ia, Called Frederick the Great appeared between 1858-1865. After much success, he was offered a rectorship of Edinburgh University; the speech he delivered was published in 1866 under the title On the Choice of Books. Soon after this triumph his wife died suddenly in London. Carlyle never completely recovered from her death and lived another fifteen years, writing very little. His last works were Reminiscences an autobiography (published in 1881) and edited letters from his wife (published in 1883). After these two works Carlyle soon died on February 5, 1881 and he was then buried next to his parents at Ecclefechan.Carlyles background for writing came from many places. Carlyles love for history and his need to speak on religious and political issues was the driving factors in all of his work. In his earlier years his loss of meaning in life help set the kind of style which he wrote. Carlyle also wrote about events, such as the French Revolution, that were happening around the times in which he lived. All these factors help set Carlyle as a premier writer of the Victorian era. He fit in well with the era in which he wrote. His writings had common ground with several other authors of the time, particularly Matthew Arnold. Carlyle stirred the conscience of his century; he helped people see their experiences in a historical and spiritual context to help them find meaning in their existence, and he inspired people with belief in dignity in their work. ...
