Abstract:
The study of Carlyle as a social critic was both enlightening and educational. This writer feels that Carlyle certainly had a great deal to offer as a social critic for his whole conception of the role of a critic was totally different. The social critic, as Carlyle saw it. was a person who viewed a literary work in a subjective manner, that is, the work was judged in terms of whether it reflected both the personality and talent of the author. Certainly in the twentieth-century, the careful study of Carlyle's Sartor Resartus is very helpful in that the ideas expressed about man and his relationship to himself and society are quite applicable to today's fast growing industrial society. While Carlyle really does not offer answers to the problems which confront man, he does encourage man to look beyond himself and his environment in order that he might concentrate on some project and completely lose himself in work. I want to take this opportunity to thank various people who have made this thesis possible. I wish to thank my Dad first for his constant moral support all through my writing of this thesis. I also owe much gratitude to Dr. June Morgan for first introducing me to the Victorian writers. especially Carlyle. Also, a great amount of humble thanks should be given at this time to Dr. Charles E. Walton, my advisor, and Mr. Richard L. Roahen, my second reader. Their assistance and confidence in me has been greatly appreciated and will most definitely be remembered in the years to come. My appreciation is extended, as well, to Dr. David Eastwood, whose preliminary assistance in the initial stages of this investigation was especially helpful, and to Dr. Richard Keller, who provided me with an invaluable bibliography on the history and development of the novel. August, 1975 E.E. M. Emporia, Kansas
