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Thomas Carlyle: A Successful Social Critic

Author: ZhouYaJing
Tutor: LiZhenZhong
School: Sichuan International Studies University
Course: English Language and Literature
Keywords: literature works social reality hero-worship civilian rule hard-working
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Type: Master's thesis
Year: 2010
Downloads: 59
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Abstract

A prominent cultural figure in Victorian England with a variety of achievements, Thomas Carlyle had long been at the critical attention of socio-cultural scholars. While scholars acknowledge his influence upon the British society, they differ in their opinion in evaluating his contribution to the country. Some think his social criticism was positive, while others regard him as a failed prophet. Based on her study, the present writer believes that rather than a failed prophet, Carlyle should be regarded as a successful social critic, because of the positive influence he exercised upon the English society, because of the hopeful message he brought to the British people, and because of idealistic principles he proposed for his people.First, Carlyle’s social criticism was exact and right to the point. Testified by the historical recordation of the nineteenth century England and the works of Carlyle’s contemporaries, we could see that Carlyle’s social criticism was exact and right to the point. In his works, Carlyle gave the upper British class at that time a profound critique: the decline of monarchy, the corruption of royal family, the incompetence of ministers, the suffering of people and so on. He criticized the ruling class abusing their privileges, and neglecting their given sacred duty to society. He powerfully attacked social ills to suggest the deadly threat of 19th century England, which were also reflected in the then historical recordation and his contemporaries’works. It was through Carlyle’s full-hearted efforts that some other men of insight began to attend to the problems and disease of Victorian society.Second, Carlyle brought hopeful message to British people through his writings. Carlyle believed that any age called for heroes, while Victorian society in urgent need of a wise hero as king to lead people out of misery and confusion, he then ventured to call on the society to create conditions for heroes to exercise their responsibilities. Next, via the narration and admiration of China’s civilian rule, Carlyle advocated learning from China’s civil service system and actively selecting talented persons to serve the society. On this basis, Carlyle raised his third solution, that is, the demand of the whole society to work hard, the ruling class to fulfill their duties, and the working-class to obey the leadership.Finally, Carlyle’s idealistic principles paved the way for later social reforms. The fact that the Victorian society absorbed his criticism and made some adjustment and thus failed his prophecy, was in another way an exhibition of the merits of Carlyle’s social criticism and his contribution for the social reform.In brief, though Carlyle failed his prophecy, and did not fully realize his ideal of social reform, he was still a successful social critic. Admitting this point, we can better understand Carlyle’s social criticism and his contribution to the steady development of the British society.

Thomas Carlyle: A Successful Social Critic

Abstract

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