Carlyle''s The French Revolution

In 1837 Thomas Carlyle published his work The French Revolution: A History and overnight became a celebrity.

The work was filled with a passionate intensity, hitherto unknown in historical writing. In a politically-charged Europe, filled with fears and hopes of revolution, Carlyle''s account of the motivations and urges that inspired the events in France became powerfully relevant. Carlyle''s style emphasized this, continually pointing to the urgency of action - often using the present tense. For him, chaotic events demanded ''heroes'' to take control over the competing forces erupting within society. In Carlyle''s view only dynamic individuals could master events and direct these energies effectively. As soon as ideological formulas replaced heroes and human action, society became dehumanized.

As Ruth Scurr shows in her masterly introduction and through the texts she has selected from Carlyle''s masterpiece of historical writing, The French Revolution needs still to be read for its relevance and as one of the finest examples of English prose writing ever.