Essay on Burns

Thomas Carlyle’s essay, first published in the Edinburgh Review of 1828, begins as a review of John Gibson Lockhart’s biography of Scotland’s beloved poet, but quickly expands into a lively meditation on the evolution of literary criticism itself. He contrasts the hackneyed book notices of earlier magazines with the rigorous, original approach pioneered by the Edinburgh Review, showing how a single review can become a work of lasting significance.

The piece also offers a vivid portrait of the two men behind the text—Lockhart, the diligent editor and biographer, and Carlyle, the self‑made Scotsman who shares Burns’s humble origins. Their intertwined histories illuminate the cultural landscape of early‑19th‑century Britain, while Carlyle’s keen observations on Burns’s character and talent invite listeners to hear the poet through a fresh, thoughtful lens.