Sartor Resartus is a parody novel about a German philosopher - though intended to be comic, it contains many of Thomas Carlyle's most poignant philosophic thoughts. First published in 1836, the text is richly contemplative and biographical in tone - claiming to be an account of the formative years of Diogenes Teufelsdr�ckh, a fictional German philosopher whose name translates to "" 'god-born devil-dung"". His long-winded musings are the subject of scrutiny by a sceptical English editor who himself has at hand some biographical insights. Designed as a send-up of German Idealism, Sartor Resartus is itself a philosophic work and an ambitious literary exercise. The commentary that one should become religious due to the very existence of meaning and the ability to disdain evil led many commentators to appraise the text as existential.
Thomas Carlyle was a Scottish satirical writer, essayist, historian and teacher during the Victorian era. He called economics "the dismal science", wrote articles for the Edinburgh Encyclopedia, and became a controversial social commentator.
Coming from a strict Calvinist family, Carlyle was expected by his parents to become a preacher, but while at the University of Edinburgh, he lost his Christian faith. Calvinist values, however, remained with him throughout his life. This combination of a religious temperament with loss of faith in traditional Christianity made Carlyle's work appealing to many Victorians who were grappling with scientific and political changes that threatened the traditional social order.
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