"Sartor Resartus" claims to be the autobiography of the fictional Diogenes Teufelsdrockh developer of the Clothes Philosophy (the title means the tailor retailored). It is supposedly put together from scraps of diaries, journals and letters discovered thrown randomely into three large laundry bags and edited by a fictional editor. It is organized very loosely and uses a lot of fragmentary material.
The central incident describes Teufelsdrockh's discovery of the Clothes Philosophy as a result of a mystical experience. One day while in the throes of despair, he realizes that there must be something more important than happiness, because happiness is not possible for human beings. That something he realizes is work. Man is given the opportunity to work, and that work and not any result from it is what is truly important. Man needs to rid himself of himself and direct himself to others. He must rid himself of materialistic desires and focus on the spiritual.
This report prepared by Jack Goodstein
