Critical Miscellanies, Vol. 1, Essay 2: Carlyle

"Critical Miscellanies, Vol. 1, Essay 2: Carlyle" by John Morley is a critical exploration of Thomas Carlyle's impact during the Victorian era. The essay looks at Carlyle's complicated opinions on everything from books to how people should act, along with the mark he left on moral beliefs and writing styles of the time. Morley shows how Carlyle was good at pointing out the unease and moral problems of his day while also criticizing shallow ideas and social systems. Morley looks at both the passion in Carlyle's ideas and some of his more troubling views, like his tendency to be overly emotional and his negative opinions of regular people. Morley makes it clear that Carlyle's thinking, full of both praise and criticism, pushed people to think deeply about society but also caused disagreements, shaping moral talks during a changing time.