Silence and Masculinity in Carlyle’s Reminiscences

Abstract

Claims that in Reminiscences Carlyle uses descriptions of his father, his wife Jane, and the poet Southey to create two gendered dichotomies: silence and speech, and writing and speech. Carlyle associates silence and writing with masculinity, and speech with the female. Argues that before Carlyle can allow his wife to enter the masculine discourse through Letters and Memorials, he uses Reminiscences to reconstruct Jane, celebrating her commitment to silence and fitting her into his view of masculinity.