Comparision of Past and Present and Great Expectations

Introduction

The two literary works selected for the purposes of comparison are Thoman Carlyle's Past and Present, and Charles Dickens Great Expectations.

Authors

Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881)

He was born in the Ecclefechan village in 1795, one year prior to the death of Burns. Carlyle's father was a humble stone-mason. He was honest and square in his work but possessed a caustic tongue. According to his accounts, Carlyle's mother was a noblewoman by nature. His feelings of love and pride for both his parents remained with Carlyle all through his troubling and difficult life (Thomas Carlyle, 2012)

. Carlyle has been given a mixture of comments for his work. He has received criticism which can be segregated into two categories of disparagement and praise. If an individual only wishes to pursue a single of the numerous works he did then he or she may do so without browsing through his biographies. However, in order to garner a proper understanding of his literary works, the reader needs to brush up on the personal history of the author, so that he is fully able to understand and comprehend the depth for Carlyle's work.

Charles Dickens (1812-1870)

Dickens's childhood possesses a forecast of his whole literary occupation. His mother was woman who was susceptible to sentiments and who Dickens portrayed as Mrs. Nickleby and Mrs. Micawber. The father was man who possessed a good nature but was shiftless. Dickens portrays him as Mr. Micawber in his novel David Copperfield. He worked in Portsmouth, at the Navy Pay Office, as a clerk, bringing home a salary of £80 annually. Both of his parents were unfortunately unmindful of their offspring, as well as being extremely used to creature comforts, specifically, bowls of punch and good dinners (DickensSociety, 2012)

Of all the Victorian Novelists that were renowned for their literary works, two of them were seen to be neck and neck for the title of being the best; Thackeray and Dickens. Thackeray was born and bred in a high and noble family. He possessed literary culture and artistic taste. He frowned upon the busy life of England around him and was inspired to writer at a very young age. Dickens on the other hand, possesses very little formal education and did not have much interest in the culture of literature. He was fond of the hustle and bustle which the democratic struggle had and possessed almost microscopic observational skills, capable of absorbing in and all picturesque details of incident, character and speech. It can be said that he was the Victorian Age's eye, Tennyson was the age's ear, Browning was the ages' psychologist and Carlyle was its habitual complainer (William, 2012).

Discussion

Carlyle's Past and Present (1843)

        The literary masterpiece Past and Present by Carlyle is an excellent example of Victorian literature because of three main factors.

It uses the medieval past in its plot.

It gives a critic of the present Victorian era.

It presents the prophetic mission of its author.

The Victorians were particularly fond of comparing themselves with their past to take lessons ...