Project Gutenberg 2004-09-27 Public domain in the USA. 226 Carlyle, Thomas 1795 1881 Carlyle, T. (Thomas) Past and Present There is an improved edition of this title, eBook #26159 Produced by Jake Jaqua “Past and Present” by Thomas Carlyle is a political and philosophical tract written during the mid-19th century. The work reflects on England's socio-political landscape, tackling themes of wealth, labor, and the moral responsibilities of both the rich and poor. Through a series of powerful observations and critiques, Carlyle aims to awaken the conscience of his contemporaries regarding their societal conditions. The opening of “Past and Present” sets the stage by highlighting the paradox of England’s prosperity and the stark reality of its impoverished workers. Carlyle draws a vivid picture of the unemployed, languishing in workhouses, and contrasts it with the wealth surrounding them, likening the situation to a form of enchantment that prevents them from benefiting from their labor. He uses allegorical references, such as King Midas and the Sphinx, to illustrate the dangers of superficiality and the necessity of acknowledging deeper truths. This portion not only emphasizes the urgency for meaningful reform but also critiques societal complacency and the moral consequences of neglecting the plight of the working class. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 64.5 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read. en Social problems Great Britain -- Social conditions -- 19th century PR Text Category: British Literature Category: Philosophy & Ethics Category: Politics 717502 2025-07-06T05:49:22.321031 text/html 717392 717336 2024-11-06T08:27:55.427002 2023-10-06T09:32:45.617881 text/html text/html 359446 2025-07-06T05:49:33.360945 application/epub+zip 369037 2025-07-06T05:49:27.253033 application/epub+zip 369037 2025-07-06T05:49:23.046038 application/epub+zip 624790 2025-07-06T05:49:38.729916 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 568037 2025-07-06T05:49:32.640969 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 542597 2022-09-07T02:41:22.398576 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 681274 2025-07-06T05:49:21.881030 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 661639 2024-10-28T20:29:19 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 17731 2025-07-06T05:49:38.856900 application/rdf+xml 13891 2025-07-06T05:49:26.600992 image/jpeg 3569 2025-07-06T05:49:26.355015 image/jpeg 354176 2025-07-06T05:49:22.379058 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia