Thomas Carlyle: Sartor Resartus and On Heroes Hero-Worship and the Heroic in History

Sartor Resartus is a philosophical novel by Thomas Carlyle about a fictional German professor Diogenes Teufelsdröckh who believes that human institutions and beliefs are mere “clothes” that cover up nothingness. Through a blend of satire biography and philosophy Carlyle critiques 19th-century materialism and rationalism inviting readers to reexamine civilization’s frameworks and find a deeper spiritual meaning beyond surface-level appearances. On Heroes Hero-Worship and the Heroic in History is a collection of lectures by Thomas Carlyle that posits heroes are the driving force of history and indispensable to human progress. Carlyle explores six types of heroes—Divinity Prophet Poet Priest Man of Letters and King—using examples like Odin Muhammad Dante Shakespeare Luther Johnson and Napoleon to illustrate how these individuals shape societies by embodying their era’s highest spiritual and moral principles.