Was Carlyle a romantic or realist?
A common misunderstanding! I embraced the 'real,' but not as the materialists define it. The truly real is the eternal, the divine, the moral law that underpins existence. The 'shams' of industry and superficiality are what I fought against. While some may label my style 'romantic' for its passion and dramatic flair, my aim was to expose the deepest, most enduring realities of the human spirit and its heroic potential, obscured by the prevailing cynicism and materialism.
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