University of Texas Press

Ishmael as Prophet: Heroes and Hero-Worship and the Self-Expressive Basis of Carlyle's Art
Author(s): DAVID J. DELAURA

Source: Texas Studies in Literature and Language, Vol. 11, No. 1 (Spring 1969), pp. 705-732
Published by: University of Texas Press
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DAVID J. DELAURA
Ishmaelas Prophet:Heroes and Hero-Worship and the

BasisofCarlyle'sArt
Self-Expressive
no reader of thomas carlyle's lectures On Heroes,Hero-Wordeliveredin May 1840,has missedthe
shipand theHeroicin History,
crucialunifying
themeofthepossibility
of"Prophecy"in thenineteenth
is
as he glancesat the achieveCarlyle guardedlyoptimistic
century.
mentof Goethe,aboutwhomhe had written
fortwodecades.If the
of
is
the
his
"vision
of
inward
divinemystery,"
the
primequality
prophet
thenGoetheeminently
for
under
Goethe's
"guiseof a most
qualifies;
Man
of
modern,high-bred,
Letters,"Carlylediscerns
high-cultivated
thathisworksare "reallya Prophecy
inthesemostunprophetic
times."1
to
Mill
the
notes
the
that
Writing
following
February,
Carlyle
message
ofHeroes- "a stranger
kindofBookthanI thought
it would [be]"reader,"mostly
alreadylay,fortheperceptive
legibleinwhatI had long
sincewritten"{LCM, p. 174). And indeed,the themeof prophecy,
especiallyin its relationto moderntimes,was a chiefconcernof
wherehe had
Carlyle'searlyessays,above all in "Characteristics,"
invokedthemetaphysics
and "higherLiterature"
of modsuggestively
ernGermany
tosupporthisviewthat"This age alsois notwhollywithoutitsProphets"(XXVIII, 41 ) .
The present
oftheidea thattheunity
paperexplorestheimplications
ofHeroes,and withitmuchofCarlyle'searlythought,
is to be foundin
thedeeplypersonalcharacterof hispainstaking
attemptto definethe
the
and
the
social
of the prophet,esrole
characteristics, message,
in
the
nineteenth
The
ofthistheme,and
pecially
century. pervasiveness
theintensity
ofpersonalinvolvement
withwhichit is pursued,suggest
1 On Heroes,
Hero-Worshipand the Heroic in History,d. H. D. Traill (CentenaryEdition; New York, 897-1901), V, 157. All later referencesto Heroes
are to thisedition,as are references
to the Essays and Past and Present;volume
and page numbersare givenparenthetically.
Other abbreviations:
CE: The Correspondenceof Emerson and Carlyle. Ed. Joseph Slater. New
York,1964.
LL: JamesAnthonyFroude, Thomas Carlyle: A Historyof His Life in London,1834-1881.4thed.; vol. I. London,1885.
NL: New Lettersof Thomas Carlyle.Ed. AlexanderCarlyle.London and New
York,1904.
LCM: Lettersof Thomas Carlyleto JohnStuartMill, JohnSterlingand Robert
Browning.Ed. AlexanderCarlyle.London,1923.
SR: SartorResartus.Ed. CharlesFrederickHarrold.New York,1937.
76
DAVID DELAURA
thatin it we touch a centraland vital sourceof Carlyle'sliterary

of his careeras well as to itssuba keyto the intentions
dynamism,
which
stantive
andbiographical
The mingled
content.
literary
problems
thisthemebringsup are nearlyunique;rarelyhas a developedliterary
betweenpersonalexperience
artoccupiedso largea tractofthefrontier
and prophetsare prefavorite
heroes
and objectiveartistry.
Carlyle's
His
and forpublicrecognition.
whostruggle
forinsight
sentedas figures
is twofold
: at thepersonallevel,thesearchfora
ownparallelstruggle
in a largercontext,
thesearchfora
distinction;
publicand forliterary
themind
he couldreallyaffect
"message"and thequestionofwhether
and sensibility
ofhistimes.As we shallsee,theproblemof "voice"- is at issue
as crucialin a worklikeSartorResartus
alreadyrecognized
ofthe1840'swhich
here.Foritseemsclearthattheyouthful
generation
- thegeneration
ofMatthewArnold
to Carlyle
attracted
wasso strongly
- was responding
notonlyto theprophetic
and ArthurHugh Clough2
strainin Carlyle(a pointlong recognized)but also to the uniquely
authenticand authoritative
presenceof Carlylein his own prophecy.
of
roles
and attitudeshe assumesin a work,
the
variety
Through
of hisown embodiedpersonality,
us
of
the
convinces
integrity
Carlyle
This
statements.
forcebehindall particular
sensedas a singleenergizing
is
basis
"virtual"
the
and
personality
constantly
expanding controlling
of theworkas a whole.The themeof prophecythus
of theintegrity
the precisepowerand effectof
goes somedistancetowardclarifying
Carlyle'scomplexart.
I
and bitterfrustration
The familiarstoryof Carlyle'sintensestruggle
and inSartor
WottonReinfred
intheunfinished
ofthe1820's,reflected
Resartus,is the backdropfor Carlyle'searlyconcernforprophecy.
formadequateto
a styleand literary
represented
ThoughSartorfinally
ofdynamicidealism,3
theworkon
philosophy
Carlyle'sslowlymaturing
itsappearancein Frasefs in 1833-1834was greetedwithalmostuniofThe FrenchRevolution
versaldisapproval.
Onlywiththepublication
2On Carlyle'sstrong
on theyouthful
of
influence
and widespread
generation
"Matthew
Arnoldand Carlyle"(WartonLecthe1840's,see KathleenTillotson,
XLII (1956), 135tureon EnglishPoetry),
Academy,
oftheBritish
Proceedings
138.
3The two beststudiesof form in Sartorare LeonardDeens Irrational
Formin SartorResartus" Texas Studiesin Literatureand Language,V (Autumn
of SartorResartus,"
in G. B.
1963), 438-451,and Chap. IV, "The Structure
"Sartor"Called "Resartus"(Princeton,
1965). See also Daniel P.
Tennyson's
NewsofStyleand Devicein SartorResartus"Victorian
Deneau,"Relationship
"The Artistic
No. 17 (Spring1960),pp. 17-20;andJohnLindberg,
Unity
letter,
ofSartorResartus,"ibid.,pp. 20-23.
Basis ofCarlyle'sArt
heroes and hero-worshipand theSelf-Expressive
707
in 1837 can Carlylebe said to havebegunto findthepubliche sought.

Butevenin thefirst
hisauthentic
tone
essayin whichCarlylediscovered
and manner,"SignsoftheTimes" ( 1829), he had fulfilled
threetraditionalfunctions
oftheinspired
: theanalysisand denunciation
prophet
of the presentas somehowfallingbelow a divinestandard;the announcement
ofa direct"message"from,or "insight"into,truth;and a
literalprophecy
or prediction
ofman'sfutureor at leastofhispotentialities."Characteristics"
was to proveevenmoreim( 1831) , however,
in thehumanist
ofthenineteenth
initsdefiniportant
struggles
century,
tionof "the regionof meditation"
as superiorto "theregionof argumentand conscious
discourse"(XXVIII, 4-5 ) . A generation
ofyounger readersresponded
to theassertion
that,in thecontemporary
rupture
of the naturaltie betweenreligionand thismeditativemode, "the
Thinkermust,in all senses,wanderhomeless,
toooftenaimless,looking
to
a
Heaven
is
which
dead
for
to an Earthwhichis
round
up
him,
deaf" (XXVIII, 29-30). Carlylemusthave seemedcloseto thesurfaceas he announcedthatthenoblestnow are thosewho do notfall
backon a "worn-out"
creedor endin scepticism
or hedonism,
butwho
"have daredto sayNo and cannotyetsayYea, but feelthatin theNo
theydwellas in a Golgotha,wherelifeentersnot,wherepeace is not
appointedthem" (XXVIII, 31). The noblersuch men,the harder
theirfate:
In dimforecastings,
wrestles
withinthemthe'DivineIdea oftheWorld,'
will
nowhere
reveal
itself.Theyhaveto realisea Worshipfor
yet
visibly
or live unworshipping.
The Godlikehas vanishedfromthe
themselves,
of
world;and they,bythestrong
cry theirsoul'sagony,liketruewondermustagainevokeitspresence.
workers,
(XXVIII, 31)
The struggle
ofthenoblyprophetic
spirit,
seekingin vaintherevelationof thedivinebut compellednevertheless
to evokeitspresence,is
forCarlyle'scareer,nowthatthrough
Sartorand the
plainlya program
essaysof thisperiodhe had foundhis specialvoice and mtier.The
- aloneand wandering,
sketchCarlyleprovides
oftheapprovedprophet
detachedfrominstitutions
and lackinga sympathetic
audience,but albothforinsight
intothedivineand formeansadequate
waysstruggling
to expressit- is verymuchthe patternhe was to findforthe most
of his greatmenin Heroes.The personalforcesuffusing
sympathetic
hiselaboratediscussion
ofthepossibilities
ofprophecy
in thenineteenth
becomes
even
clearer
near
the
end
of
"Characteristics"
whenhe
century
announces,as we have seen,"This age also is notwhollywithoutits
; thereaderis thoroughly
Prophets"
prepared,evenif notwhollycon-
78
DAVID DELAURA
- madein thefirst
sciousoftheeffect,
to applytheremark
place with
- to Carlylehimself.
to Germanphilosophy
and literature
reference
that"The geniusof
Evidentlythe Carlylewho endedby predicting
Mechanism. . . willnotalwayssitlikea chokingincubuson oursoul;
butat length,whenby a newmagicWordtheold spellis broken,becomeour slave,and as familiarspiritdo all our bidding"(XXVIII,
in
thathe,aboveall othersofhisgeneration
42-43) , felt,increasingly,
of
"new
Word."
was
in
that
magic
England,
possession
of
hisdefinition
ofhimself
and ofhisrolethrough
Carlyle'sdiscovery
theprophetin Sartorand theessaysof 1829-1831is thepreludeto a
whichrevealhisgrowing
ofconcerns
in thethirties
insight
largercluster
- thoughgenerally
to self-knowledge
into the relationship
of artistry
on thecreative
bodiesofreflection
thisis one oftherichest
overlooked,
Revoluthe
French
nineteenth
in
the
Froude,praising
century.
process
senseof
tionas Carlyle's"mostperfect"work,speaksof his defective
and
and detachedpictures,
: "He throws
formintheothers
outbrilliant
of
is
.
.
There
of
masses
.
everywhere
unity purpose.. . .
thought.
large
in his
He
to
tell
own
Buteventsare left
their
story. appearscontinually
reader
at
the
own person,instructing,
every
informing
commenting,
is so originalthat
stepofhisownopinion.His methodof composition
it cannotbe triedby commonrules"(LL, p. 87). Whathas notbeen
studiedis how Carlyle's"unityofpurpose"is largelysecuredprecisely
byhisvariousmodesofself-presentation.
As earlyas 1827,in hisfirsttwo essayson JeanPaul, Carlylehad
added to the familiarRomanticview that Jean Paul's worksare
mindwheretheyoriginated"
"emblems
... ofthesingular
(XXII, 127)
or not,
fictional
whether
in
his
that
themorefruitful
works,
perception
becomesa personin thedramahimself"(XXVI,
theauthor"generally
oftheDiamondNecklace,had
12) .4Butonlyin 1833,withthewriting
in
freedom
considerable
achieved
handlinghisown"presence"
Carlyle
As CarlisleMoorehas showed,Carlylein thisworknot
in hiswriting.
to moralize,to philosonlyindulgesin hisfamiliardidactic"tendency
alsostepsintothenarbut
he
of
the
to
ophize, judge significancethings,"
rative"as a personof as manymoodsas ideas." ThoughCarlyleconhe becomesa
revealshisignoranceofthereader'spersonality,
tinually
thereader,warning,
addresses
whoalsorepeatedly
kindofstagedirector
Butthissameyear,1833,is
and persuading.5
conversing,
commanding,
4 Equally importantis the factthat,in both essays,Jean Paul becomesone of
not onlyof Teufelsdrckhand his style,but of the "vehethe major prototypes,
ment"and "ruffled"heroesoftheHeroeslectures.
5 Carlisle Moore, "Carlyle's'Diamond JNecklace'
and roetic ttistory,tMUA^
544ff.
LVIII (June1943),537-557,especially
heroes and hero-worshipand theS elf"Expressive
709
to haveseen
also important
becauseit was thenthatCarlyleseemsfirst
the convergence
in himselfof the variousburdensof the nineteenthjournalentriesrevealthatCarlyle's
century
prophet.Two remarkable
crisis
at
the
stillunresolved
is
center.He writeson March3 1:
religious
alas
!
alternations
of beliefand unbelief
most
and
"Wonderful,
pitiful
in me. . . . Meanwhile,continueto believein thyself.
. . . Neitherfear
thouthatthisthygreatmessageoftheNaturalbeingtheSupernatural
The messageis evenlesssecurein an
willwhollyperishunuttered."6
that"For thelast
entrydatedAugust24, wherehis acknowledgment
yearmyfaithhas lain undera mostsad eclipse"preludeshisplaintive
insistence:"In all timesthereis a wordwhich,spokento men,to the
actualgeneration
ofmen,wouldthrilltheirinmostsoul.Butthewayto
findthatword?The wayto speakitwhenfound?"7Obviously,
"faith"
or"belief,"instartlingly
traditional
sensesofthoseterms,
belief
precedes
inoneself,
theexternal"word"ormessageoftheNaturalSupernatural,
thestyleofitsexpression,
and thehoped-for
on the
effect
soul-shaking
presentgeneration.
The onlyelementlackingin thisself-analysis,
theculturalcrisisofthe
was
on
one
of
most
letters
to Emerage,
Carlyle's
supplied
penetrating
dated
1834.
Far
from
himself
son,
August12,
defending
againstEmerson's"saucy"objectionthathisidiosyncratic
styleresultsfromhisnot
hispublic,Carlyleagreesand callsit "questionable,
tentative,
knowing
and onlythe best that I in thesemad timescould conveniently
hit
modernsense"thatnowat leastwe have
upon."Forhe has a strikingly
livedtosee all mannerofPoeticsand Rhetorics
and Sermonics,
and one
all mannerofPulpitsforaddressing
mankind
as
maysaygenerally
from,
goodas brokenand abolished."He seesthemodernprophet's
problem
as thefactthat,though"pasteboardcoulisses,and threeunities,and
Blairslectures"are nowgone,evenperennially
sacred"inspiredutterance" willremain"inconceivable,
misconceivable
to themillion;questionable(notofascertained
even
to
few."He pictures
the
significance)
himself
as trying
newmethods,
and getting
"nearerthetruth,
as I honstrive
it."
But
he
for
more
than
in
his
ends,
estly
guardedly
journal,with
a weak and bleaklyvoluntaristic
versionof his contentless
religious
"faith": "MeanwhileI knowno methodofmuchconsequence,
except
ofbeingsincere. . ." (CE, pp. 103-104). Thislineof
thatofbelieving,
is reneweda yearlater,in June1835,whenhe arguesagainst
thought
Sterlingthat"purismof style"cannotbe his concern:"Withwhole
raggedbattalionsof Scott'snovelScotch,withIrish,German,French
6 JamesAnthonyFroude,Thomas Carlyle:A
Historyof the FirstFortyYears
ofHis Life,1795-1835 (London, 1882), II, 345.
7 Ibid., p. 354.
710
DAVTODELAURA
and evennewspaperCockney(whereliterature
is littlemorethan a
in
on
and
whole
structure
of our Johnthe
us,
newspaper)storming
revolution
thereis
sonianEnglishbreakingup fromits foundations,
visibleas everywhere
else"(LL, p. 41 ) .
in a laterstageof selfand clarified
These concernsare refocused
of
FrenchRevolution.As
after
the
thewriting
awareness,
duringand
that
in Sartor"It is ...
earlyas June1831,Carlylehad toldGoethe
nota picturethatI am painting. . . but a half-reckless
castingofthe
colours,againstthe canvas."8In July1836,
brush,withitsfrustrated
he repeatstheimage,saying
theFrenchRevolution,
nearto finishing
thathe will"splashdownwhatI know,inlargemassesofcolour;thatit
in thedistance,which
Conflagration
maylooklikea smoke-and-flame
it is."9And Carlyleis awarethatevenhis relatively
objectivehistory
selfreflects
and situation.He is excessively
his specialtemperament
rule"it
is
a
wild
1836
to
Emerson
in
November
savage
depreciating
less verybad Book; whicheven you will not be able to like"; but
he insists
thatthesequalitiesare theverysignofitsauthenrevealingly,
drawnoutoftheheart
:
it
things;sincerities
strange
ticity"Yet contains
in a
situated"(CE, p. 152). This is amplified
ofa man verystrangely
written
letterto hisbrother
February:"It is a book
Johnthefollowing
oftheworldhelives
fromthefellowship
bya wildman,a mandisunited
ofbrotherin,lookingkingand beggarin thefacewithan indifference
.
81
ofcontempt"
hoodandan indifference
)
(LL, p.
ofhiscomplex,perconsciousness
Carlyle,then,showsa developing
and
hisexperience
on
draws
which
a
hapsunique,artistry,development
as both(in Eliot'sphrase) theman
on hisinsightintohisexperience
formulation
and themindwhichcreates.His scattered
whosuffers
by
1837 ofthepersonalbasisof hisstyle,forwhichtherecan be no preintotheproofhisinsights
meditated"Art,"involvestheconvergence
oftraditional
breakdown
foundculturalcrisisoftheage; theconsequent
modes
of traditional
disablement
of truth;a corresponding
categories
a fit
whichevendivinetruthhas in finding
ofutterance;thedifficulty
of
class
of
a
is
one
he
fact
that
the
most
and
special
audience;
important,
self-annihiin
the
to
suffer
marked
historic
with
an
individuals
mission,
moralandsocialtruth.
essential
These,then,
latingtaskofapprehending
of
whatwe maycall the "pilgrim"
burdens
and
are the awarenesses
His ortheonlyadequateprophetforthenineteenth
century.
prophet,
the
are
and
but
acles are emphaticenough,
reflect,
theyinevitably
a
few
into
truth
on
steps
pushing
productof,hisownvanguardposition,
8 Correspondence
betweenGoetheand Carlyle,ed. CharlesEliot Norton(London, 1887), p. 285.
9 Thomas Carlyle,Lettersto His Wife,ed. TrudyBliss (London, 1953), p. 114.
heroes and hero-worship and the S elf-Expressive Basis of Carlyle's Art
711
at leastto theextent
ahead ofhisfellows.
He willproclaima newtruth,
thatNaturalSupernaturalism
has neverbeforebeenpreachedin England; his is a new mode of discovery,
drawingon the prophet'sown
and
his is a uniquely"personal"
personalquest,suffering, sincerity;
a hectic"splashing"down; and finally,
modeof disjointedutterance,
ofhisunknownaudience,evenhiscreationofthataudihisdiscovery
ence,is partof thetruth-seeking
images
process.The splashing-down
thattruthis notobjective,
pre-existent,
waitingforitsrecorder;
suggest
:
creationitself
instead,itis foundas partoftheactorprocessofartistic
discovers
andperhapsevencreatestruth.
prophecy
attributed
toCarlyle,
Hereisthecomplexheartoftheusualsimplicity
man.10
To employhistenthatthegreatartistis simply
thegreat-souled
is to educe"strange,"
tativeand heuristic
method,to "speak"sincerely,
is
This
and modern,
evenfrightening,
of
truth.
aspects
Carlyle'scentral,
correlative
to personal
a
fundamental
that
truth
in
sense,
is,
insight
of
moral
We
a
function
and
personality
disposition.
quest,verynearly
intothe"personal"qualarenotfarherefromsomeofthelaterinsights
ityof truthin Newman,especiallyin the Grammarof Assent.Thus
methoddevelopscerseesthathisnoteasilydescribed
Carlylein effect
- aboveall,theefficacy
ofRomanticegoism
ofthesuffertainpremises
In
Heroes
and
self
for
their
Hero-Worship,
ing
power.
"expressive"
as we shallsee,itevenbecomesa quasi-structural
and a source
principle
of "meaning"as thenarrative
of
the
hero's
struggles
emerges
pattern
of the experience
of theage. It predictsa Victorian
as representative
mode,too,in beinga kindof extendedmonologueor a seriesofinterlockingmonologues.
II
By thetimehe came to compose"Chartism"in thesecondhalfof
theprophetthanhe had been
1839, Carlylewas farmoreconfidently
whenhe composedSartorin obscurity.
The peculiarpersonalpressure
in his earlydiscussionof the prophet'smissionhad by
discernible
1839 becomethefullydevelopedmannerof the assuredsage. To attemptto describethe prophet'smessageand mannerwas indeedinto act the prophet,to adopt his messageand manner.11
creasingly
10See F. W. Roe, Thomas Carlyleas a CriticofLiterature(New York, 1910),
pp. 148-149,forthe principlesof Carlyle'shistoricaland biographicalmethodof
criticism.
11The discussionin JohnHolloways The Victorian
Sage (London, 1953), pp.
21-85, is easilythe best we have of the identityof "expression"and "confirmation"in Carlyle'swork,of his "modifying
the reader'sperceptiveness"
as opposed
to "persuasion"in the classical sense. Holloway's concern,however,is largely
atomic,and he does not, except forthe histories,apply his insightsto the unity
ofa wholework.
712
DAVTODELAURA
of
hislecturesof 1838 as "a mixture
ThoughCarlylecoulddepreciate
in
is
and
{LL, pp. 136), thephrase suggestive
prophecy play-acting"
four
seriesof
thenatureofCarlyle'sartin thisperiod.Forthe
clarifying
of hisfameand
lectures(1837-1840) notonlymarktheculmination
the rewardof his yearsof suffering;
influence,
theyalso bringout a
awarenessofthebasisofhisartin a specialapprenewand intensified
and in someofthemoststriking
hensionof"self."In "Chartism,"
pasto
is
able
Past
and
of
Heroes
and
Present,
himself
present
Carlyle
sages
the
as teacherand seer- and forthemostpartwithout
farmoredirectly
he
Sartor
than
had
in
or
a
even
of
a
Teufelsdrckh
Sauerteig
disguise
ortheearlyessays.The questionof"voice"becomescrucialhere.
I pointespeciallyto a mechanismat workin a passagequoted at
pronoun.Carlengthforitsspecialand elaborateuseofthefirst-person
of
function
limit
would
the
who
reader"
"the
British
retorts
lyle
against
:
to
that
of
property
society
protecting
thatpurse
Thatparchment
Andnowwhatis thyproperty?
title-deed,
Unvaluable
that
Is
in
thoubuttonest thybreeches-pocket? thy
property?
at
I
without
insolvent
most
brother,
parchment all,
happybrother, poor
whichwillnotfling
in theflaccidstate,imponderous,
withpurseoftenest
thanthat!I havethemiracuagainstthewind,havequiteotherproperty
God. I
intomynostrils
lousbreathof lifein me,breathed
byAlmighty
thereto
be
and
a god-given
haveaffections,
do; rights,
capability
thoughts,
if
to
I
love
love
to
instance
for
the
thee, thyguidanceifI
fore,
right
thy
one stillhears
in
whereof
the
thee:
church-pulpits
rights,
strangest
obey
almost
now;
highinto
stretching
rights
unintelligible
though
something,
far into Eternity!
a-day; three-and-sixpence
Fifteen-pence
Immensity,
poundsand odda-day,dostthoucall thatmypropa-day;eighthundred
as
withthat.Fortruly,
value
that
I
little;littleall I couldpurchase
erty?
a
it? In tornboots,in soft-hung
is said,whatmatters
carriages-and-four,
or in
man getsalwaysto his journey'send. Socrateswalkedbarefoot,
woodenshoes,andyetarrived
Theyneveraskedhim,Whatshoes
happily.
Whatwork
neverWhatwageshadstthou?but simply,
of conveyance?
- Property,
Of myverybodyI havebuta life-rent.'
O brother?
didstthou?
hasbeentheslave
Asforthisflaccid
nothing;
purseofmine,'tissomething,
of pickpockets,
robbers;'twashis,'tis
cutthhoats,
gold-dust
Jew-brokers,
into
mine;- 'tisthin,ifthoucaremuchto stealit.Butmysoul,breathed
will
I
and
that
is
is
mebyGod,myMe and whatcapability there;
mine,
ofit.I callthatmineandnotthine;I willkeepthat,and
resist
thestealing
do whatworkI can withit: God hasgivenitme,theDevilshallnottake
it away:Alas,myfriends,
Societyexistsand hasexistedfora greatmany
!
notsoeasytospecify
(XXIX, 163-164)
purposes,
moreelevatedand intensenoteof
The "I" hererisesto an altogether
"we" and "us"
conventional
the
rather
in
than
involvement
personal
heroes and hero-worshipand theS elf-Expressive
whichis the sustainedusage of "Chartism."Carlylepresents

himself,
as
of
own
to
his
the
first, directly
testifying
prophetic
specialquality
echoes
mission.This openly"stagy"performance
(the Shakespearean
wouldnot be missedby an educatedreader) becomesa dramatized
authentication
ofthatmission,
working
bythetrueprophet's
heightenand intensity.
Second,the"I" is representative:
Carlyle
ing,repetition,
himself
humanbeing.
as a divinely
commissioned,
presents
archetypal
"Brother"and "friends"
are nottheusuallecturer's
amenities
here,for
his
senseof community,
Carlyleis actingout a higher,quasi-religious
sense.In bothoftheseuses
verytopicbeing"Society"in a transcendent
of the first-person
withoutthemost
pronoun,Carlylespeaksdirectly,
usualmask,and withthespecialaccentofone"inspired"and thebearer
ofa divinemessage.
The evidenceso farpresented
that
goes to supportthe contention
concern
with
his
in
Carlyle'scontinuing
prophecy
writings
through
"Chartism"is a function
of hispersonalquestto definehis own propheticmissionand message,to achievean adequatestyle,and to find
an audience.The lettersof theperiodof "Chartism"and Heroesare
evenmoreexpliciton Carlyle'sconceptionof himself
as prophet.For
own
of
these
as
he
is vindicatedin
Carlyle's
struggles
years,especially
his emergencefromobscurity,
strikingly
parallelthe full patternof
which
he
in
discovers
his
favoriteprophetsof the Heroes
experience
lectures.In thespringof 1839 Carlyledelivereda lectureseriescalled
"On ModernRevolutions."
He writesEmersonon April13,concerned
withprophetic
quiteliterally
inspiration:"How trueis thatoftheold
Prophets,'The wordof theLord came unto' such and such a one!
Whenitdoesnotcome,bothProphetand Prosaistoughttobe thankful
hold theirtongue"{CE, p. 222). Four
(aftera sort),and rigorously
: "My Lecturescome
dayslater,he writesoftheagonyofcomposition
on,thisday twoweeks: Heaven! / cannot'speak'; I can onlygasp
- being
and writheand stutter,
a spectacleto gods and fashionables,
forcedto it bywantofmoney"{CE, p. 226) . Buton May 29, thelecturesnowover,heiseagertomaster
theartofpublicspeaking
: "I found
. . . thatextempore
.
.
.
is
an
art
or
and
craft,
speaking
requiresan apwhichI haveneve[r]served.Repeatedlyit has comeinto
prenticeship,
myhead thatI shouldgo toAmerica,[this]veryFall,and belecture
you
fromNorthto SouthtillI learnit!" {CE, p. 236). Obviously,
Carlyle
doesin somesenseconceiveofhimself
as a prophet,
and "inspired,"
and
he wishesto conquera broadpublicon bothsidesoftheAtlantic.Even
hiscomplaint
aboutfinding
thepropermodein whichto "speak"is,we
of
the
perceive,
role;for,as Heroeswas to makeclear,a
part
prophet's
gasping,writhing,
stuttering
speechis a commonsignof the divinely
7 14
DAVID DELAURA
givenpowerwhelming
prophet.Carlyleagainand
up in theauthentic
of
that
smoothness
and
speech ofmentalprocessindicates
againsuggests
the
secret"
of Natureis essentially
simple,but it
superficiality; "open
formulation.
can be capturedonlybyintuition,
whichresists
easy
AlthoughCarlyleregularlyspeaksof lecturingas "intenselydisagreeable"(CE, pp. 249,259; NL, pp. 193,194) , heismuchconcerned
about his influenceupon the Britishpublic.A letterto his brother,
well
thathisopinions,"pretty
June20, 1839,indicateshissatisfaction
utterednow," are "makingtheirway withunexpectedundeserved
in mygeneration"
(NL, p. 166) . Thiswas not,it is important
rapidity
to note,a conventional
searchfor"fame,"aboutwhichCarlylecould
ofOctober24,
tohismother
Buta crucialletter
be impressively
scornful.
of
marvels
makes
clear
that
this
1839,
year
signalizedbythepublicationof theCriticaland Miscellaneous
laudatory
Essaysand Sterling's
- markedtheend of hisperiodof obscurity
articlein the Westminster
and heroicstruggle.
thathasledmeso merciWhatreasonhaveI to thanka kindProvidence
from
whatit wasbuta few
me
far!
is
time
with
thus
a
It
changed
fully
all
sore
from
it
had
been
life.
back
what
;
sufferings,
poverty,
My
years
my
as
weresentmein kindness;
sickness,
obstructions,
angrily
disappointment
I rebelledagainstthem,theywereall kindand good.My poorpainful
12
invain.
wasnotaltogether
existence
(NL, p. 171)
is to be distinguished
fromself-pity
This sentiment
by the factthat
of
after
his
vindication
exactlyparallels
years struggle
Carlyle'spersonal
and obstruction
his heroes'path of suffering,
leadingto tripoverty,
that
the newly
of
did
new
conviction
This
not, course,imply
umph.
of
the
from
had
been
struggle expressing
exempted
recognized
prophet
ofSartoreightyearsbeforehad
hisvision,anymorethanthewriting
He wroteEmerson
ofvision.13
ofperfect
meanttheachievement
clarity
thathe can findno publisherfor
on December8, 1839, distressed
12Carlylehad told his brotherin May 1837 thathis "new profession'"was his
in whichyou have
way to "get deliveredout of thisawfulquagmireof difficulties
so long seen me struggleand wriggle,"since his threeyearsin London have been
"sore and stern,almostfrightful"
(LL, pp. 14-105). Even with the successof
the FrenchRevolution,Carlyle picturedhimself,late in 1837, as "a half-dead
enchantedspectre-haunted
nondescript,"disgustedwith the literaryprofession
(LL, p. 120; and see p. 130, February19, 1838). Only in early 1838 does he
and misery. . . were not utterly
firstadmit that "theselong yearsof martyrdom
in vain" (LL, p. 128), thoughhis "remorse"over his "conceit" and "ambition"
in his new success- not to speak of his evidentinabilityto allow any feelingof
- continuethroughthe deliveryof the Heroes lecturesto fill the
"happiness"
lettersand journals.
13See CarlisleMoore,"The Persistence
of Carlyle's'EverlastingYea/ Modern
Philology,UV (February1957), 187-196.
heroes and hero-worshipand theS elf-ExpressiveBasis ofCarlyle'sArt
715
and burn"Chartism":"nevertheless
I had to persistwriting;writing
and
and
then
Moreover,
though
ing,
mydestiny,
againwriting."
cursing
the"thoughts
werefamiliarto me,old,manyyearsold," theproblem
remainedthatof "the utteranceof them,in what spokendialectto
wordofCarlyle's,
utterthem!" (CE, p. 250). By "dialect,"a favorite
he seemsto meansomething
morethan"style,"almostwhatwe would
todaycall"dramaticvoice"orrhetorical
posture.
a
of"Chartism"in no senserepresent
thetoneand content
Certainly
oftheEnglish
consciousattemptto meetthetastesor theexpectations
public.The greatessayhe had written
"cursing"was donein obedience
to some higherimpulse: "I do not care verymuch,"he writeson
December30, 1839, "whatthe worldsay or forbearto say or do in
regardtothething:itwas a thingI had towrite."Atthesametime,he
is a mixture
ofprideand self-depreciation
aboutthefavorable
reception
oftheEssays: "It ratherseemsthepeoplelikethemin spiteofall their
crabbedness."
whichmakes
Perhapsit is thismatterof "crabbedness"
himreflect
that
"ten
of
life
lie
written
there;
wistfully
years my
strangely
it is I, and it is notI, thatwroteall that!" (NL, p. 178). Carlylewas
concerned,
then,about his perhapsforbidding
style(along withthe
of
what
"I"
it
could
be
said
to
abouttheessential
problem
represent),
of
his
witness
his
before
and, in a complexway,
integrity
generation,
abouthiseffect
He showssomeappreupon thepublicconsciousness.
hensionconcerning
whatpubliche was in factaddressing.
His referencesto the "fashionables"
and the "beautifulpeople" who attended
his lecturesare a mixtureof scornand flattered
vanity.At timeshe
- perhapssentimentally
seemedtoimagine
in thevein
and,surprisingly,
- thathe had accessto a bodyof"rationaland just"
ofMatthewArnold
readersfreedfromclassand partythinking.
In January1840he has no
"thepresentRadical Membersand Agitators"
: "for
hope of affecting
the cause of the Poor,one mustleave them[theRadicals] and their
battlesoutofview,and addressratherthegreatsolidheartofEngland,
therationaland just menof England,and avoidingall outpostsand
theirinconclusive
tumult,go rightto the heartof the matter"(NL,
p. 181).
The intermingled
concernswithstyle,"audience,"and prophetic
were
intensified
ofthecomposition,
message
duringthemonths
delivery,
and revisionof the lectureson Heroes.Carlylewas pleasedwithhis
audienceduringthelectureseriesin May, and in mid-June
increasing
he describeshis intention
in rewriting:"I am endeavouring
to write
downmyLectures
inthestyleofspeech"(NL, pp. 195,196) .
somewhat
Thisnewemphasison speechmarkswhatis verylikelythehighpointof
fortheprophetic
Carlyle'spersonalenthusiasm
office;forimpassioned
7 16
DAVID DELAURA
and authenticity,
was,he evidently
speech,as an indicatorofsincerity
mode
his"preaching,"
the
for
what
he
called
felt, appropriate
explicitly
a preachingdone "in the name of God." As he explainedin May,
Heroesoccupieda specialpositionamonghislectureseries,since"I am
thisyear,
thatbelongmuchmoreto myself
tellingthepeoplematters
whichis farmoreinteresting
to me" (LL, p. 182; myemphasis). Some
ofthisrelationto himself
letterto Emeris revealedin an extraordinary
sonofJuly2, whereCarlyleis found,in a moodofmingledexuberance
and conviction,
tonein whichhe
forthin thehigh-prophetic
bursting
wouldliketo preachtheotherwise
familiar
messageofHeroes:
The misery
ofitwashardly
years,
yetstillwasvery
equaltothatofformer
I had gotto a certainfeeling
overmyaudience;as
hateful.
ofsuperiority
ifI had something
to tellthem,and wouldtellit them.At timesI feltas
with
if I could,in theend,learnto speak.The beautiful
peoplelistened
other
to
tell
attention.
I
meant
boundless
them,among
tolerance,
eager
thatmanwasstillalive,Naturenotdeadorliketodie; thatall true
things,
mencontinued
trueto thishour.. . . On thewhole,I fearI didlittlebut
confuse
audience:I was amazed,afterall theirreadingof
myesteemed
nevertheless
to see howtherudest
so ill;- gratified
me,to be understood
is
thewelcomest
and
of
a
heart
man's
into
men's
thing
hearts,
speech
goes
ofpreaching,
there.WithalI regretted
thatI had notsixmonths
whereby
I had
In thefireofthemoment
tolearntopreach,andexplainthings
fully!
far
thisautumn,
andpreaching
outforAmerica
all butdecidedon setting
andwidelikea verylionthere.Quityourpaperformulas,
mybrethren,
name
of
in
the
wndivine
as
to
wooden
God,
idols,
they:
equivalent old
thatyouarealive,and thatGod is alive!Did theUpholsterer
understand
makethisUniverse?
Wereyoucreated
bytheTailor?I tellyou,andconjure
thousand
timesNo! ThusdidI meanto
a
me
to
believe
No,
literally,
you
and theHeroic,"in Americatoo.
preach,on "Heroes,Hero-worship
(CE, pp.274-275)
The firedwindled,the mood of the lion passed; still,he resolvesto
The
themfarther."
"and in somewaypromulgate
publishthelectures,
the
on
that
15
brother
he
writes
his
message,
July
urgencypersists:
"in somewayorother,mustnotbe lost.It is nota newstoryto me; but
at it; theworldcannottoosoonget
astonished
theworldseemedgreatly
looked
But
it"
201
.
with
)
byAugust1 thelectures
(NL, p.
acquainted
at all,"precisely
worthnothing
toCarlyle"absolutely
because,"wanting
all theunctionof personalsincerity
by voiceand face,they
expressed
dull and tameon paper" (NL, p. 201). "Nothingwhich
lookentirely
laterin thesame
I have everwritten
pleasesme so ill," he continues
as liketalkas
the
lectures
to
strives
make
as
he
"low-pitched,
month,
possible"(LL, p. 195).
717
The printed
butsuggestively
lectures
alsoevokedin Carlylea familiar
intenseambivalence.On the one hand, fretting
he
overproofsheets,
seesthecompletedbookwitha kindof wondering
:
incomprehension
"Thisthingon Heroes[hewritesMill on February24, 1841] provesto
be a stranger
bookthanI thought
itwould.Sincemendo readwithout
thistoowas worthwriting"(LCM, p. 174) . It was even"a
reflection,
goustrous[strong,boisterous]determined
speakingout of the truth
about severalthings.The people will be no worseforit at present"
(LL, p. 207). And yetwithina monthhe writesMill again,in an
almostsuspiciousfitof revulsion:"now thatit all lies there,littleis
- and thehappyprospect
visiblebuttriviality,
ofwashcontemptibility,
one's
hands
of
it
forever
and
Book
a
No
of
mine
looked
ever
ing
day.
moreinsignificant
to me" (LCM, p. 176). Buttheprophetin Carlyle,
howevermuchdismayedby his own most"prophetic"book,was not
tobe putdown.Lessthantwomonths
later- on May 13- we findhim
over
Cromwell's
as he tellsSterling,
that"the
life,fearful,
struggling
mantowriteitwillprobably
neverbe born."Buthe all at oncechanges
whatdo yousay
subjectand exclaims:"Or leavingHistoryaltogether,
of Prophecy?
Is notProphecythegrandthing?The volcanicterrada
lavoroof Yorkshire
and Lancashire:withinthattoo lies a prophecy
than
Ezekiel's
... !" (NL, p. 230). To theend theCarlyle
grander
whodoubtedwhether
itwas "thedutyofa citizento be silent,to paint
mereHeroisms,
&c." (LL, p. 222) admitted
Cromwells,
onlyone"secret
ofKunst"in hismethod,
thatofthechosensufferer
fortruthwhomust
yetstruggleheroicallyto expressit, part sublimeprophetand part
of the fact" as he writes
impromptu
play actor.The "intelligence
Sterlingearlyin 1842, "once blazingwithinme, if it will everget to
to be out,one has to takethewholedexterity
of
blaze,and bursting
adaptationone is masterof, and withtremendous
struggling,
really
continueto exhibitit,one wayor theother"(LL,
frightful
struggling,
p. 231).
Ill
"Is notProphecy
thegrandthing?"The evidenceoftheletters,
along
withan internal
thatmuchofthe"strange"
analysisofHeroes,suggests
to its "prophetic"character,
qualityof thelectureswas due precisely
as an intensefocusingof Carlyle'sdeepestdesireto be recognizedin
hisowngeneration
as seerand sage and,to a degreedifficult
to gauge,
as a leader.The subjectchosenforthelectures,
thelectureformitself
as wellas theprecisemomentof Carlyle'scriticalengagement
withthe
all
these
to
evoke
from
him
his
Englishpublic
conjoined
profoundest
his
explorationof the prophet'smission:the prophet'scredentials,
7 18
DAVID DELAURA
In doingso he ratherwonmessage,and hisspecialmodeofutterance.

of his own
revealed
his
fundamental
derfully
conceptionof himself,
in
"unheroic"
and
of
the
titanic
stance
he
had
this
most
role,
adopted
as
and "unprophetic"
time.The ultimateherooftheHeroeslectures,
the
wellas thesourceof itsunity,is ThomasCarlyle:he is implicitly
as BookII
chiefcharacter,
and theworkis nearlyas autobiographical
ofSartor.
into
ownroleinhisgeneration
Heroesissostagedas tothrowCarlyle's
The seriesof
thestrongest
significance.
light,and to giveit thegreatest
are so
and moralizing
historic
figures
broughtforwardfordescription
themeoftheProrecurring
manycaseswhichbearupontheregularly
themanwithspecial
century.
Implicitly,
pheticOfficeinthenineteenth
a herohimself:thisimintoHeroesand Heroismis inevitably
insight
which
is conveyedbothin Carlyle'sownprophetic
assertions,
pression
heroes'
of
his
rather
restricted
the
perceptions,
range
simplyduplicate
whichexhibitstheir
and his own specialstyleor mode of utterance,
ofhim"rude"and "rugged"character.
Moreover,
Carlyle'sconception
seen
we
have
which
and
as
his
as
well
self,
problems,
personal literary
ofthisperiod,are workedintothepatrevealedin thecorrespondence
ternwhichhe moreor lessarbitrarily
imposesuponhismostcongenial
- Mahomet,Dante, Luther,Knox, Johnson,Cromwell.The
heroes
inHeroesis thefrequent
finalevidenceoftheautobiographical
pressure
muchmorefully
elaborated
of
to
the
pattern experience
approximation
to be autobiographin Sartor,a bookwhichhas longbeenrecognized
ical in important
then,Heroes
respects.Withoutgreatexaggeration,
seriesofbioof
a
in
artistic
the
an
extended
can be readas
guise
essay,
talentandvocation.
onCarlyle's
studies,
graphical
ofall,to pointoutthecontempoat pains,first
Carlyleis continually
on heroism.
Againand again- through
raryrelevanceofhisreflections
like"still,""yet,""to thishour"- he
the repeateduse of expressions
or thePriest,evenin "sucha timeas
insists
thatthePoet,theProphet,
ours,"is "a voicefromtheunseenHeaven": "So in old times;so in
these,and in all times"(pp. 9, 11-12,28, 24, 80, 115). The climaxof
comesin Lecto thenineteenth
forward
thisconstant
century
pointing
a prodtureV, onThe Heroas Man ofLetters,
who,though"altogether
as did the Gods,
uct of thesenew ages,"speaksforthhis inspiration
... theinspired
and Priestsofpasttimes.In "uttering-forth
Prophets,
modern
soulofhim,"theMan ofLettersbecomes"ourmostimportant
- to proclaimCarlyle's
function
His
exalted
of
all."
soul
"the
person,"
familiar
messagethat"theTrue,Divineand Eternal. . . existsalways,
Trivial"- is exactlywhat all
unseento most,underthe Temporary,
heroes"aresentintotheworldtodo" (pp. 154-156) . Carlylerepeatsan
heroes and hero-worshipand theSelf-Expressive
719
idea of Fichte'she had firstapprovedin the 1820's,thatthe Man of

Letters,
preachingthe "DivineIdea of the World,"in factguidesthe
the
"like
a sacredPillarof Fire,in itsdarkpilgrimage
world,
through
of
wasteofTime" (p. 157). This attemptto enhancetheimportance
themodernMan ofLettersis bolstered
that
"at
theme:
a
recurrent
by
bottomtheGreatMan, as he comesfromthehand of Nature,is ever
thesamekindof thing:Odin, Luther,Johnson,
Burns;. . . theseare
all originally
ofonestuff"(p. 43 ) . Differentiated
onlyby"thedifferent
in whichhe worksand by "thekindofworldhe findshimself
sphere?3
borninto" (p. 78; see p. 115), thehero,evenofmoderntimes,retains
an amazingomnicompetence:
"A Herois a Heroat all points"(p. 28) .
The climacticordering
of thelecturestowardthe apotheosisof the
Man of Lettersis aided by Carlyle'sfrequently
definition
of
reiterated
theHero as essentially
a Prophet,thespeakerofthe"revelation"
ofthe
opensecretoftheuniverse:the"word"is hisprovince.The prophetis
of course"inspired,"and he is everywhere
markedby insightand sinand as Prophethe utters
cerity:as Seerand Thinkerheseesthetruth,
it,
withwhateverdifficulty.
The greatman's "wordis the wise healing
wordwhichall can believein" (p. 13). The "shapedspokenThought"
of"thegreatThinker,... theoriginalman,theSeer,"articulates
what
"all menwerenotfarfromsaying,werelongingto say" (p. 21). The
oftheprophetisthatofthe"earnestman,speakimageCarlylepresents
to
his
brother
men"
. . . sentfromthe
ing
(p. 26). As a "messenger
Infinite
Unknownwithtidingsto us," we all feelof the Prophetthat
"thewordshe uttersare as no otherman'swords."If the Prophetis
always"a voicefromtheunseenHeaven" (p. 115), theMan ofLetters
is thekeymodernfigure"endeavouring
to speakforththeinspiration"
in himthroughprintedbooks (p. 154). For suchmen are above all
truth"(p. 178).
"Prophets"and "speakers... oftheeverlasting
Butthepeculiarly
personalconcernwhichunifies
Carlyle'sreflections
is mostevidentin thepatternofexperience
he assignsto hisheroes,and
in theirspecialqualitiesofstyle.The personalqualitiesoftheheroare
fairlyuniform:theseare renderedby recurrent
epithetslike "rude,"
Some- forexample,Shakespeareand
"rugged,""earnest,""fervent."
- arepresented
as "unconscious,"
as a consequence
Johnson
apparently
oftheveryinexpressibility
oftheirintuitive
ofthedivine.
apprehension
heroesare melancholic
too,thesefavorite
Frequently,
;
bytemperament
certainly
theyare compelledto accepta fullshareofsorrowand sadnessin life.These"rude"figures
are almostalwayspresented
as titanic,
even"wild"and "savage" ("thereissomething
ofthesavage
struggling,
in all greatmen" [p. 193]). Aboveall, theyare uniformly
menofsin"Wildsincereheart") and insight("the clear,
cerity("rudesincerity,"
720
DAVID DELAURA
doubleimageof
deep-seeing
eye,""depthofvision") . The fundamental
in
is
one
of
and
Heroes, fact,
penetration,
depth
repeatedin literally
dozensofforms.The herois thusa man ofwhatwe mightcall downand-in-sight,
suggested
by whatis in effecta seriesof highlykinetic
of
and
Of coursethemanwhocan penetrate
images plunging piercing.14
tothedepthineachoftheseheroesishimself
a manofinsight
and depth.
But theeffect
innocentdeis incalculably
strengthened
bya seemingly
of"at bottom,"
a simpleadverbialexvice,Carlyle'sconstant
repetition
pressionwhichbecomespart both of the propheticmessageand of
credentials
as a prophet
inhisownright.
Carlyle's
earnest
herois prehisrugged,
Comingevencloserto Carlylehimself,
a specialpattern
ofexperience.
sentedas undergoing
Hamperedusually
at sometime
he is literally
or figuratively
origins,
by disadvantageous
forin exile; but he valiantlystruggles
outcast,wandering,
solitary,
andeventually
wardundertheburdenofsuffering,
and darkness
sorrow,
struck
winsthrough
to clarity,
vindication.
One is frequently
triumph,
autoto
the
that
the
of
heroic
course
this
by
by
undergone
similarity
more
in
of
Teufelsdrckh
Sartor.15
Even
pertinent,
biographical
figure
beforehe composedHeroeswe saw Carlylespeakingof
onlysixmonths
him:
had suddenly
Providence
the"changedtime"a merciful
brought
were
sore
sickness,
obstruction,
disappointment
sufferings,
poverty,
"My
sentme in kindness;angrilyas I rebelledagainstthem,theywereall
in vain"
was notaltogether
kindand good.My poorpainfulexistence
himself
and his
seems
saw
this
171
At
it
.
clear,Carlyle
)
(NL, p.
period,
tohis
fact
was
and
this
lives
his
chief
in
the
of
heroes,
conveyed
struggles
latent
in
of
even
the
residue
audience,including
"mypoorpainself-pity
ofthe
fulexistence."
He, likethem,had runthefullharrowing
gauntlet
into
of
the
heroes'courseand had at lengthemerged
daylight recognitionandfullarticulateness.
basisofHeroes
ofthisviewof theautobiographical
The plausibility
withseveral
isstrengthened
byCarlyle'sopenavowalofpersonalaffinity
as an exile,
heroes.Mahomet,forexample,is displayed
ofhisstruggling
had
notonly
sinceunjustmen
"drivenfoullyoutofhisnativecountry,
thedeepcryofhisheart,
givenno ear to hisearnestHeaven's-message,
14The continuoususe of "deep," "deep-hearted,""deep-feeling,""deep-seeing,""the perennialDeeps," "depth,"etc.,is supportedby a multitudeof suggestive phrasesusing words like "kernel,""heart," "inner,""inmost,""unfathom- not to speak of numeroussea
able," "centralessence,""roots,""underground"
images.
15Teufelsdrckh
is presentedas our younglshmael, the Wanderer, ana
is twice comparedto the WanderingJew (SR, pp. 113-114, 78, 17, 156). Carto himselfas "a Bedouin,... a roughchild of the desert"
lyle even once referred
(LL, p. 288).
721
butwouldnotevenlethimliveifhe keptspeakingit" (p. 60) . Later,

theportrait
ofDante takeson a verypersonal
Carlyle'stoneregarding
me
"To
it
is
a
most
urgency:
touchingface; perhapsof all facesthat
I know,themostso"; "lonely,"bespeaking
sorrowand pain"
"deathless
as wellas "theknownvictory
this"mournfulest
whichis alsodeathless,"
face"is "altogether
heart-affecting."
ClearlyCarlylefelta special
tragic,
withtheDanteantemperament,
itsmaturesoftness
and tenderaffinity
ness "congealedinto sharpcontradiction,
into abnegation,isolation,
- whom
isthefactthatCarlyle
proudhopelesspain."Of specialinterest
R. H. Huttononce describedas spending"all his energies
in a sortof
- is deeplyaffected
vividpassionofscorn"16
byDante's"silentscornful"
pain, his "godlikedisdain,"his "implacableindignation"
againstthe
world(p. 86). ButDante had a "noblerdestiny"
appointedhim"and
likea manled towardsdeathand crucifixion,
couldnot
he,struggling
For
was
nowno
it."
and
"there
banished,"
Dante,"poor
helpfulfilling
homein thisworld.He wanderedfrompatronto patron,fromplace
toplace" (p. 88) . He realized"thathe had no longeranyresting-place,
or hopeofbenefit,
in thisearth.The earthly
worldhad casthimforth,
to wander,wander;no livingheartto lovehimnow" (p. 89) .
Thesetwoliteralwanderers
ofmoremetaphorical
providethepattern
for
and
heroes.We hearof
exile,
struggle,
triumph Carlyle'slatter-day
"born
and
Luther,
poor,
brought-up
poor,"plaguedby "all mannerof
blackscruples,
dubitations"
: "He fellintotheblackestwretchedness:
had to wanderstaggering
as on thevergeofbottomless
Despair" (pp.
The
is
128-130).
pattern foundin Knox,too,withan added fillipof
: "ThisProphetoftheScotchisto meno hateful
man!
personalconcern
- He had a sorefight
ofan existence:wrestling
withPopesand Principalities;in defeat,contention,
life-long
struggle;rowingas a galleyslave,wanderingas an exile.A sorefight:but he won it" (p. 151).
The climaxand clarification
ofthepatterncomeswithCarlyle'spredictionthat"Men of Letterswill not alwayswanderlikeunrecognised
Ishmaelites
unregulated
amongus!" (p. 165). Forwe mustbe brought
toseethatevena Burnsfitsthetitanicrole: "He mustpassthrough
the
Thisordeal;thiswildwelterofa chaoswhich
ordeal,and provehimself.
is calledLiterary
Life;thistoois a kindofordeal!" (p. 167) . Carlyle's
intention
becomesexplicitfinally
in theassertion
thattheliterary
man
mustaccept"thecommonlotofHeroes": "ourHeroas Man ofLetters
had to travelwithouthighway,companionless,
throughan inorganic
chaos,- and to leave his own lifeand facultylyingthere,as a partial
contribution
towardspushingsomehighwaythrough
it." We suddenly
16Essays on Some of the Modern Guides to
English Thoughtin Matters of
Faith ( London,1888) , p. 38.
722
DAVID DELAURA
man afterthepattern
herois theliterary
realizethatCarlyle'sultimate
as he
in Sartor.If Luther's"blackestwretchedness,"
earlierpresented
sounded
wandered"staggering
as on thevergeofbottomless
Despair,"
Firein hisBaphometic
ofTeufelsdrckh
likethestruggles
remarkably
modern
the
that
are
fact
confirmed
our
Carlyle's
by
Baptism, suspicions
herohas the "fatalmisery"of "thespiritualparalysis"of the
literary
century,involvingboth intellectualand moral
scepticaleighteenth
beenmoredifficult
has a lifeofheroism
doubt.Indeed,rarelyin history
thanin moderntimes,forthelastage was "a godlessworld,"without
wonderor greatness(pp. 170-171). Thus Carlyle'ssupremeheroes,
themenofletters,
verysimilarto thoseof
undergostruggles
especially
clariforintellectual
theearnestnineteenth-century
agnostic,
struggling
also embodied,
thesewerethestruggles
ficationand moralcertitudes;
of Carlyle's
the struggles
in S artor' theyare, finally,
semifictionally,
career.
thequality
orspeakeroftruth,
a prophet,
If theheroisfundamentally
sincethetruthhe expresses,
of hisutterance
willbe unique,especially
forexpression,
The struggle
rationalformulation.
thoughsimple,resists
the chief
the
a
chief
mark
of
becomes
indeed,
prophet'sauthenticity,
is established
in Carlyle's
arenaofthetitanichero'sagony.The pattern
of theKoran as a "wearisomeconfusedjumble,crude,indiscussion
endless
iterations,
condite;
entanglement"
(pp. 64long-windedness,
66):
It is theconfused
ferment
ofa greatrudehumansoul;rude,untutored,
toutter
thatcannotevenread;butfervent,
earnest,
vehemently
struggling
to utterhimhe strives
in words.Witha kindofbreathless
itself
intensity
to
ofthings
crowdon himpellmell:forverymultitude
self;thethoughts
into
him
itself
that
is
in
The
can
said.
he
meaning
shapes
getnothing
say,
orcoherence;
is statedin no sequence,
no formofcomposition,
method,
as they
ofhis;flung-out
unshaped,
theyarenotshapedatall,thesethoughts
state.. . . The pantintheirchaoticinarticulate
andtumble
there,
struggle
in thethickof
of a manstruggling
hasteand vehemence
ingbreathless
thisisthemoodheisin! A headlong
battleforlifeandsalvation;
haste;for
into
words.
himself
he
articulated
cannot
of
get
verymagnitude meaning,
(p. 66)
imitates
whatitis describNow,thiselaboratepassage(whichpartially
have had of
exceeds
far
Carlyle
might
any
knowledge
possible
ing)
What thisdiscussionof the "proMahomet'shabitsof composition.
to all his
he attributes
phetic"manner,whichin varyingproportions
own
creative
of
his
is
sense
to
all
above
seems
Carlyle's
embody
heroes,
of theHeroeslecturesas "the rudest
habits.We recallhis description
speechof a man's heart"goingdirectto othermen'shearts.Where
were "flung-out
Mahomet'sthoughts
unshapedas theystruggleand
723
tumblethere,"wefoundCarlylewriting:"I theresplashdown(literally
as fastas mypen willgo) somekindof paragraphon somepointor
other.... I shallbe thebetterable tospeakofthethings
written
ofeven
in thisway."And in revising
he triesto write"in thestyleofspeech"
This struggle
is repeatedthroughout
thebook.We sensea personal
notebehindCarlyle'sdescription
of Dante's Comedy: "His Book,as
indeedmostgoodBooksare,has beenwritten,
in manysenses,withhis
heart'sblood. It is his whole history,
thisBook" (p. 90) - and we
thinkofSartor.We are notsurprised
thatLuther,withhis
inevitably
senseand strength,"
personal"ruggedhonesty"and "ruggedsterling
"flashes-out
illumination"
in his "smiting
idiomaticphrases,"thathis
commonspeech"hasa ruggednobleness,
dramatic,
expressive,
genuine"
(pp. 139, 141). But it is in his extendeddiscussionof Cromwell's
"inarticulate"
ofhispersonal
eloquencethatCarlylerevealstheintensity
concern.For in it,I wouldargue,we havesomething
likea rationaleof
to createa "dialect"ofhisown (whatSterling
called
Carlyle'sstruggle
and
Matthew
less
"Carlylism"
Arnold, sympathetically,
"Carlylese"
),
thestruggle
whichin theyearsbeforeSartormeanttherejection
ofthe
in whichhis earliestessayswere
eighteenth-century
style-of-all-work
written.17
scorn
on
that
Carlyleheaps
"respectable"
styleofspeechand
conduct"whichcan plead foritselfin a handsomearticulate
manner"
The
could
not
thegreatness
of
(p. 208).
eighteenth
century
recognize
a "Kingcomingto themin theruggedimformulistic
state":
Cromwell,
"theirmeasuredeuphemisms,
philosophies,
parliamentary
eloquences"
leave the heartcold (pp. 208-209). Thus "Poor Cromwell,-great
Cromwell!The inarticulate
Prophet;Prophetwho could not speak.
to utterhimself,
withhissavagedepth,with
Rude,confused,
struggling
- Cromwellis made,in Carlyle's
hiswildsincerity"
theoryof inspired
thearchetypal
forspeech,likehis
utterance,
prophet.Such struggling
and SamuelJohnson's,
undertheweightofmisery,
sorrow,and hypochondria,"is thecharacterofa prophetic
man; a man withhiswhole
soulseeing,and struggling
tosee" (pp. 217-218). Significantly,
though
Cromwell
couldnotspeak,he couldpreach: his"rhapsodicpreaching"
reliedon no method,simply"warmth,
depth,sincerity"
(p. 218). "He
and
disliked
disregarded
eloquence,naydespised
it; spokealwayswithout premeditation"
We
recall
in revising
(p. 219).
Carlyle'sattempt,
of
Heroes,to retainthespontaneous
"all
the
unctionof
quality speech,
voice
and
face."
personal
sincerity
expressed
by
ButCarlylehimself
makesalmostexplicittheapologeticrelevanceof
hisdiscussion
of Cromwell's"ruggedburstsof earnestness,"
his "help17See F. X. Roellinger,
of Carlyle'sStyle,"
Jr.,"The EarlyDevelopment
PMLA,LXXII (December1957),936-951.
724
DAVID DELAURA
in suchbursting
fulnessof meaning"(pp. 226,
lessnessof utterance,
discerned
Cromwell
He
had
in
"a real speechlyingim233-234).
in
these
tortuous
broken
rude
utterances;a meaningin the
prisoned
of
man!"
this
inarticulate
heart
great
(p. 235). Now, whenhe comes
to end his own finallecture,Carlyleturnsdirectlyto his auditors:
therewaspleasureformein thisbusiness,
ifalsomuchpain.It is a great
intothesecretofMankind's
as I think,
subject.... It enters
ways
deeply,
inthisworld,andis wellworth
at present.
andvitalest
interests
explaining
manner
in ordertogetintoitat
... I havehad totearitup in therudest
thrown-out
unall. Oftenenough,withtheseabruptutterances
isolated,
.
The
has
tolerance
been
to
the
trial.
.
.
accomplished
explored, your
put
ofwhatisbestinEngthebeautiful,
thewise,something
anddistinguished,
tomywords. (pp.243-244)
land,havelistened
patiently
In the veryact of ostensibly
askingforindulgence,Carlyleis, first,
modeproperto his
to
himself
the
rude,abrupt,ejaculatory
attributing
lastgainedtheear
he
has
at
that
heroes;second,acknowledging
highest
ofthe"accomplished"
audiencehe had sought;and third,claimingto
have specialaccessto "thesecret"of Mankind'smostvitalinterests
theverysphereoftheprophet.
The themeofheroworship,
as it recursthroughout
thelectures,
sugof Carlyle'srelationto his"audience."The letters
geststhecomplexity
to easy
indifferent
revealCarlyleto have been quite extraordinarily
and money.On theother
celebrity
popularsuccess,withitsattendant
that"theworldcannottoosoonget
hand,we havenotedhisinsistence
had
totellit.The explanation
with
the
he
evidently
"story"
acquainted"
tolerance
and
attention
the
is that,thoughbyno meansunflattered
by
as standingin a
of the "beautifulpeople,"Carlyleconceivedhimself
man to his "public."
to hisage unlikethatoftheliterary
relationship
The themeofthereception
ofheroesin theirowntimeprovidesa clue;
and with
and again,it is developedwithnoticeablepersonalintensity,
situation.Carlyleanto thecontemporary
almostunvarying
attention
nouncesin hisfirst
verytouching"
lecture,"To me thereis something
but
"in suchartless,
in primitive
Scandinavianhero-worship,
helpless,
If
I
could
show
his
fellow-men.
of
a
Hero
...
entire
by
hearty
reception
in anymeasure,whatI feeldeeplyfora longtimenow,That it is the
herein ourworld,
ofmankind,
thesoulofman'shistory
vitalelement
at present"(p. 29). We
it wouldbe thechiefuse of thisdiscoursing
"The mostsigrelevancein theassertion,
sensethenineteenth-century
ofan epochis themannerit has ofwelfeaturein thehistory
nificant
cominga GreatMan" (p. 42) , as wellas intherathernervousexhortathe Poet and Prophet:"we mustlistenbeforeall to
tionconcerning
heroes and hero-worshipand theS elf-ExpressiveBasis ofCarlyle'sArt
725
him" (p. 46) . As usual,thestatusofthemanofletters

and theneedsof
thepresent
are
intertwined
:
knows
"the
world
notwellat
age
uniquely
time
what
to
do
with
so
is
his
in
the
him, foreign
world,"says
any
aspect
Carlyleof theman of letters,
observing,
perhapswitha traceof selfpity,thathe rules"fromhis grave,afterdeath,whole nationsand
who would,or would not,give him bread whileliving"
generations
(pp. 154-155). Carlyle'sownperplexities
appearwhenhe saysofthe
measurehowtofindhim,
Hero-King:"That we knewinsometolerable
and thatall men werereadyto acknowledgehis divinerightwhen
found: thisis precisely
thehealingwhicha sickworldis everywhere,
in
theseages,seekingafter!"(pp. 199). But Carlyle'sperhapsmorerealassessment
oftherelation
betweentheheroand theage
istic,ifpathetic,
is evidentintheremark,
"Not a Heroonlyis needed,buta worldfitfor
him;a worldnotofVdiets'- theHerocomesalmostin vaintoitotherwise!" (p. 216). The tragedyof Carlyle'slifecan be measuredin the
distancebetweenthisscornful
judgmentof his age and thefigurehe
to
what
employed express
heroes,implicitly
includingCarlyle,should
be able to expect: "the GreatMan was alwaysas lightning
out of
Heaven; therestof menwaitedforhimlikefuel,and thentheytoo
would flame" (p. 77). Instead,the beautifulpeopleapplaudedand
boughthis books,and youngmen wrotelettersin playfulmockCarlylese.18
of all, Carlylehimselfrepeatedly
acts the
Perhapsmostimportant
in
the
course
of
the
The
lectures.
prophet
prophetic
messageis simple
thatone
enough,so simpleand so oftenrepeatedwithlittlevariation,
thattherein
liesat leastpartofthecausefortheintenserevulsuspects
sionCarlylelaterfeltforthebook.The Goethean"open secretof the
Universe"is almosttotallyexhaustedin the announcement
thatboth
theworldand man'slifeare miraculous,
mysterious,
living,and divine
- therevelation
of the workings
of God, an awfulFact and Reality,
fullof DivineSignificance.
But thereis also a considerable
amountof
literal"prediction"
in Heroes;despitethegloomyfateofprophets
and
thetracesofhisowntemperamental
exerts
himself
melancholy,
Carlyle
almostgalvanicallyto a seriesof optimistic
statements
the
regarding
future
ofmodernsociety.
His imagination
hasa naturalaffinity
forcrisis
and violentincendiary
disaster;forhim,theProphetbecomesthesponsorofa newRevolutionand a newReformation.
The GreatMan, we
outofHeaven"whowillkindlethedrydead fuel.
saw,is "thelightning
18See letterof March
1845, in Lettersof Matthew Arnold to ArthurHugh
Clough, ed. Howard FosterLowry (London and New York, 1932), pp. 55-57;
and one of May 1848,in The Correspondenceof ArthurHugh Clough. ed. FrederickL. Mulhauser(Oxford,1957), I, 207.
726
DAVID DELAURA
That fuelis "commonlanguidTimes,withtheirunbelief,

distress,
percirand embarrassed
withtheirlanguiddoubtingcharacters
plexity,
towards
distress
into
ever
worse
cumstances,
crumbling-down
impotently
is clearlyto his own age. But
finalruin" (p. 13): the reference
itselfhas a hopefulprognostic:it is "not an end but a bescepticism
ginning.""Let us have the crisis;we shall eitherhave deathor the
is only"an approachtowardsnew Faith" (p.
cure53;Ultilitarianism
is butthefirst
ofa seriesofhonestdemolilikewise
172) . Protestantism
we look"afaroffto a new
confusion
tions,forbeyondeventhepresent
divine!" (p. 123). This
thing,whichshallbe true,and authentically
world: the
a believing
willbe a "worldall sincere,
worldin preparation
likehas been; thelikewill again be,- cannothelp being" (p. 127).
thattheworldwill
onceor twice:"I prophesy
The tonerisesringingly
with
a
world
:
oncemorebecomesincere
; believing
manyHeroesin it,
a heroicworld!" (p. 176) . Butofcoursehe doesnotspelloutthedetails
of thisnew "union,"beyondstatingthatit will be a "Theocracy,"
making"a God's KingdomofthisEarth" (p. 153). Thesehopesthat
willbe cast out- "as, by God's
"Dilettantism,
Triviality"
Scepticism,
be"
85
shall
one
visionary
day
(p. ) - areat oncedistantly
they
blessing,
a productofwishfulfillment;
futileand peevish,
andno doubtsomehow
remindsus thatin timesof
Carlylemorecautiously
thoughsometimes
troublous
"there
are
inevitablerevolution
long
periodsbeforematters
from
cometo a settlement
again,"and thatthisis a timeof"transition
falsetotrue"(pp. 119,203) .
arenotconvincingly
managedforthetwentiethCarlyle'sprophecies
evento
readerand verylikelywerenotalwaysfullysatisfying
century
foundin him an
the Victorianpublic,who soughtand sometimes
assurancehe himselfdid not firmly
ethicaland metaphysical
possess.
But we are concernedherewiththe mannerand tonewhichCarlyle
his auditorsand readerswould
adoptsin Heroes,and the inferences
heresuggests,
drawfromthem.As theweightoftheevidencepresented
was prethan
fullest
with
less
the
self-consciousness)
Carlyle(perhaps
the
of
to
his
in
and
leader
himself
as
the
times;
England
prophet
senting
had
for
role
as
candidate
the
other
Carlyle
1840,therewasscarcely
any
forthemodernreadertoimagine
defined
it.It shouldnotbe impossible
readerof Heroes,and muchmorean audithata nineteenth-century
wouldhavebeenable to believe,evenifonlyforthe
torofthelectures,
was
indeedthegreatmanwhose"wisehealingword"
here
that
moment,
unbeliefand perplexity.
wouldenkindlethedryfuelof contemporary
were"incalculably
Convincedthatmenof letters
influential,"
Carlyle
them
seemsin 1840tohavebelievedthathisownprediction
concerning
- thatthey"will not alwayswanderlike unrecognised
unregulated
727
Ishmaelites
in himself.
The exuberance
amongus!"- had beenfulfilled
oftheletterofJuly2 to Emerson,
in whichin "thefireofthemoment"
he plannedto preach"likea verylion" throughout
America,and the
of
his
the
immediately
following
collapse
plans;
"strange"qualityhe
detected
in
the
the
almostimmediate
musingly
completedwork,and
extreme
ofthebook: theseoscillations
thatCarlyle
depreciation
suggest
himself
mayhave detectedtheremoreof one side of himself,
unprotectedby ironyand masks,thanhe was customarily
willingto reveal.
An important
devicehelpsindicatefinallythe extentof Carlyle's
in Heroes.It is thatof "voice,"of the assumed
uniqueomnipresence
stanceand authority
of thefirst-person
speaker.Perhapsthreeor four
modesof self-presentation
can be distinguished.
Thereis, pervasively,
the"I" ofthereasonable,
The
lecturer.
ingratiating
nineteenth-century
of
first
the
lecture
strewn
with
like
are
openingpages
thickly
phrases "as
I say,""as I takeit," "whatI call Hero-worship,"
"could I ... make
manifest
toyou,""I mustmaketheattempt,"
"itseemstome,""I find,"
"I cannotyetcall." Theseare intermingled
witha tissueofpluralsdeto drawin his benevolently
signedconventionally
disposedaudience:
"We cannotlook,however,""we see menofall kinds,""a thingthat
fillsus," "we maypause," "We shallnotsee," "if we do not reject,"
"we maysay,""Let us try,"etc.Buta second,more
"Let us consider,"
more
authoritative
tone is detectablein the accumulationof slightly
of thesameterms.We sensethepersonalauthority
emphaticversions
of JohnHenry
assumedin the following
phrases,ratherreminiscent
Newman'smanner,all fromtwo successiveparagraphs:"I do say,"
"I willnot,""I say,""I define,""truly"(pp. 173-174). Even more
ifhardto classify,
are thosememorable
moments
whenCaremphatic,
to evincespecialinterest
in hisfavorite
heroes."This
lylestepsforward
Prophetof theScotch,"he saysof Knox, "is to me no hatefulman!"
(p. 151). "To me,"he saysofDante,"it is a mosttouchingface; perhaps of all facesthatI know,themostso" (p. 86). Perhapsmostreis a passagein whichCarlyleshifts,
without
benefit
markable,
however,
ofquotationmarks,fromhisownintensely
mode
to
the
personal
putativewordsofLuther:
I, forone,pardonLutherfornowaltogether
revolting
againstthePope.
ofhis,had kindledintonoblejust
The elegantPagan,bythisfire-decree
heartthenlivingin thisworld.The bravest,
ifalsoone
wraththebravest
it
was
now
These
words
ofmine,
kindled.
of thehumblest,
peaceablest;
as humaninability
would
wordsoftruthand soberness
aimingfaithfully,
God'struthon earth,and savemen'ssouls,youGod's
allow,to promote
andfire.You willburn
on earth,answerthembythehangman
vicegerent
meandthem
(p. 133)
728
DAVID DELAURA
Andso on: theresultbeingthatthefinalassertion

oftheparagraph
"thatLifewas a truth,and nota lie!"- thoughactuallythewordsof
betweenthetwodramaticvoices,and adds
Carlyle,hoverssuggestively
to Carlyle'spersonalsincerity
thethundering
ofLuther.The
authority
effect
in itsheightened
tone
and
itsnoteofinis comparable,
prophetic
tensepersonalconviction,
to thelongpassagecitedabovefrom"Chartism."
IV
I have arguedthatthe fundamental
unityof Heroesderivesfrom
thetotality
forms
of
but
continuous
varied
self-presentation,
Carlyle's
at
is
indeed
a
that
the
prophet, timesthe
conveying impression Carlyle
for.19
looked
This is not
the
word
wise
whose
and
age
healing
prophet
to denythathe doesnotalwaysspeakinhisownperson;JohnHolloway
of discussions."20
studiedCarlyle's"dramatization
has authoritatively
ofmaskand
freer
of
Heroes
is
dramatization,
Nevertheless,
admittedly
more
the
even
than
relatively
"objective"early
irony,thanSartorand
fallacy,
essays.Noris thistofall,in anysimpleway,intotheintentional
thoughCarlyle'sworksdefymanyofourusualand validcanonsofcritand historical
betweentheartworkand itsbiographical
ical separation
the
ofCarlyle's,
ForifHeroesis a peculiarly
personalstatement
origins.
whatis evidentin the
and clarify
letters
oftheperiodonlycorroborate
roleassumed
thattheprophet's
NorwouldI deny,finally,
workitself.21
19JohnLindberg,in "The Decadence of Style: SymbolicStructurein Carlyle's
Later Prose," Studies in ScottishLiterature,I (January1964), 183-195, makes
severalcommentson Carlyleas prophetand as "sympathetic
hero,"but
suffering
frommyown.
froma pointof view somewhatdifferent
AlbertJ. La Valley, in Carlyleand the Idea of the Modern (New Haven and
London, 1968), whichappeared afterthe presentessaywas completed,declares
(p. 248) ) thattheheroesCarlyle"reallyadmiresare imagesof himselfor a wishself."La Valleyfascinatingly
fulfilled
presentsHeroes (pp. 236-252) as an example
of retreat,confusion,distortion,
failure,and rationalization;still,in my opinion
he failsto see the positiveimportanceof the book in Carlyle'spersonaldevelopmentup to 1840.
20VictorianSage, p. 27.
21tt.ti. Lehman,m Larlyle's1 heoryof thenero ^JJurnam,
in.ij., iy*;, pp.
196ff.,reversesthe processand looks for the ways in which Carlyle the man
attemptedto conducthimselfin accordancewiththe herotheory.GeorgeLevine,
in " 'SartorResartus'and theBalance ofFiction,"VictonanStudies,VIII (December 1964), 131-160, usingwhat I believe is a methodsomewhatsimilarto my
own,explainsthatthe "form"of Sartor,as well as the hithertounsolvedproblem
can onlybe understoodas Carlyle's
of therelationof theEditorto Teufelsdrckh,
ofhisidentity"and as theexpressionof
and discovery
"deeplypersonalaffirmation
his "self-awareness"of his complex relationto his audience (pp. 154, 146). I
the highpointof Caragree thatSartor,throughits fictionaldevices,represents
I
would
but
to
and
argue thatas late as
experience";
lyle's "flexibility openness
1840 Carlyle still maintaineda considerablecomplexityand "uncertainty"and
setof"masks."
a quasi-fictional
729
in Heroesis itselfa "mask,"a necessary

and
pose.Carlyle's"sincerity"
conviction
are
the
well
as
a
as
but
letters,
evident,
personal
frequent
oftonein thelectures,
revealthattheprophetic
was
afflatus
uncertainty
at bestintermittent
withhimand thatthemannerhad to be wilfully
maintainedand at timesforced.Moreover,at bottomCarlylevery
relikelyharboreda contemptfor- or at least a strongreservation
- the"mere"man of letters:hisinstinctive
garding
always
sympathies
as he grew older) lay withthe man of decisive
(and increasingly
action?2
Therewas,indeed,one further
cause of Carlyle'sspecialwillingness
in thespringof 1840to adopttheprophet's
tone,a causewhichthrows
ofthelectures.For Heroesrepresents
a decided
lighton theintentions
of
of
the
Lectures
on
the
the
deLiterature,
heightening
style
Historyof
liveredtwoyearsearlier,in whichCarlyledealtwithfourofthemajor
of Heroes (Dante, Shakespeare,
figures
Knox,Johnson)and someof
itsmajorthemes(sincerity,
earnestness,
unconsciousness,
humor)in an
flatter
manner.
If
there
is
cause
forthenewaltogether
anysinglemajor
foundconfidence
whichis evidentin theadoptionoftheprophet's
tone,
it is to be foundin JohnSterling's
reviewof "Carlyle's
long,adulatory
Work"in the Westminster
of theprecedingautumn.Sterling,
though
he had knownCarlylewellsince1835,did notblushto referto himas
ofhistory,"
"themostresoluteand mighty
"among. . . theimmortals
in
our
"the
the
man
of
most
preacher
fervid,
day,"
sincere,
far-reaching
whohad
genius"to have arisenin Englandin twenty
years.23
Sterling,
a capacityforhero-worship,
hadfounda hero:
as a torrent
his wordsspreadforth,
and will
clear,swift,
far-sounding
streamintomanyhearts.The heavylamentation
willcomeas a voiceof
snarland gossipofliterature,
and thedead
hope.. . . Amidtheclamorous
formulas
ofsuperficial
heresoundsa trueprophetic
voice.. . . Nor
science,
willitbewithout
fitaudienceamongus
(p. 38)
reviewwas a decisiveeventin Carlyle'scareer,becausehe
Sterling's
had at lastfoundan adequatedisciple.He saw thereviewlatein Septemberand wroteSterling:"therehas no man in theseIslandsbeen
so reviewed
in mytime;itis themostmagnanimous
eulogyI everknew
one manutterofanothermanwhomhe knewfaceto face.. . . incred22Froude commentsthat
Carlyle "was consciousof possessingconsiderable
powers,but he would have preferredat all timesto have founda use forthem
in action" (LL, p. 48). For Froude'sown startling
commentson literatureas "but
theshadowof action;the actionthereality,thepoetrytheecho,"see LL, pp. 130131.
23London and Westminster
Review,XXXIII (October 1839), 10,37, 52. Hereaftercited parenthetically
by page numberalone.
730
DAVTODELAURA
ibleto all men,incrediblest

ofall tome; yetsweetinthehighest
degree,
forveryobviousreasons,notwithstanding"
(LCM, p. 224). That this
was a turning
pointin Carlyle'slifeis evidentwhenwe notethatthe
letterin whichhe toldhismotherofthe"changedtime"in hisfortunes
was datedOctober24. In fact,a readingof Sterling's
reviewsuggests
- not
thatit providedthe germinalconception
of the Heroeslectures
much
adumbrated
"doctrine"
which
had
been
the
of
heroes,
simply
For
its
but
the
of
earlier,
presentation.
peculiarlypersonalintensity
and
saw
not
that
was
a
prophet,
Carlyle
hero-worshiper,
only
Sterling
herohimself,
but thatCarlyle'sart had a speciallyautobiographical
ofmanya ragged,outbasis.Sterling
worship
spokeofCarlyle's"fervid
are
castheroism"(p. 22) : "to Mr. Carlyletheobjectsofchiefinterest
- menwhohavefought
thegoodfight.
...
memorable
strongly
persons
especially. . . thoselivingnearestto our owntimeand circumstances,
in whomwe mayfindmonumental
examplesofthemodein whichour
difficulties
are to be conquered"(pp. 12-13). Carlylestudiedthe
the energiesby whichhe
"hindrances
such a man had to overcome,
whatever
it
the
and
them,
work,
mayhavebeen,whichhe
vanquished
thusaccomplished
formankind"(p. 13).
More important,
Sterlingagain and again detectedin Carlylethe
of
qualities Carlyle'sheroes.He speaksofCarlyle's"apparentrudeness,
ofstyle
lawlesscapriciousness
; fullofmeaningsand images,
harshness,
orat leastas yetunreconciled"
buttheselookingincoherent,
(pp. 9-10) .
the
of
one
in
is
Paul
like
"inspiredpaintersofsymbeing
Carlyle
Jean
ofourexistence"(pp. 10-11) ; buthe
realities
bolsforthefundamental
of disbreatheswar-flames
goesbeyondhimin that"he livesto fight,
The
forward."
wrestle
and
to
dain and zeal, and movesonly
trample
hear
we
as
to
one
oftheheroare one by
applied Carlyle
requirements
his
and "gloomyspectralfervour,"
thathis "tumultuous
abruptness"
of
mode
instantaneous
and his"short,
expressharp,
"rugged"sentences
fluent"and is
sion,"are explainedbythefactthat"he is notnaturally
ofdismechanism
a conventional
unable"to usewithsmoothdexterity
.
.
of
course"(pp. 21-22). He paintsCarlyleas "large bone, . sturdy,
"resemand witha lookofcombat,and ofhighcrusader-enthusiasm,"
giantof romance,a legendary
bling,perhaps,a greatChristianized
more
Even
perhaps,is Sterling's
suggestive,
24).
Christopher"(p.
"in
withLuther,whomCarlylemostresembles
elaboratecomparison
and
of his character."There is a likeness"in the type
the essentials
and faculties"(p. 64) ; in boththereis "sinscale of theirtendencies
. . . suddenand robusteloquence,and broad
fervour,
cerity,
largeness,
basedon deep
viewsofall things;a flowing
and unshackled
cordiality
731
and severe,oftenalmostdismaland sepulchralconscientiousness"

(pp.
64-65) . In each manthereis "fierceand scornful
prejudice"and great
exaggeration:"Their fundamental
unityof conceptionlivesin a reawe
of
the
Divine"
.
65
ligious
( p. )
letwell-known
Thesereflections
had beenadumbrated
in Sterling's
terof May 29, 1835,whichwas in effect
seriousliterary
critithefirst
cismCarlylehad received.In discussing
the"form"ofSartor,Sterling
had alignedCarlylewiththe "subjective"mastersof modernlitera- and puthiminthecompanyofRabelaisand Montaigne,
ture
Sterne
and Swift,Cervantesand Jeremy
he noted
Taylor.Most important,
that the "multitudeof peculiarassociationsand relations"in such
whichopenthemto chargesoflawlessness
and capriciousness,
writers,
cannotbe defended
one
butare
external
aesthetically
by"any
principle"
in fact"connected
the
bond
of
our
own
109-1
by
(XI,
10) .
personality"
Thislineofthought,
in
the
review
of
must
had
have
1839,
culminating
an important
influence
on Carlyleas his own reflections
on the personalbasisofhisartgatheredto a focus.That thereviewin theWestminster
markedan epochin Carlyle'sconception
ofhimself
is evident,
notonlyintheletterofOctober24 tohismother,
butin a passageinthe
LifeofJohnSterling,
publishedmorethana decadelater.Carlyleremembers
thedeepsilentjoy,notofa weakorignoble
whichitgavetomyself
nature,
inmythenmoodandsituation;
as itwellmight.
The first
human
generous
withheroicemphasis,
and clearconviction
visible
recognition,
expressed
amiditsfiery
thatone'spoorbattlein thisworldis notquite
exaggeration,
a madand futile,
thatit is perhapsa worthy
and manfulone,whichwill
cometosomething
burnt
inmelikea lamp,forseveral
yet.. . . The thought
intoa kindofheroicsplendour
thesad volcanicwrecks,
days;lighting-up
andconvulsions
ofsaidpoorbattle,
andsecretly
I wasverygrateful
abysses,
tomydaringfriend,
andam still,andoughttobe.
(XI, 191-192)
The roleof "heroicsplendour"in whichSterlinghad cast his friend
carriedCarlylethrough
thecomposition
ofHeroesand Hero-Worship,
and contributed
tothetemporary
identitysomewouldsayconfusion
ofCarlylewithhisownheroes.
I submitthatin thepagesofSterling's
reviewwe findthegerms,not
of
the
substance
of
but
of
thatpeculiarimplicitpresenHeroes,
merely
tationofhimself
whichunifiesand vivifies
a unique
Carlyle'slectures,
and not easilyformulated
in
unity Carlyle'swritings,
restingon the
his
of
and
reviewcondeepestground
experience personality.
Sterling's
with
the
other
circumstances
of
life
joined
favoring
Carlyle's to produce
732
DAVID DELAURA
theunstatedpertheeuphoriaof 1839 and 1840; it also,bysuggesting

in
sonalbasisof theherodoctrine,
some
distance
explainingthe
goes
In
the
rhetorical
stance
of
Heroes.
and
tone
review,no doubt
unique
had
a
seriesofformulas
discovered
tosomeextent
unconsciously,
Carlyle
and
doctrine
whichled himtotheprecisepointwherehisfundamental
what
to
write
him
his personalquestforself-definition
met,enabling
bookofthenineteenth
is perhapsthemostopenly"prophetic"
century
Romantic
art.
of
inEnglandanda masterpiece
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Ishmael as Prophet: Heroes and Hero-Worship and the Self-Expressive Basis of Carlyle's Art

Author(s): DAVID J. DELAURA

Ishmaelas Prophet:Heroes and Hero-Worship and the

thatin it we touch a centraland vital sourceof Carlyle'sliterary

in 1837 can Carlylebe said to havebegunto findthepubliche sought.

heroes and hero-worship and the S elf-Expressive Basis of Carlyle's Art

whichis the sustainedusage of "Chartism."Carlylepresents

heroes and hero-worshipand theS elf-ExpressiveBasis ofCarlyle'sArt

In doingso he ratherwonmessage,and hisspecialmodeofutterance.

idea of Fichte'she had firstapprovedin the 1820's,thatthe Man of

butwouldnotevenlethimliveifhe keptspeakingit" (p. 60) . Later,

heroes and hero-worshipand theS elf-ExpressiveBasis ofCarlyle'sArt

him" (p. 46) . As usual,thestatusofthemanofletters

That fuelis "commonlanguidTimes,withtheirunbelief,

Andso on: theresultbeingthatthefinalassertion

in Heroesis itselfa "mask,"a necessary

ibleto all men,incrediblest

and severe,oftenalmostdismaland sepulchralconscientiousness"

theunstatedpertheeuphoriaof 1839 and 1840; it also,bysuggesting

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