Thomas de Quincey and Dickens

In 1821 Thomas de Quincey published the first edition of his now famous Confessions of an English Opium Eater chronicling his experiences with the drug. These included his dreams and the original manuscript was written in haste at one might say a 'fever pitch'. The final section, "The Pains of Opium", recounts the extreme of the author's opium experience (up to that time), with insomnia, nightmares, frightening visions, and difficult physical symptoms. Thomas de Quincey revised his 'Confessions' for a new edition in 1856 and it is this edition that we enjoy today.

All this is in preface to a brief discussion of Charles Dickens and opium. Dickens' biographer Peter Ackroyd notes a slight connection between de Quincey and Dickens' family during their move early in Charles' life to the city (Dickens by Peter Ackroyd, p. 19). It does not seem to be a stretch to imagine that the mature Dickens was aware of, if not familiar with, de Quincey's work. It with this in mind that we turn to the opening scene of The Mystery of Edwin Drood which is set in an opium den. It is the aura of this den and the degenerates within that create the first hint of mysteriousness that will be with the reader throughout the, unfortunately, uncompleted work. A brief passage follows:

"Shaking from head to foor, the man whose scattered consciousness has thus fantastically pieced itself together, at length rises, supports his trembling frame upon his arms, and looks around. He is in the meanest and closest of small rooms. Through the ragged window-curtain, the light of early day steals in from a miserable court."(p. 7)

The man is John Jasper who, in a Jekyll and Hyde fashion, will inhabit the book and find the aura of the opium den is not the only part of his aspect that suggests villainy. One mystery in the story is that no proof is ever presented of any overt malediction on his part; therefore we must simply rely on his creepily obsessive behavior enhanced by the aura of the opium den to feed our speculations. At the end of the manuscript we have only journeyed halfway into the story; thus the ends are left loose and destined to lay before us like unanswered questions for eternity.

I took a class earlier this year where we read both Confessions of an English Opium Eater and Bleak House (I'm not familiar with the Edwin Drood story, although it sounds interesting). Anyway, I had looked forward to Confessions, but I have to confess that I didn't enjoy it at all. I really disliked the author's tone. But I felt some weird sense of justice when I learned that despite de Quincey's story of kicking his opium addiction, in real life he remained an addict until his death.

Shut up and pass the laudanum.

(giggle)

I haven't read Drood, but I do love Dickens. Bleak House is my current favorite.

The description of the mystery surrounding Jasper reminds me very much of Anne Perry's The Face of a Stranger, the first in her William Monk mystery series, set in Victorian London. A policeman wakes up with amnesia after being hit on the head in the course of an investigation. He must now reconstruct the investigation along with his knowledge of every other aspect of his life - as he keeps running across hints and information that suggest the man he used to be wasn't very nice, and was - just maybe - capable of murder. I enjoy all of Perry's mysteries, but I think this is the best. Though there is no suggestion he used opium or any other drug, there is the same sense of split personality - the man as he is, and the unknown (to himself) man that he was.

Interesting comparison James. I agree it's highly likely that Dickens had read de Quincey, and that his descriptions of opium addiction in Drood were influenced by Confessions. It's also worth bearing in mind that Dickens's close friend and sometime collaborator Wilkie Collins was also an opium addict, so Dickens would have seen first hand the symptoms of long term addiction.

I wonder if Dickens 'experimented' and if so, did he inhale?

Use of opiates in Victorian England was probably about as common as use of aspirin today. After all, they were used for the same things, relief of minor aches and pains.

De Quincy begins his descent into hell by taking laudanum to get him over the discomfort of a severe cold.

I'm reading David Copperfield and in the first chapter there is a simile using laudanum as a comparator. I don't know if laudanum will play a bigger role as the story progresses or not.

Speaking of opiates, most children in the US born before 1960 or so were given an opiate, paragoric, for teething pains and colic. In some parts of the world children probably still are.

That was a bad cold - in more ways than one!

There's a new historical novel coming out in 2009 by Dan Simmons called Drood. It's supposed to be a horror novel about the last year of Dickens' life.

I got paragoric as an oral syrup as a kid in the early seventies. I can't remember what for. A terrible cough? I just remember that I hated the flavor.

P.S. I did not become an opium fiend. Nor did I become a writer of any fame.

Aw, what a gyp!

I've only read Great Expectations and A Tale of Two Cities by Dickens. Sounds like I need to read more of him, esp if I want to catch the nuances of the plethora of references to his works that one finds in literature. I am also a Simmons fan, so Drood is a highly anticipated novel for me. I did like Confessions of an Opium Eater when I read it, but it does require some patience and perhaps some experience with the writing style of 19th Century novels.

I love reading these comparisons, BTW. Maybe one day I'll work up the courage to do one of my own (I have a few ideas, but nothing concrete enough to put into words yet).

#11 -- I did like Confessions of an Opium Eater when I read it, but it does require some patience and perhaps some experience with the writing style of 19th Century novels.
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I dunno about that--I've read a lot of 19th century stuff, and I don't know anyone who is as pompous, racist and condescending as de Quincy. And if I run across any, I certainly won't read them for pleasure!

#10 - no kidding!

Do share a comparison with us, Ludmilla! In my experience, even a vague idea starts becoming more concrete and interesting as I start putting it into words. And once I've posted, the post itself generates even more interesting ideas from other people here.

tomcat - your suggestion is certainly interesting to contemplate, however as you point out, Dickens had an example at hand in his close friend and writing colleague, Wilkie Collins.

Just to point out a curious coincidence, Dickens and De Quincy were born and died in the same years. They were both at least influenced by their times in history - Victorian England, backlash and suppression of revolutionary spirits, ever widening of the chasm between the rich and poor, deep post revolution depression, late romanticism and the beginnings of impressionism, etc... The need for escape and respite of European society to get some semblance of stability and denial of humanity's darker sides is a theme for both of these authors. De Quincy goes from the highs of creativity and passions in his early opium experiences to the disillusionment and realities of addiction. Dickens explores the contrast of the repressed rational upper class life clinging to its own escapes from the realities if poverty, anarchists, and mad lives of the suffering people during the industrial revolution in England. Both explored the darkness and dangers when humanity wants to escape and hide from pain, chaos, insecurity, and instability. A bit like the concepts in the Matrix. I know it seems like I just jumped the shark there, but it is a common theme.

Did you notice that this topic dates from 2008.

It's still a great topic and actually very apt for our times.