English appreciation of The Nibelungen Lied began after Carlyle's introduction of it to the English reading public in his essays, while in Germany even Adolf Hitler quoted this essay of Carlyle's in Mein Kampf. Thomas Carlyle was one of Victorian Britain's great writers and an important historical figure. "How great he was! He made history a song for the first time in our language. He was our English Tacitus." - Oscar Wilde
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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