Thomas Carlyle (1795 -1881) Audiobook By Thomas Carlyle cover art

Thomas Carlyle (1795 -1881)

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for $0.00
Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.

Thomas Carlyle (1795 -1881)

By: Thomas Carlyle
Narrated by: Neville Jason
Try for $0.00

$0.00/mo. after 3 months. Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $1.59

Buy for $1.59

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

This is an essay from the Favorite Essays collection.

Here, in this unusual collection, are some of the greatest essays in Western literature. Witty, informative and imaginative, the topics vary from starvation in Ireland, fine China, the extension of railways in the Lake District, and the tombs in Westminster Abbey. A little like after-dinner monologues, they are passing thoughts expressed as journalism. Neville Jason reads with urbane clarity.

©2009 Naxos Audiobooks (P)2009 Naxos Audiobooks Classics Nonfiction Witty

Editorial reviews

Neville Jason performs short essays of brilliance, designed to fill those few extra minutes with thought-provoking material. "Midas" by Thomas Carlyle laments that England in the 19th century has great wealth, but that this wealth has improved no one's life. Like Midas, the English wanted gold and when they got it, they found themselves cursed, the workers poorer than ever, the rich unfulfilled, Carlyle purports. With his British lilt and clear enunciation, Jason handles antiquated language and sentence construction with ease so that modern audiences will find this piece easy listening. They might even find some arguments that feel eerily contemporary.
All stars
Most relevant  
The analogy to the Midas story remains timeless. What is all the increased efficiency and riches brought to our sense of humanity? What has been lost?

Carlyle's critique of "industy" remains relevant!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.