa

  All I can say is that I am relieved to be finished this. I think I deserve credit for doing so. Carlyle's picture of his current-day England is highly relevant which is why I gave this two stars. The fact that he is pretty much a racist, egotistical windbag made this a tedious read.
• 
  jq

  this seems mostly reasonable - a little crazy but as a genevan i can attest that calvinists just Be Like That - until you realise carlyle wanted to bring slavery back