Past and Present is Thomas Carlyle's 1843 book of essays and social criticism. It contrasts the life of a medieval abbey, especially Abbot Samson, with the industrial England of his day, exploring work, leadership, and spiritual emptiness. It is worth listening to for Carlyle's forceful prose and its enduring questions about labour and society.
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Text source: gutenberg.org · The work is in the public domain.
Opening of the book
THOMAS CARLYLE'S COLLECTED WORKS. LIBRARY EDITION. IN THIRTY VOLUMES. VOL. XIII. PAST AND PRESENT. LONDON: CHAPMAN AND HALL (LIMITED), 11 HENRIETTA STREET, COVENT GARDEN. PAST AND PRESENT. BY
THOMAS CARLYLE. Ernst ist das Leben. SCHILLER. [1843.] CONTENTS. BOOK I. PROEM. I. Midas 3 II. The Sphinx 10 III. Manchester Insurrection 19 IV. Morrison's Pill 29 V. Aristocracy of Talent 34 VI. Hero-Worship 41 BOOK II. THE ANCIENT MONK. I. Jocelin of Brakelond 51 II. St. Edmundsbury 60
III. Landlord Edmund 65 IV. Abbot Hugo 73 V. Twelfth Century 79 VI. Monk Samson 84 VII. The Canvassing 92 VIII. The Election 96 IX. Abbot Samson 105 X. Government 112 XI. The Abbot's Ways 117 XII. The Abbot's Troubles 124 XIII. In Parliament 131 XIV. Henry of Essex 134 XV. PracticalDevotional 139 XVI. St. Edmund 148 XVII. The Beginnings 157 BOOK III. THE MODERN WORKER. I. Phenomena 171 II. Gospel of Mammonism 181 III. Gospel of Dilettantism 188 IV. Happy 192 V. The English 197 VI. Two Centuries 208
VII. OverProduction 213 VIII. Unworking Aristocracy 218 IX. Working Aristocracy 228 X. Plugson of Undershot 235 XI. Labour 244 XII. Reward 250 XIII. Democracy 260 XIV. Sir Jabesh Windbag 275 XV. Morrison again 280 BOOK IV. HOROSCOPE. I. Aristocracies 297 II. Bribery Committee 312 III. The One Institution 318 IV. Captains of Industry 333 V. Permanence 341 VI. The Landed 348 VII. The Gifted 355 VIII. The Didactic 361 Summary and Index 371, 383
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