Dividing By Zero: Mathematics, Irony and Dialectic in Carlyle’s ‘Fraction of Life'

Abstract

Detailed examination of Carlyle’s use of an algebra metaphor in Sartor Resartus. Reviews prior scholarship to demonstrate how this interpretation differs from those of earlier critics. Explains how Carlyle modifies an earlier journal entry to create a metaphor that at once confirms and undercuts its efficacy. Believes that in its present form the metaphor allows Carlyle to articulate the tension that one must feel in practicing selfdenial while seeking to control one’s destiny.