The Collected Letters of Thomas and Jane Welsh Carlyle

The letters in this volume cover the two-year span from October 1871 to September 1873. During this period, TC lamented his lack of purpose even as he persistently sought ways to extend his influence upon his times. These efforts were colored by mercurial swings in his mood, ranging from mordant humor at the prospect of his demise, to nostalgia for his earlier days as a struggling writer.