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Welcome! Everyone is invited!
(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/lastdickenscvr.jpg) | We are happy to announce that the author, Matthew Pearl, is joining us in the discussion of his latest novel, "The Last Dickens," as he did with his "Poe Story" and "The Dante Club.
Matthew's literary fiction picks up where Dickens left off in "The Mystery of Edwin Drood." The story of the fate of Edwin Drood is a mystery within a mystery. When young Edwin disappears after dinner on Christmas Eve and his watch and chain are later found in the nearby river, everyone suspects foul play. Could one of Edwin’s acquaintances have murdered him – and, if so, what could their motive be? Tragically, the mystery is destined never to be truly solved, as Dickens died before he could finish this novel – all that is left are the clues that can be found in the completed chapters.
Pearl sends a partner of Dickens’ American publisher, James Osgood, to the Dickens' estate in England where we meet the "fugitives" from the characters of Dickens' novel. Is Edwin Drood dead or alive? Was he killed by his uncle, John Jasper? Or did he somehow escape that fate, possibly to return later? We are anticipating more intrigue as Pearl's fictional characters search for answers in the author's well-researched fiction.
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Chapter discussion schedule
October 1-6: First Installment ~ Chapters 1-10 ~ June, 1870
October 7-10: Second Installment ~ Chapters 11-17
October 11-13: Third Installment ~ Chapters 18-22
October 14-16: Fourth Installment ~ Chapters 23-26
October 17-28: Fifth Installment ~ Chapters 27-37
October 29-31: Sixth Installment ~ Chapter 40
Discussion Leaders: JoanP (jonkie@verizon.net), Andy (WFLANNERY@CFL.RR.COM )
| (http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/tremont.jpg) |
Some topics for discussion Oct. 1-6 : Chapters 1-10, June, 1870:
1. Were you surprised that the story opens in India, not London, and in the same month Dickens died? What is a dacoit? What do you know of opium or landanum use in the 19th century?
2. What makes the dark stranger, who is stalking the boy, stand out on the Boston dock? From his description, would he stand out anywhere? Do you see any connection between him and the theft in the opening chapter?
3. "Who could have told whether he had known ambition or disappointment?" Do you recognize this line Sylvanus Bendal reads in the bundle of paper he takes from the dying boy? Did he know what it was? Why would he take it?
4. Do you recognize any of the publishing houses in 19th c. New York and Boston? How can Fields, Osgood and Co. hope to compete with the powerful NY publishers at this time? How might the deaths of Daniel Sand and Charles Dickens affect the Boston publishers?
5. What does Daniel Sand's sister's situation reveal about the position of women in the late 19th century? Do you think conditions were the same in US and England in Dickens' time? Why did Rebecca choose seek a job in publishing?
6. "What good is a mystery novel without the ending?" Do you agree that an ending must be found before publishing the unfinished novel? How do Osgood and Fields differ as to how Dickens intended to end his story?
7. How did it happen that Osgood, not Fields, would go to England to find the end to Dickens' mystery as originally planned? Do you expect that Osgood will solve Dickens' mystery - or create one of his own?
8. Mysteries within mysteries. What do you see as the "mysteries" presented in these opening chapters? Do you think they are somehow related?
9. Why has Osgood been targeted by the diabolical figure? What did you make of him? Is he "over the top?"
10. In this first Installment we have met a number of characters. Which do you suspect to hear more from in future chapters?
(http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/lastdickensicon2.jpg)Some questions for Matthew (http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/lastdickens_q_a.html)
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Day 1 - here we go! There is something so exciting about opening a new book, opening a new discussion! And to make it even more special, we have the author, Matthew Pearl in our midst! Some of us have just come from a discussion of Dickens' Mystery of Edwin Drood. Interest is high for clues as to whodunit...in fact, if Eddy Drood is dead or alive. We can pepper Matthew with questions - but will have to keep in mind that this author is NOT Charles Dickens. ;) - Matthew has written a mystery all his own.
We are grateful and honored to have you with us, Matthew! And of course, we are happy to have the participation of our SeniorLearners as well! Welcome everyone! We're off to London India! India?
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TADA-
We are finally here at the dawning of our discussion of Matthew Pearl's latest novel The Last Dickens. What a coup for us that we have Matthew to ask about all of the unanswered questions that have arisen for the past century +.
Joan has introduced several questions that will facillitate the discussion but do not feel confined to only these thoughts. Anything goes in a mystery, doesn't it?
Joan and I are delighted to have each and everyone of you aboard for this intriguing tale. Please come in, sit down and join us in our transatlantic journey as we attempt to solve this mystery.
It will be fun, suspenseful and compelling, :D
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I've read the dirst section, and am eager to start the discussion tomorrow.
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I've read the first chapter--still have to get the book and play catch-up. But I for one was astonished that the book opened in India. At first I thought maybe the wrong book had wandered into the covers. But, no, the inside title seemed to be right. But I was disoriented and confused. Soon I'm sure I'll be seeing something other than stars.
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Welcome, JoanK and Maryal, earlieeebirds! You get your choice of the best seats in the house!
That's how I felt too, Maryal! Bengal, India. After reading the first section, I think I see two possible reasons for opening here. It was a stunning choice, wasn't it? I would love to hear about the eureka moment when Matthew realized that this was going to be the opening scene for a novel about Charles Dickens, his death and his unfinished novel...
What did you all think of Chapter 1?
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I wonder if Mathew was making a parallel with the opening opium dream in "Drood".
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I believe he was Joan and it's a perfect segue into the story line, isn't it?
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I do believe you are on to something, JoanK, about the parallel between the opening of The Last Dickens and The Mystery of Edwin Drood. I'm looking forward to the discussion!
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Hi everyone! Great to have the discussion starting.
As with the other discussions I don't want to presume to give "answers" to interpretations, especially with such a smart group as all of you. But I did wake up one day and called my friend, saying, "I'm starting this book in Bengal."
In the meantime, there are a few links to posts I'm writing.
No "spoilers" although if you want to go into the book without any of my opinions on Dickens, you might skip them:
On Dickens as a writer of serial fiction:
http://bookchatterandotherstuff.blogspot.com/2009/09/guest-post-matthew-pearl-on-serial.html
On Dickens's amazing book tour:
http://www.ragingbibliomania.net/2009/09/guest-post-and-giveaway.html
On Poe and Dickens meeting:
http://www.redroom.com/blog/matthew-pearl/to-be-a-bee-wall-when-poe-met-dickens
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Thanks very much, Matthew, for those interesting resources. I've started to explore them and will be back for more.
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Good morning Matthew, I, too, shall venture into those sites after my 3 mile hike this AM.
I am so pleased that we are finally up and running, even if it is with these abominable dacoits. By definition the word Dacoit translates roughly as "highwayman", BANDIT OR ARMED ROBBERY (Hindu) and is a particularly feared phenomenon in some parts of Pakistan and India. They loot, raid, plunder, murder and even kidnap, disappearing into their hideouts.
I suppose that the upheavel in this area gave impetus to their origin and these hooligans that we meet on pg.1 obviously do not fancy the jungle hideouts. They would rather terrorize the local population with impunity, retreating to their "elaka"- "that is where our elaka does not extend" says Turner. Officer Turner cracks me up in this chapter with all of his BS and buffoonery; playing the big shot in front of Mason, the younger officer. I love it, he takes the rifle which he only manages to kill a snake with ;D and gives the "new guy on the block" the sword.
I love a story that makes me giggle right off the rip with beguiling characters, shallow, but beguiling.
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For those interested in the cover of "The Last Dickens," or book cover art generally, I'd also point to a post I did showing some of the early designs of the cover, and its evolution:
http://www.facebook.com/notes.php?id=29977879540&start=10#/note.php?note_id=122350319604
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Good morning all. I've read the first 10 chapters, but do not have time to post anything but a little note at the moment. I'm enchanted by it!
Matthew, I looked at all the suggested covers of your book and I disagree with your choice, your publisher's choice, whomever. The fellow in the top hat in the fog would get my vote (it may be overworked but like a good dessert it is always delicious) and, secondly, I would like the carrige which is also on a foggy day (in London town?).
Can fans somehow be involved in the choice of a cover? How important is a cover? More or less than the author?
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Wow, I hadn't given much thought to the process of creating a book cover. Thank you, Matthew, for sharing the evolution of the hardback and paperback covers. An interesting cover does catch my eye when I'm just perusing a bunch of books. I like your choices (and some of the earlier versions too). The spires on the gate evoke in my mind the cathedral spires and a dagger/sword.... definitely mystery and danger.
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Good morning, all. My, this first chapter starts us out with a mystery right off – why India, and did one of the two young policemen kill the prisoner Narain?
And more mysteries in the following chapters. Who are all these people. But then I got taken up with Osgood and Fields, and had to go back to the Dante Club to check my memory. They played a part in solving that mystery, and now it appears they will have a much larger part to play. This is going to be a great read.
I enjoyed looking at the cover evolution, Matthew, and thought your explanation about the spines to be most interesting. I would never have realized how they tied your three titles together. As for the paperback cover, your final choice seems very fitting. I’m glad you didn’t choose the bloody hand.
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Good morning, everyone! Good morning Matthew! So much to think about on Day One.
Matthew, what a choice of covers - how did you ever make a decision? I like that one too, Ella - but the one with the spires got my attention - not so much the fence, but the church spires reminded me of the cathedral town of Cloisterham where Dickens' Drood was set. I agree with you, Marcie. And also the blade ties in with that awful walking stick. I think its interesting to talk about the book, especially since the publishing industry gets such attention in this first Installment. Matthew, it sounds to me like your publisher gave you latitude in the choice of book cover - and you in turn took into consideration the opinions of your fans. I know some authors have been apologetic about their book covers, saying that they were designed and chosen by the publisher. It sounds as if your publisher is more like the Fields, Osgood guys, rather than the New York Harper Bros. ;)
Can we talk for a minute about something that's been puzzling me as I read these pages? Starting on page 39, there's this little illustration, like a little icon, that keeps popping up in future chapters. What is it? Do you all see it? What does it look like to you? Once we solve that, the real question will be - why does it appear at the start of certain chapters - and not others? Will you watch for it in the future - see if there is a rhyme or a reason for its appearance?
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Oh, Joan P., you have such an eagle eye, but those symbols are just section breaks (sometimes it is just a space break, sometimes a symbol). You guys are the best detectives!
Thanks for everyone's comments on the cover, and it's absolutely the case that everyone has different favorites. But yes, I'm lucky to have more of a Fields-Osgood than a Major Harper!
At some point, remind me, I'll list all the titles we considered for the novel, which is a similar type of conversation/debate/evolution.
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Pedln, yes, why India? That does get your attention, doesn't it? As JoanK points out - there's the parallel with Dickens' opening opium den scene in Drood. Here, the thieves are after the opium being shipped from Bengal to - England, or to China? I'm confused - my memory fails. Opium is a popular import in England at this time - though not regulated in anyway. On the contrary, it is widely used - by just about everyone. What do you know about the use of opium or landanum? Did you use it on your babies? Did your mama use it to sooth you?
A cash crop in India, being sent to England in large quantities so I'm not sure about a reason for the theft. Are you? The stuff is growing all over India!
Pedln, we're meeting a number of characters in this first Installment. I wonder how many will appear in the rest of the story. Certainly the publishers will play a role, as you point out. Good connection between Matthew's Last Dickens and his Dante Club....and the role of the publishers in solving the mystery.
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Marcie found the icon in question and was able to copy it from one of Amazon's pages of your book, Matthew -
(http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/lastdickensicon2.jpg)
This symbol is so appropriate for the text - whoever chose it must have done so with the book in mind. I'd like to know what it looks like to our readers?
The conversation/debate/evolution of the title of your book reminds me of what went on back in 1870 when the title of Drood was chosen. Although I think the author had a lot to say about the selection...
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I find that link that Matthew provided so informing. I had no idea that the author had that degree of leverage while choosing the cover. Might I ask, Matthew, IF you had that much say so why did you not put your name at the top? I always was told that if an author finally "MADE IT" his name would be a the top, ABOVE the title.
Plus the spine that fits with the other two novels. The Dante Club had "D", The Poe Shadow Poe "P", this is the "CD" from Dickens's monogram stationery.
I love that spine and I missed it! I can't believe that i missed it! "CD" - so very clever of you.
We had our cover and, once again, we were all happy with it. Yes, there's a top hat, but not an aggressive one.
That tickles me. Who ever heard of an aggresive top hat??
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My, this first chapter starts us out with a mystery right off – why India, and did one of the two young policemen kill the prisoner Narain
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It sure looks like ole Turner tossed the prisoner over the side of the train.
With a wild glint in his eye he said, "I looked the other way and Narain must have thrown himself out the window." No I doubt if Narain did that without a heft from officer Turner.
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MATTHEW: your article about books as serials is very thought-provoking. yes, in current times of instant gratification, we're not going to wait for the next installment. (A friend of mine says "I want patience, and I want it YESTERDAY!")
Another friend told me her local newspapwere tried a serialized mystery story. I'll ask her how that worked out.
The idea of a conversation between Dickens and Poe is wonderful. Does this show up in the book (don't answer)?
So Dickens had a pet raven!?! I wonder if ravens had the sort of mystical aura for Dickens that they do for Native Americans, and evidently for Poe. Probably not, if he lived with one.
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Hi all. I'm in Chapter 18 and really liking this book. (Which surprised me because I didn't care for the Dante Club; sorry to admit I got just a ways into it and did not finish.) Maybe it's because this one captured my attention from the beginning with Mason and Turner looking for the robbers in Bengal. Now I may to back and read Dante Club.
I wondered why Dickens' son was brought into the story. Was it just to give us another aspect of Dickens, Sr.'s character/personality. I think there's more to it, but his son certainly disliked him, didn't he?
Regarding the symbols, I thought maybe they were opium poppy plants, never having seen one.
Marj
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I just finished Geraldine Brooke's March so I'm ready now to dive back into Dickens. I was reading it last summer and it accidentally went back to the library before I was more than 1/4 of the way. Lots of interesting points and questions to guide me as I read. Matthew, so kind of you to join us. I often wonder why and author does this or doesn't do that. Not likely to find many places where you went astray, your skill is well proven.
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Mysteries, indeed. And romance and a monstrous ugly fanged cane and death. And India and opium, which crop the British protect as it brings money into their coffers.
Good chapters to explore! I like the characters and Rebecca; she of the poor defenseless class of women who are alone in the world, dependent on others for sustenance, for jobs. But - Rebecca is prideful and beautiful and, no doubt, before the tale is told will profit from her experiences in London.
A raven, JOANK? Where did you read that? Ravens have a history at the Tower of London, you know, and must always be kept there.
That ugly cane is following in the story, so should we should be following it?
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Well, we certainly open with a bang. My first reaction was: Bengal? What does that have to do with anything? But we're starting to find out. With my shaky knowledge of India, I had to check the location of Bengal. It's now divided between the eastern edge of India and Bangladesh, suitably close to China both for the British traders and the Dacoits to sell their opium. England made quite a profit from selling opium to China, though China fought several wars to try to stop them.
It sure looks like ole Turner tossed the prisoner over the side of the train.
With a wild glint in his eye he said, "I looked the other way and Narain must have thrown himself out the window." No I doubt if Narain did that without a heft from officer Turner.
I was being slow on that one, Alf. I was thinking more in terms of Turner falling asleep and someone else pitching the bound prisoner out.
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On Dickens as a writer of serial fiction: a lot of us here experience serial fiction in these discussions--we read only the week's assignment, and don't read ahead. I'm one of them, and I'll do it here, too, though I think it'll almost kill me with the suspense. I did it in Drood, too. You have a different experience this way; you chew over each section and speculate before going on, and it gives you a different feel for the book. As a non-writer, it seems like a total horror to me to have sold a novel, published some of it, and maybe still not know how you're going to end it.
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Book cover horror stories: I'm sorry I can't remember who it was, but I read a long time ago of a detective story writer who didn't get to see the cover art ahead of time, and it turned out to give away the murder method--a vital plot point.
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And PatH, how about the writer who publishes an installment or two and realizes he/she has a better idea where to take the plot. Imagine trying to write your way around what you've already written!
I'm reading the way you are, Pat - and agree, you look closer at the nuances of each installment/chapter, when we discuss one installment at a time. A word about Dickens - and Matthew Pearl. They each provide us with 6 installments. Dickens wrote 32 pages for each installment - never varied. Whereas Matthew's six installment lengths do vary - quite a bit. Take the fifth installment for example. I'd still like to stick to discussing each installment separately, so have varied the time we'll spend discussing each installment. If you look over the discussion schedule in the heading, you'll see what I mean. If you do read ahead, please keep an eye on the discussion schedule so you don't start talking about something the rest of us have not yet read. I know you don't want to be a spoiler! Nobody does.
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Jackie, good, you're here. Can't wait for you to get a copy of the book. This kind of thing is your cup of tea.
Marjifay, so happy that you have joined us!Have you noticed that all this action in the first installment takes place in June, 1870, the same month that Dickens died. Yes, we meet young Frank Dickens who is a magistrate here in Bengal. Perhaps this is another reason Matthew opens his story here. We certainly get a closer look at the Charles Dickens, don't we? Charles Dickens is turning into a character in this book - and you know, I hate to say this about a man so many worship - compare to Shakespeare, but he really isn't a very likeable man, is he? Just between you and me...
Ella - yes, the cane, the man with the cane - we need to stop what we're doing and follow him. At first I thought he might be Narain, but we meet him that same day in Boston, so it can't be. Who is this frightful character? Is he also Indian? What did you make of him?
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ELLA:"A raven, JOANK? Where did you read that?"
From Post 9, where Matthew posted three links: one about a meeting between Dickens and Poe. There's a picdture of Dickens' children with the pet raven, and M speculates that Dickens and Poe talked about ravens.
Do read the links--they're very interesting.
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I have read the first 5 chapters, so far. Then decided to go back and reread them before reading the next five chapters. I am finding it difficult to remember, from one day to the next, what I read the day before.
As with several of you, I was surprised this book began in Bengal. I am still wondering what Tuner, and his youger partner, have to do with anything. I think that Turner tossed Narain out the train window.
I remember that, as a child, I was given cough medicine with opium, or codeine, as an ingredient. It seems to me that codeine was also an ingredient in Coco Cola. Does anyone else remember that? By the time I had children, beginning in 1953, I think these had been eliminated. However, I do remember my grandmother giving my baby daughter, a "sugar tit", when she had colic. It was about a tablespoon of sugar, in a cloth, dipped in whiskey.
I feel sad about Daniel's death. How horrible to be run over by a vehicle. I do like Osgood. However, I do not like the policeman who takes him to the morgue. Especially, the policeman's view of women working. I guess that was the general opinion at the time.
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Holy smokes, who are all of these odious guys in Boston? The one dude sounds like the devil incarnate, doesn't he, with his "killer" cane and his ugly features, "mostly hidden under an ear-to-ear- mustache."
I don't mean to be insensitive but would why would an advance installment of thie Edwin Drood Mystery by Chas. Dickens cause so many people to murder? Would it have been the same if other famous authors died prior to completion of their works?
Was it because the serial was so anticipated each month that it would be worth assassinating people? If I could just wrap my head around its importance than maybe I could understand the value.
Although, in Matthew's "Book Chatter" he brought back fond memories of me literally running to the Saturday afternoon matinees to watch the great old Tarzan movies. I couldn't wait to get there.
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oops we were posting at the same time Sheila.
You're right , at that point the British were promoting opium for medicinal purposes. It is a narcotic and has been a highly lucrative multi-national industry , dominated mostly by the British for much of the 19th century.. Poppy farms and opium processing plants were abundant in India and the ships would bring the heavily guarded product to market for the smugglers to pick up supplies.
More than 2,000 years ago Homer described the curse of drug addiction. Today, the ancient curse is carried on in the form of the opium poppy, which in itself itself has zero value except for the narcotic drugs it produces.
Dickens wrote of this addiction in his Edwin Drood Mystery.
Most of the world's opium is grown in two areas of the world, Southeast Asia and Southwest Asia. After it is harvested the vast majority is sold locally as pure opium, addicting millions inside China, Burma, Thailand, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Iran and other nations along the Asian trading routes.
The remainder is reprocessed into heroin for resale in Europe and America.
It is estimated that more than 20 million people are addicted to heroin worldwide. In 2001, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency concluded that America has more than 100,000 heroin addicts.
Heroin is known to produce more than $20 billion in profits for criminal organizations and terrorist factions around the world, including the Taliban and al-Qaeda factions in Afghanistan, which provided protection to opium producers for a large fee. ~~~Newsmax.com
We are still losing this war. Trust me, we just lost a son to a heroin addiction.
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Oh Andy, what a tragedy. I am so sorry. {{{Hugs from all of us}}} We are losing that war, aren't we? The international trade is so great it seems impossible to establish any kind of control. And then there are those who stand to profit from the sales here...the market is here.
Sheila, welcome aboard. Your childhood memories coincide with what was going on in England in the late 19th century. Landanum, opium was available over the counter - doctors carried it in their bags from home to home. Administering landanum was as common as aspirin for whatever the ailment at the time. (Didn't Coke contain a small amout of cocaine as an ingredient at one time?) Did anyone suspect opium was addictive at the time?
The real problem came to light in England when a new way of accessing an opium high was introduced - smoking it. This became a tragic addiction. This was the addiction Dickens wrote about in his Drood Mystery. I've read that Dickens knew firsthand the hardship of losing friends and family to this addiction. Wilkie Collins was one of them. Either a son or a son-in-law was another. I read somewhere that Dickens himself went to an opium den to research the effects of smoking opium firsthand . Wouldn't you think that as part of his research that tried it? It wasn't illegal at the time. Or was it? Do you think he went simply to observe and take notes? Shall we ask Matthew if his research went into this? Was there ever any talk that Dickens himself was a user? Shall we ask Matthew if his research went into this?
In the Last Dickens, it is suspected that Matthew's character, young Daniel Sand, was an opium user. The coroner seems certain that this is what killed him - he shows the symptons. Do you believe this? What do you think happened to Daniel? Did you notice anything off about his actions that day? He left Osgood and Fields that morning to meet the ship and pick up the bundle of advance installments firsthand. Did this happen?
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It is so much fun to read everyone's posts. JoanP, I must reread that bit about Daniel being killed; my impression from a first reading is that he WAS NOT ON OPIUM at all. Rebecca, his sister, believed she would have known it. Didn't they live together?
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Andy, I can't tell you how sad I feel about your son; we have all lost loved ones for one reason or another. ((hugs from me, too))
D_____ drugs forever!
I remember Hillary, in her new role as Secretary of State, made a statement that the drug trade from Mexico was America's fault. She said we are the users and it won't improve until we do something about it. What, what?
The people in India were all on the opium drug according to the story; it relieved them of the sorrow of poverty, etc.
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Andy, how dreadful for you and your family.{{{{more hugs}}}}
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I don't mean to be insensitive but would why would an advance installment of the Edwin Drood Mystery by Chas. Dickens cause so many people to murder?
It's got to be something to do with that particular copy. It's hard to pin down the times, but by the time the lawyer Sylvanus Bendall was killed and the manuscript stolen from him, another copy had come from London; maybe there were even several copies, since both Osgood and Fields read it. Perhaps Daniel's dying words clued Bendall in as to what it was, since otherwise, it seems extreme to wear a bulky manuscript under your clothes for days.
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/lastdickenscvr.jpg) | We are happy to announce that the author, Matthew Pearl, is joining us in the discussion of his latest novel, "The Last Dickens," as he did with his "Poe Story" and "The Dante Club.
Matthew's literary fiction picks up where Dickens left off in "The Mystery of Edwin Drood." The story of the fate of Edwin Drood is a mystery within a mystery. When young Edwin disappears after dinner on Christmas Eve and his watch and chain are later found in the nearby river, everyone suspects foul play. Could one of Edwin’s acquaintances have murdered him – and, if so, what could their motive be? Tragically, the mystery is destined never to be truly solved, as Dickens died before he could finish this novel – all that is left are the clues that can be found in the completed chapters.
Pearl sends a partner of Dickens’ American publisher, James Osgood, to the Dickens' estate in England where we meet the "fugitives" from the characters of Dickens' novel. Is Edwin Drood dead or alive? Was he killed by his uncle, John Jasper? Or did he somehow escape that fate, possibly to return later? We are anticipating more intrigue as Pearl's fictional characters search for answers in the author's well-researched fiction.
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Chapter discussion schedule
October 1-6: First Installment ~ Chapters 1-10 ~ June, 1870
October 7-10: Second Installment ~ Chapters 11-17
October 11-13: Third Installment ~ Chapters 18-22
October 14-16: Fourth Installment ~ Chapters 23-26
October 17-28: Fifth Installment ~ Chapters 27-37
October 29-31: Sixth Installment ~ Chapter 40
Discussion Leaders: JoanP (jonkie@verizon.net), Andy (WFLANNERY@CFL.RR.COM )
| (http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/tremont.jpg) |
Some topics for discussion Oct. 1-6 : Chapters 1-10, June, 1870:
1. Were you surprised that the story opens in India, not London, and in the same month Dickens died? What is a dacoit? What do you know of opium or landanum use in the 19th century?
2. What makes the dark stranger, who is stalking the boy, stand out on the Boston dock? From his description, would he stand out anywhere? Do you see any connection between him and the theft in the opening chapter?
3. "Who could have told whether he had known ambition or disappointment?" Do you recognize this line Sylvanus Bendal reads in the bundle of paper he takes from the dying boy? Did he know what it was? Why would he take it?
4. Do you recognize any of the publishing houses in 19th c. New York and Boston? How can Fields, Osgood and Co. hope to compete with the powerful NY publishers at this time? How might the deaths of Daniel Sand and Charles Dickens affect the Boston publishers?
5. What does Daniel Sand's sister's situation reveal about the position of women in the late 19th century? Do you think conditions were the same in US and England in Dickens' time? Why did Rebecca choose seek a job in publishing?
6. "What good is a mystery novel without the ending?" Do you agree that an ending must be found before publishing the unfinished novel? How do Osgood and Fields differ as to how Dickens intended to end his story?
7. How did it happen that Osgood, not Fields, would go to England to find the end to Dickens' mystery as originally planned? Do you expect that Osgood will solve Dickens' mystery - or create one of his own?
8. Mysteries within mysteries. What do you see as the "mysteries" presented in these opening chapters? Do you think they are somehow related?
9. Why has Osgood been targeted by the diabolical figure? What did you make of him? Is he "over the top?"
10. In this first Installment we have met a number of characters. Which do you suspect to hear more from in future chapters?
(http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/lastdickensicon2.jpg)
Some Questions for Matthew:http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/lastdickens_q_a.html (http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/lastdickens_q_a.html)
mrssherlock: The book could almost have been titled The Mystery of The Mystery of Edwin Drood ;D
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I agree Ella. I highly doubt that Daniel was an addict or a chronic abuser of opium. Osgood is such a kind soul, deciding to hide from REbecca the suspicions of the police.
When she finds out she is crushed and defends her brother. As you said, she claimed, she would have known.
Daniel's mission was to receive the fourth, fifth and sixth installments of The Mystery of EDwin Drood from London. Fields, Osgood & Co. publishers sent him. (the only authorized American edition of the serial novel ). What I didn't get was why their publication was the only one for which Charles Dickens received any compensation. Why is this? Is it like they had exclusive ownership of the periodicals?
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The attorney Bendall was another character that I wondered why he was put in the story. He was there such a short time. Was it because someone (Bendall in this case) had to hear Daniel's dying words, "It is God's." Those words must be important.
And I also do not think Daniel was a heroin addict. Somewhere there is talk of a new invention, that is used to inject medicine into a person. I think someone injected him with opium -- but why? To make it easier to steal the manuscript? And as others have asked: What's the big deal about the manuscript since there are available copies?
Marj
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The book could almost have been titled The Mystery of The Mystery of Edwin Drood ;D
Jackie, I wonder whether Matthew considered that when coming up with the title for his book? ;D
No, I don't think Daniel is addicted to opium - or even a casual user, but didn't you notice anything strange about his behaviour that morning? He left the publishers with strict instructions to meet the ship and pick up the bundle of advance copies of the last installments Dickens wrote. It's really important that only Fields and Osgood get this installments because IF any of the other American publishers get their hands on them, they are free now to print and sell them - they can publish the six installments - just as they are printed today. All international trade agreements are off, since Dickens has died. Fields and Osgoods had exclusive rights, only as long as Dickens lived.
But watch Daniel. He is seen later that day - lifting a barrel to pick up the hidden bundle. Where had he been? Why hadn't he taken the bundle right to the publisher? He was gone long enough to have been injected with the opium somewhere - but where? Do you think it was one of the Bookaneers? Or the turbanned stranger, perhaps? And if they had seen him hide the bundle beneath the barrel, why hadn't they retrieved it by now?
Marjifay, it seems that a new way to quickly deliver the opium to the bloodstream has been discovered - more efficient than smoking it!
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The book could almost have been titled The Mystery of The Mystery of Edwin Drood ;D
Jackie, I wonder whether Matthew considered that when coming up with the title for his book? ;D
I don't think my publisher would have gone for it, but I love the comment, thanks Jackie!
I actually do have a list of titles we considered. Do you want to see them? I don't think they give anything away:
DICKENS LOST
CHARLES DICKENS IS DEAD
DICKENS DEPARTED
THE LOST DICKENS
DICKENS UNDONE
DICKENS UNBOUND
DICKENS AT LAST
MR. DICKENS DEAD
DICKENSIANA
THE DICKENS SYSTEM
Gabi, my wonderful research assistant, had some really good ideas including:
THE DANGER IN DICKENS
So many great questions. Yet I don't want to give anything away with answers.
"1. I read somewhere that Dickens himself went to an opium den to research the effects of smoking opium firsthand. Wouldn't you think that as part of his research he tried it? It wasn't illegal at the time. Or was it?
Do you think Dickens went simply to observe and take notes? Was there ever any talk that Dickens himself was a user?
Matthew, did your research go into this topic? "
Ah, this will come into play, so I'm going to stay quiet on it for now! But yes, Dickens did do firsthand research for his books.
"I'm enchanted by it!" Thanks Ella! Ella Enchanted!
"Can fans somehow be involved in the choice of a cover? How important is a cover? More or less than the author?"
For my friend Katherine Howe's new novel, they actually did do a focus group comparing several covers. Oh, by the way, you guys should read her novel, THE PHYSICK BOOK OF DELIVERANCE DANE (www.katherinehowe.com), a mystery surrounding the Salem witch trials. I bet I can get Kate to participate here.
"Might I ask, Matthew, IF you had that much say so why did you not put your name at the top? I always was told that if an author finally "MADE IT" his name would be a the top, ABOVE the title."
Andy, I actually never heard that myself! Next time I'll lobby for it!
"a lot of us here experience serial fiction in these discussions--we read only the week's assignment, and don't read ahead. "
Very true, Pat! I hadn't thought of that, perhaps that is part of what makes this a special community experience.
"I did it in Drood, too"
By the way, I'm so excited to have several of you here who just read The Mystery of Edwin Drood. What a rare treat! It's not often read anymore, and certainly one does not have to read it to read my novel (as I've said here), but I think it adds another dimension.
"Charles Dickens is turning into a character in this book - and you know, I hate to say this about a man so many worship - compare to Shakespeare, but he really isn't a very likeable man, is he? Just between you and me..."
Joan P., absolutely true. Dickens is a tough customer to like BUT also hard to dislike. We'll talk more about this in the Second Installment, I'm sure.
"the policeman's view of women working. I guess that was the general opinion at the time."
Sheila, you're absolutely right, this was very early in the existence of women working in co ed workplaces. One of the reasons I was very excited to write Rebecca's character.
Andy, I am very sorry for your loss and appreciate you sharing it here.
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Remember that the cane has fangs on it.
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Remember that the cane has fangs on it.
The image on the top of the UK cover is something like the cane head...
(http://www.matthewpearl.com/dickens/assets/dickens.cover.uk.bmp)
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Re: the alternative titles. There was one I was really pushing for before we settled on The Last Dickens. Can anyone guess which one?
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Andy, my heart goes out to you. I am so sorry that you lost an adult child to drugs. Both of my sons were addicted to drugs. The older one was selling drugs. He refused to go to NA, so I turned him in. Then, I learned the Sheriff's office had our home under surveilence.
When my youger son returned from military service he was addicted. He forged checks from his great grandmother, to pay for his drugs. When we learned about it, he came to us for help. I took him to Alcoholics Anonymous, and introduced him to a young man I knew was a former drug abuser.
Both of my sons are now drug free, for over 20 years. But, I know the heartache that comes when a loved one is addicted. May God bless you, and yours.
Sheila
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As for the British/Chinese drug trade, I learned a lot from a course I took at the nearby college. It was called "Chemical Dependence". I had known that the Chinese heavily used opium. But, until that class I did not know that the Brits sold it to the Chinese. I remember learning that the Chinese government struggled to end the drug trade from England. But, it was never totally successful. Profit from the drug trade for the Brits, kept it going.
Sheila
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Matthew-- I read THE PHYSICK BOOK OF DELIVERANCE DANE and really enjoyed it. I thought it was very good for a first novel. It would be really fun if you could get Katherine Howe to come in and play with us. I assume that she has read your book.
Also I'm guessing that your favorite of the titles that didn't get picked was The Lost Dickens.
Andy--I'm truly sorry about your son. Addiction runs in my family--adult son, now clean and sober but lost for years and a sister and her son, now, I hope, working on his recovery. There are others too in older generations. It seems to me that those who love the addicts suffer far more than the addicts themselves who are often only faintly aware of what is going on. Later, if they sober up, comes the burden of guilt.
Sheila--Yes, the British introduced opium to China and the Opium Wars were fought over the drug.
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Matthew, I'm also guessing "The Lost Dickens" would have been your choice.
I really like the UK cover as a kind of in joke--the Drood cover with two additions. I presume we will find out the significance of the watch later. I also appreciate the care you are using to avoid spoilers.
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Marj-
The attorney Bendall was another character that I wondered why he was put in the story. He was there such a short time. Was it because someone (Bendall in this case) had to hear Daniel's dying words, "It is God's." Those words must be important.
You're right Marj, his part was short lived but long enough to discuss with Mr. Osgood the details of Daniel's death and deny that Daniel had any papers with him at the time of the accident.
It is God's???
What God's will? God's way? God's intention? You're right Marj, this is something we should keep in our thoughts.
I cracked up when Bendall, this attorney for the indigent, held the papers like the auctioneer holds his hammer :D
He listened to the bystanders all putting their claims on the papers; a brickmaker, a guy with ticket stubs in his Bible, a woman who had named her pets after Dickens, a mechanic who had read David Copperfield and an old guy who cried for Dickens. Now Matthew that is funny!
A guy who had read Dickens- ;D
Not only did Bendall inflate his nostrils each morning like a war horse, he sure as heck inflated his chest as well. Unfortunate for him that he argued with HERMAN and met the fate of the cane head.
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ANDY {{{{{still more hugs}}}}}
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Matthew, I also read Katherine Howe's The Psysick Book of Deliverance Dane. The Salem witch trials have long fascinated me and I think she did very well for her first novel. Of interest is that she traced her own ancestors, gathered facts and then wrote the novel. Very ambitious.!
Thank you Deems and Sheila for your empathy and understanding. It is still one he** of a mess and the homicide is still being investigated. It has been 9 months now. Only when you've lived, as a parent through something like a child addicted can you begin to understand the futility of it all.
Matthew, I vote for the alternative title to be Dickens Unbound. The manuscript never made it to the publishers.
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Thank you for paying such close attention to all of our questions and musings, Matthew! And for supplying so much other information to make this such a an exiting experience! I can't wait to come in here to see what is going on! And thank you for Katherine Howe's webpage - I just love playing with it! Perhaps we will consider her novel if there is interest - we love to see what
new writers - newly published writers are doing, don't we? ;)
I liked DICKENS LOST - but DICKENS UNBOUND is pretty good too for the reason you stated , Andy. It occurs to me that we haven't reached the end of Matthew's novel - there may be good reason for choosing "THE LAST DICKENS" when we get there. PatH, I immediately thought of Edwin Drood's watch when I saw the UK cover. On the wrapper that would have accompanied the last installment! I wonder if we will meet him (Edwin) in Matthew's novel. That would be a trip - those of us still trying to get over losing him in Dickens' novel would really take to that!
We're meeting quite an assortment of characters. Some of them are Matthew's fiction, others really lived - look at this - there really was a James Osgood - 19th century Boston publishing houses (http://www.cyberbee.com/henryhikes/ticknor.html). Matthew has given him a speaking part in his novel! And a lady friend. Do you think she was true or fiction. I'm betting that she and Daniel are Matthew's creations. Same with Sylvanus Bendall. How many of these characters do you think we'll meet in the coming chapters? I thought Sylvanus l was going to play a role up right up until he ran into Herman - he was so well drawn. How can you spend so much time and talent on such a character, Matthew - and then sacrifice him in the next chapter to Herman. I can't wait to hear what the rest of you think of Herman!
We all agree that Daniel was not an addict, but that the coroner recognized all the signs of an opium overdose. We know that Daniel went to the dock in the morning to pick up the installments. Something happened to him from the time that he picked up the installments, deposited them under a barrel and returned that afternoon around 2 pm to pick them up. Is that a mystery to keep in mind along with Daniel's dying words to Sylvanus Bendell -
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Thanks to Matthew Pearl for a real intriguing mystery. The start is in Bengal, India and I wonder why?? One of Dicken's sons is a magistrate there and obviously doesn't feel mournful about his father's death. After Turner and Mason lose their prisoner to the wheels of the train, we are left with Turner's fear of the name, Dickens. Hmmm, why would he be fearful?
Our author then takes us into Boston-1870-the busy harbor where we are introduced to a chase of one of Dickens's publisher's go-phers, Daniel Sand, who is running to get away from a man carrying an evil looking cane with a head that has sharp curved fangs. He tells Daniel that he wants the bundle that the young man is carrying. It is so important to Daniel, to get the bundle of papers back to his boss at Fields, Osgood,& Co. Why is he wearing a wool suit in the middle of summer?
I thought the man would kill Daniel with the cane but seems he didn't need to do that since the oncoming omnibus runs the young man down. Who will get the papers now???
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The information on the publishing industry is fascinating! I knew it was "cutthroat" but not literally.
How soon would the publisher be able to get a replacement copy? Was the transatlantic telegraph working then, or would they have to send word by boat? In either case, it would return by boat. When I sailed to England in the 60s, it took 8 days. A bit faster going back: but still time for whoever stole the first copy to publish. Why didn't they?
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JoanP- great find on the truth re. James R Osgood. I loved the link that you provided. Who would have thought that Osgood LIVED! Matthew, that must be difficult to weave true facts of a real person within a fictitious story. I know many hate Wikipedia but .... Will the real Mr. Osgood please stand up.
check out Mr. Osgood here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_R._Osgood)
JoanK- I am with you. I had no clue that the publishers wrangled as much as they do. Perhaps Matthew can shed some light for us about that kind of bickering that is inherent in his world.
I would be interested in knowing if what the forthright Major Harper said is true when he toasted with his brandy offered by Mr. Osgood.
"To we happy few, the publishers of the world! Individuals who kindly assist authors to obtain an immortality in which we do not ourselves particiapte."
That thought has never crossed my mind but why wouldn't they feel that way? Publishers never receive kudos do they Matthew?
AnnieO- Hello we love that you were able to join us in our discussion.
HMM-- yes why a wool suit in summer? Perhaps Daniel didn't have any other attire that was suitable for his assignment. He and his sister Rebecca lived on a veryfrugal budget.
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Although it takes place much earlier, 1860 something, Papa March , the father of Little Women, lives in Concord and among his friends he counts Thoreau and Emerson. I love the way unrelated books reveal these little coincidences.
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Jackie-It seems that for months, many times years to pass and you don't hear nor think of a particular word or a name, when all of a sudden it appears to pop up and out at you linking one book or thought to another. The connection is eerie oft times as we pause and try to associate and attach each relationship to that particular word or person.
I expected to see the misters Thoreau and Emerson again though from Matthew. :D
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What a contrast between Thoreau, sitting on Waldon Pond, and the hustle od Boston. Now I'll bet we'd have to go further than Concord to find such a contrast.
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As to why Daniel was wearing a wool suit in summer-- If I remember correctly, when he was promoted to Clerk, he had to wear a suit and could only afford one. Osgood, I believe, offer to help him with the payments, but Daniel refused saying he could manage by himself. That doesn't sound like a boy who had been spending his money on Opium, does it?
In reading this book and Ted Kennedy's biography, both set a good deal in Boston, I would love to visit there! Was looking at a map of the city and would love to see all the historical places.
Marj
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Ah Marj- Boston ranks right up there, for me, as one of the top fun cities to visit, next to NY City & Charleston .
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Marifay, you are right about Daniel and his suit. I remember Osgood encouraging Daniel to select a less expensive suit. However, Daniel had been saving his money, and wanted the best. Then, when summer arrived he needed a lighter weight suit, but was unable to afford it.
I do not believe that Daniel was an opium abuser. Osgood considered Daniel a good, dependable worker. That is why Daniel was promoted to clerk. No opium addict, would be a good worker, nor a dependable one.
Sheila
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I'll catch up with some of the other questions, but in the meantime, wanted to follow-up on the title.
The one I was pushing none of you picked--which is probably why I didn't get anywhere with it! I refer to DICKENS DEPARTED. I had a few advocates for it, but one complaint was it was too similar to the movie THE DEPARTED. But really? Can one never use the word "departed" again in a title? I thought it had a nice ring.
Andy, I loved DICKENS UNBOUND, but couldn't get anyone at my publishing house into it.
It came down to THE LOST DICKENS or THE LAST DICKENS, so many of you picked the runner-up correctly. I knew I wanted "Dickens" in the title but it's a tough word to match with something. It's also tough to convey a thriller or mystery storyline in a title. DICKENSIANA, for instance, doesn't indicate a thriller. In the end, we felt THE LOST DICKENS sounded a bit too much like a nonfiction book, and THE LAST DICKENS had a nice ring to it, looked nice in print, and conveyed (somehow! it's never quite clear) a thriller storyline.
I absolutely LOVED researching the publishing house culture and was as surprised as you were to find what it was like. Make sure you stop by my gallery of images on my website if you haven't... click here (http://www.matthewpearl.com/dickens/gallerypublishers.html)
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Andy, I loved DICKENS UNBOUND, but couldn't get anyone at my publishing house into it.
You see Matthew, let that be a lesson learned. IF your name appeared ABOVE the title your choice would have been granted. ;D
I loved the gallery images, particularly the monogram of the JRO. Nasty old Harper looks like a benevelent sort though, doesn't he? Direct eye contact, forthright and undisguised. I usually like people like that, as you know right where you stand.
Goodness it's already Sunday and we've barely touched on the profusion of characters in our first installement. Noone has yet mentioned Miss Rebecca, Daniel's poor and troubled sister. To protect herself and Daniel from her husband Ambrose, she moved to Boston and was finally able to afford a divorce from the clod. For two years was up she was legally barred from entering any romantic relationship or her divorce would be nullified and she would never be able to remarry.
What? Was that really a Massachusetts law back then? I loved this~~~
"It may have been a strange thing to feel relief at trading a house and a husband for a shrinking boarding room and office owrk all day, but that's how she felt."
I get that! Been there-- done that. Did anyone notice how Matthew snuck Mrs. Gamp, A character from Dickens in? Clever Matt, clever!! Like Rebecca many of us feel that books are our companions, sustenance feeding our minds.
She protected Daniel, nursed him back to good health and believed in his sobriety.
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Sharing the state of divorce with Rebecca (I, too, beenthere, etc.) slipped right past me. Her plight is almost Dickensian, isn't it? So, too, was the manner of her brother's death. Matthew, you are a sly one, aren't you? This book is even richer than I had first thought.
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Whoops! I misread the schedule, thought the first assignment was Chapters 1 - 6! No wonder I'm behind. I'll be back!
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I think the sort of restrictions Rebecca had to get her divorce were common when divorce was first becoming more possible. I wonder how it worked for the man? Rebecca is taking a big risk going on that voyage. It seems just barely respectable to me, and someone could easily accuse her of becoming romantically involved with Osgood.
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How soon would the publisher be able to get a replacement copy? Was the transatlantic telegraph working then, or would they have to send word by boat? In either case, it would return by boat. When I sailed to England in the 60s, it took 8 days. A bit faster going back: but still time for whoever stole the first copy to publish. Why didn't they?
It turns out there was a Transatlantic Cable in 1870, though it seems to have just become reliable.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transatlantic_telegraph_cable (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transatlantic_telegraph_cable)
Why didn't someone publish the copy? Bendall still had it until the day before they sailed for England. I'm guessing there is something elas about the manuscript that makes it important.
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PatH, you think so? The rationale for Rebecca going was that Osgood needed a bookkeeper, an assistant of some sort, it seems. I think Osgood is the one who has romantic ideas, but time will tell. I haven't read ahead. Everyone knows a book needs a romance of some sort, a hint of one will do for now.
Rebecca thoughts: "Rebecca found herself smiling at the amazing chance to travel, to contribute, and to preserve her future in Boston by helping Osgood's quest."
No doubt, she would never be able to afford such a trip otherwise. I would go if I were in her situation, let the tongues wag!
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Good morning from not-so-sunny Memphis! Here for the weekend to celebrate grandson Bryce's fifth birthday! Star Wars revisited! Sneaking in a few mintues to read your posts -
Matthew, I loved reading of the publishing wars too. Many of the publishers you write about survived - and I also noticed Publishers Weekly too. Didn't know that had been around for so long. Did you notice in the Wikpedia link to the article Andy provided on James Osgood - Your name, your book were mentioned! Thanks for that, Andy! What fun!
It might be interesting to talk about the relationship between authors and publishers today. I've read some recent articles how authors are pretty much on their own to drum up interest in sales - unless one of the really big bestselling names. Tough to get a start, isn't it?
Do you think that reading books was more popular in the 19th century than it is today - with television, the internet, etc.
vying for attention? And what of women in the 19th century - do you think Rebecca Sand represents a typical female reader of this time?"She had never thought about books being judged, rather than devoured."
I'm not sure one needs to learn to consider a book's literary merits to enjoy it. I wonder what you think?
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JOANP: "I'm not sure one needs to learn to consider a book's literary merits to enjoy it. I wonder what you think?"
No, of course not. And, even when aware of literary merit, enjoyment of books is so complex, you can enjoy them on different levels. Only a few of the mysteries I love can claim literary merit, but I enjoy them, along with classics, poetry, and non-fiction. Each holds something differant for me.
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A bit of Dickens trivia. I'm reading a crazy Sci-Fi book (Jasper FForde, "Thusday Next-First Amoung Sequels"). where there is a special police force to keep books from being corrupted. They are worried because "The MAWKI5H virus has once again surfaced in Dickens, particularly in the death of little Nell, which is now so uncomfortably saccharine that even our own dear, gentle, patient, noble Nell complained."
They aren't able to solve all crimes. Someone has stolen all the humor from the Thomas Hardy novels, which used to be the funniest books around.
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Stop, Thief ;D!
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"And, even when aware of literary merit, enjoyment of books is so complex, you can enjoy them on different levels"
That's true, JoanK. But you do pause when reading and reflect when you read a good sentence, a good thought. However, you read on and it fades eventually.
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Joan- what a strange concept for a book.
Ella's right, how many times do you pause and contemplate that wonderful written word as you read? I don't know much about authors but I know what I like. It's art and our tastes all differ. Picasso has merit too but that doesn't mean that everyone enjoys his particular taste.
Ella- I believe that Annie Fields helped when she suggested Rebecca accompany Osgood across the sea and she was honored to accept. Like Ella, I would have jumped at the chance. She's grieving, alone and worrying about where she is going to live next.
I wonder if that mean spirited Mr. Midges, who informed Rebecca of the "opium coversation" he overheard will resurface in the next few chapters? Hateful man!!!
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Mysteries abound in these first few chapters. Two unexplained disappearances or, perhaps, we could say three if we are to count Daniel Sands. The prisoner on the train, who supposedly jumped out a window, and then another prisoner on the boat who escaped from a cell. Of course, we know the first prisoner on the train was killed, but until we read our next chapters we won't know what happened to this fellow who had the monstrous fang-headed cane, which cane, incidentally, also appeared in the hands of a mustachoed fellow in the incident of Daniel being hit by the lorry.
Many unexplained, as yet, mysteries within mysteries, as JoanP stated in the heading.
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"the monstrous fang-headed cane, which cane, incidentally, also appeared in the hands of a mustachoed fellow" I wish I had a mustachio, so I could twirl it, and say "Heh, heh, heh" in approved villain fashion.
I too, wonder about Rebbecca going on the boat unchaperoned. Did women do that then? Perhaps because she was "working class" (or at least in an ambiguous class position) the same rules don't apply.
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Welcome! Everyone is invited!
(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/lastdickenscvr.jpg) | We are happy to announce that the author, Matthew Pearl, is joining us in the discussion of his latest novel, "The Last Dickens," as he did with his "Poe Story" and "The Dante Club.
Matthew's literary fiction picks up where Dickens left off in "The Mystery of Edwin Drood." The story of the fate of Edwin Drood is a mystery within a mystery. When young Edwin disappears after dinner on Christmas Eve and his watch and chain are later found in the nearby river, everyone suspects foul play. Could one of Edwin’s acquaintances have murdered him – and, if so, what could their motive be? Tragically, the mystery is destined never to be truly solved, as Dickens died before he could finish this novel – all that is left are the clues that can be found in the completed chapters.
Pearl sends a partner of Dickens’ American publisher, James Osgood, to the Dickens' estate in England where we meet the "fugitives" from the characters of Dickens' novel. Is Edwin Drood dead or alive? Was he killed by his uncle, John Jasper? Or did he somehow escape that fate, possibly to return later? We are anticipating more intrigue as Pearl's fictional characters search for answers in the author's well-researched fiction.
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Chapter discussion schedule
October 1-6: First Installment ~ Chapters 1-10 ~ June, 1870
*October 7-10: Second Installment ~ Chapters 11-17 ~ November, 1867
October 11-13: Third Installment ~ Chapters 18-22
October 14-16: Fourth Installment ~ Chapters 23-26
October 17-28: Fifth Installment ~ Chapters 27-37
October 29-31: Sixth Installment ~ Chapter 40
Discussion Leaders: JoanP (jonkie@verizon.net), Andy (WFLANNERY@CFL.RR.COM )
| (http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/tremont.jpg) |
Some topics for discussion Oct. 7-10 : Chapters 11-17, November, 1867:
1. Can you recall another author creating such rock star excitement as Dickens did in his American tour in 1867? Why was he here? Was this a book tour?
2. Have you ever read Dickens' Nicholas Niclesby? Did you notice William Thackery's rhyme on Nichlesby at the start of the Second Installment? Why do you think it was placed here?
3. Do you have any idea why Dickens receive such negative press, yet the public's adulation?
4. Did you notice that screw in Dickens' walking stick? Do you think it was common at this time to use walking sticks as weapons, or for protection?
5. Those Bookaneers again! Who were they? Did they really exist? Do you suspect the man described as George Washington was one of them?
6. Is Tom Branagan correct in warning the police to keep the female stalker away from Dickens, or do you think she's harmless? Did you notice something about the description of her eyes?
7. Why do you think the subject of mesmerism was brought up and then quickly dropped as the train jolted? Have you ever been hypnotized? Can you think of a reason one would become violent when hypnotized, as Aunt Georgy did?
8. Are you familiar with the terms, "incubus" and "succubus"? The stalking woman refers to herself as an incubus. Why is this so odd? Do you think it is ominous?
9. What has happened to Dickens' diary? Could the incubus have learned anything of importance while she had it?
10. Do you think the incident with the lighting in the Tremont Temple was an accident? If not, who do you think would want to harm Dickens?
Related Links : Q & A with Author, Matthew Pearl (http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/pearlinterview.html); 19th century Boston publishing houses (http://www.cyberbee.com/henryhikes/ticknor.html); check out Mr. Osgood here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_R._Osgood); James R. Osgood Co. closes, May, 1885 - NY Times (http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9D0CE0DC1739E533A25756C0A9639C94649FD7CF)
(http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/lastdickensicon2.jpg)
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I'm just catching up with you all here. I've read the first section and all of your posts. I appreciate all of the interesting background links and thoughtful comments.
I really like the character of Rebecca. She is beautiful ("one of the four prettiest maidens aboard" the ship), although lacking in "fashionable style." Her black mourning clothes make her look "strong-willed" which is, apparently, a negative characteristic for a woman. (That reminded me of Lady Catherine de Berg's portrayal of Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice, published in 1813.)
I like the fact that, when Rebecca was a young girl, "books were her companions, sustenance feeing her mind." I have been reviewing the lines about which some of you have commented, [after moving to the city], she found Bostonians particular and critical about their reading material, for she had never thought about books being judged rather than devoured." Rebecca thinks that "working in a publishing firm, she might learn to have a more discerning eye for books' moral and literary merits." I think she wants to educate herself. Not all books... not all ideas... have the same value in helping oneself to develop a worldview. She wants to learn to judge important ideas.
And Osgood sees his role as publisher as bringing the opportunity to connect with books of ideas to the masses, ensuring that every person in America had a chance to read a kind of book "not because it would instantly prove popular, but because it could be important."
I think that Rebecca and Osgood might make a good match. :-)
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How frightening Rebecca must have been to turn her back on her only support; her husband must have suffered from PTSD. She realizede that her very life was at risk. She could only flee. Fields & Osgood was more than just her employer, it became her refuge. It would be extremely difficult for her to repress her revulsion as she heard the other, silly, girls whose sole purpose was to find "love". I doubt that Rebecca believes any longer in love.
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Matthew, I really enjoy the way you write! Thank you for deciding to finish the mystery of Edwin Drood.
Jackie, it seems silly to me, too, about all of the other single girls on board ship, seeing the voage as an opportunity for love, and possible marriage. However, I find it sad that marriage, was one of the few ways that young women could find to have some security.
My paternal, great grandmother was born in 1870. I was in my late 20s when she died. I spent a lot of time with her, and heard all of her stories. She divorced my great grandfather following the 1892 election. He lost a lot of money, and property by betting on that election.
Grandmother left him, and went home to her parents. Her father gave her a cow, and told her, as his daughter, e expected her to go and make a life for herself. She was pregnant and had two small children. She ended up homesteading, in a wooded area in Montana. I remember her stories about finding Indians in her kitchen watching her make bread, and pies. Her brother was Indian Agent at that time. I loved her stories.
Howe
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However, it must have been very frightening for her. When she had finished the 5 year requirement for homesteading, she had to have her ex husband sell her property, as women did not have the right to own, or sell real estate. Then she, and her children moved to Washington State, to be near her sister. Grandmother, then made pies and bread, to support her family.
I am finding myself feeling a lot of resentment at the times of her life, and those in this book. Matthew, I appreciate you going into so much information about what was, and was not respectabel, for single women in those days. We have made a lot of progress in equality for women during my lifetime. We still have a lot of progress in this area, to go.
Sheila
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Rebecca is the type of woman I would like to have for a friend. She has a good head on her shoulders. She is also a compassionate human being, and courageous.
I am horrified by the comment about the nanny's telling their charges that if they misbehaved, a black man would eat them! How hurtful that must have been to any person of African ancestry hearing it. How frightening it must have been to the children! But, again, that is the way much of society viewed things in those days. A lot of us still do this about anyone different from us.
Sheila
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Serenesheila- Thank you so much for sharing your views and your stories about your paternal great grand mother. Can you imagine walking into your kitchen with a band of indians checking you out? I love stories like that and IF there is such a thing as reincarnation I believe that I once was a squaw or perhaps a pioneer woman back in those days.
I think that grit and stamina was inherent in Rebecca's personality, the same as her kindness. She can be tough when necessary but Matthew has given her a staunch voice.
"If I am to take care of myself like a man does and be dependent on no man, then I expect not to be treated like a helpless vessel."
MrsSherlock is correct in presuming that the publishing house became her refuge. I think she enjoys her job and wants to be proven capable.
While aboard ship she began to spy on the industrious Mr. Osgood as he played chess and mentally manipulated her own strategies.
Welcome Marcie, I so so happy to see you in here .
Matthew, Marcie just completed the monumental task of leading our Mystery of Edwin Drood discussion with Deems, so I am certain that she will add a wealth of information and interest here to our discussion. Tell us the truth Marcie, what do YOU really believe was Drood's fate? ;D
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Pg. 79 (hard cover) is a wonderful tribute to Charles Dickens and Drood.
Matthew do you really believe that he was a ripe genius,as Osgood believed?
I love this:
"The characters were infused with such lfife that one could almost feel that they would step out of the pages and act out the remainder of the story without Dickens's pen to help."
Pondering that thought, I sensed that any book I have particularly loved and enjoyed holds that fascination. Thank you I will never forget that sentence. That's why when I completed a great book, I feel lonely and dejected. I've lost my characters with all of their charms and foibles.
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Serenesheila wrote: it seems silly to me, too, about all of the other single girls on board ship, seeing the voage as an opportunity for love, and possible marriage. However, I find it sad that marriage, was one of the few ways that young women could find to have some security.
Wasn't it as late as in the 1950s or so when girls went to college simply to find a husband? When women had no choice of a career where they could earn enough to support themselves, this (and those cruises in the book) made sense, sad as it was.
Marj
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Yes, Marj, sadly that is true. Our Rebecca had already been in that pot of stew so she ambitiously knew cared more for career.
We've come a long way baby.
She is intuitive as well, isn't she? "As she met the accused's eye (Herman) and innocent smile, a sudden, almost magnetic repulsion forced her to take a step back."
Haven't we all met such an individual where your radar immediately goes out?
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Yes, Marj, it was. If I remember correctley, it was sometime in the 1970s that women could get credit in their name.
It also boggles my mind, to realize that my own mother was 5 years old, when women were given the right to vote!
Sheila
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I agree that it's good to see a strong woman in this story in the person of Rebecca, among some of the other girls who are wedded to their role in society, looking only for a husband.
Alf, I'll wait to talk about my thoughts about Edwin Drood's fate until we finish this book.
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"1.How can you spend time and talent on such a character as Sylvanus Bendall, Matthew - and then sacrifice him in the very next chapter to someone like Herman? Was this difficult to do? "
Part of the fun of being the author is playing God with the characters, I guess! Actually, from a strategic angle, sacrificing a character is part of increasing the sense of danger for your primary characters. Bendall actually serves lots of purposes in the plot before and after his death. And you might not have seen the last of him--I'm thinking of using him in the book I'm writing now, which takes place a few years earlier.
Will get to more questions and thoughts hopefully tomorrow, somehow it's a crazy week already, and it's only Monday!
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Hi there, Matthew! I know what you mean about a busy week already, and it's a week we've hardly started! Thank you for taking time in your busy schedule to visit with us. I had been wondering about what you might be planning for your next book, having read that Last Dickens would complete the trilogy of Poe, Longfellow and Dickens stories. Did you just inadvertently let us in on something? I'm glad to hear that Sylvanus Bendall is still alive and well in the back of your mind.
Andy, I just love Matthew's quote on Dickens' characters that you brought to us - can't help but repeat it -
"The characters were infused with such life that one could almost feel that they would step out of the pages and act out the remainder of the story without Dickens's pen to help."
Are some of Matthew's characters taking on a life of their own too?
I'm not sure what to think of Herman. Is he a real character, or a caricature of an evil spirit? From the first moment we met him, there was something other-worldly and evil about him - remember his teeth and his lips were stained a bright red! What was that about? Then he appears on the ship - apparently stalking James Osgood. Rebecca is repulsed by the look in his eyes. James Osgood can't even look his attacker in the eye! Then his feet had been chained together, his arm chained to the wall. And he's nowhere to be found on the ship. How did he get away? What's your guess?
And a more important question - what do you think he's after?
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Ella has listed a number of mysteries in the first installment - Hopefully we'll find the answers in later chapters.
Dickens does the same thing, doesn't he? Makes us wait for the next installment. I'm still wondering where Daniel Sand spent the morning from the time he picked up the bundle of advance copies. hid them under a barrel and then came back for them around 2pm with those needle marks on his arms. Where was he? Was he with the mustachioed fellow. Is this guy believable?
Rebecca is entirely believable, isn't she? Ella thinks that she is taking a chance, a woman travelling alone with a man, not her husband. she doesn't seem to care what people think, does she? Jackie - "I doubt that Rebecca believes any longer in love." But didn't you catch her blushing a few times, though? Didn't she seem inwardly pleased when James Osgood asked for her and all those ladies crowded around him had to step aside for her to come to his side?
Sheila - what a story about your grandmother! Thank you for sharing it with us. It helps us to understand what life was like for women back then. "Her father gave her a cow, - She was pregnant and had two young children." Not to make light of your grandmother's situation but when I read it, I thought that cow was probably a godsend for a woman with little children.
Wasn't Rebecca fortunate not to have little children from that first marriage? She has a better chance to move on with her life - and she's making the most of the opportunity she has been given in the publishing business. (Marcie, since so much is known about James Osgood, maybe we can find out if he married Rebecca. I think we need to hang on to that article Andy found in Wikpedia about him. That's a start...)
Talk to you tomorrow, it's been a long travel day today coming from Memphis. At least we didn't have to change planes in Atlanta. Charlotte is so much nicer!
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I assumed the red teeth were from chewing betel nut, which stains the teeth, with a side effect of making Herman seem even more sinister. I don't know how he got out of his cell, but I can easily believe someone so clever managed to hide from a search. I bet he got his cane back, too.
What IS he after? He took a watch and a pocketbook, hardly likely to be valuable enough to be worth it.
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(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3652/3281317352_9880996a60.jpg)
A lifetime of betel nut chewing (http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3652/3281317352_9880996a60.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.flickr.com/photos/lindadevolder/3281317352/&h=381&w=500&sz=124&tbnid=UJccMbYyzsQ1UM:&tbnh=99&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbetel%2Bnut%2Bchewing&usg=__b8iejQQ40tA9_OQqoHsttm5NxUM=&ei=FJ7KStOCPMmdlAf72bGSAw&sa=X&oi=image_result&resnum=1&ct=image)
"The red lips are a result of betel chewing. There is archaeological evidence that the betel leaves are chewed along with the areca nut since very ancient times. It is not known, however, when these two different stimulants substances were put together for the first time
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Ha!...All right, PatH!! So there is an explanation for Herman's appearance after all! And who knows, maybe he has an accomplice on board the ship who cut the chains and helped him escape - or is hiding him in his cabin, perhaps. But we do know he's a madman, a murderer - and he's after something...James Osgood is on his list of victims - Daniel Sand, Sylvanus Bendall... He's not going to kill J.Osgood ...yet! Not until he gets what he's after.
I'm going to bed and try to figure this out instead of counting sheep!
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It looks like Matthew created a fiction version of James Osgood with only some similarities to actual events. I'd be interested to know from you, Matthew, if you were able to learn anything about the personal character of J R O (I too love that monogram of his initials!) that you used in your book to describe him. I admire the James Osgood you created/adapted.
It would be outside the timeline/scope of The Last Dickens, but it looks like James Osgood developed several publishing ventures after his time with Fields, Osgood and Co. One of them failed in 1885. See http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9D0CE0DC1739E533A25756C0A9639C94649FD7CF
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Good sleuthing, PatH, for the betel nut. Yikes, what an awful red mouth in that photo, Joan. I can't imagine what Herman looked like! Ugh.
Herman left a headless rat in his cell. I wouldn't put it past him to bite off the head (sorry, that is really gross). He doesn't seem to have any humanity.
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In looking for more about Osgood, I came across a very interesting site: The Lucile project which is "an attempt to recover the publishing history of a single 19th century book. Owen Meredith's Lucile was first published in 1860, by Chapman & Hall in England and as a Ticknor & Fields "Blue & Gold" in the United States."
See the section about James Osgood: http://sdrc.lib.uiowa.edu/lucile/publishers/osgood2/Osgood2.htm
The book covers on the page are lovely.
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Two things: Herman is not a name I would associate with a man whose appearance suggests he comes from the Indian sub-continent. The serendipity god strikes again: reading about James Osgood here I found another character named Osgood in Mary Alice Monroe's Last Light Over Carolina. Go figure.
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Jackie, you're right about that name. Can we be sure that Herman is the guy's real name? Consider the source. As he was about to murder Sylvanus Bendall, he tells him - "They call me Herman." Who are they?
I slept on it - and here's what I came up with. Herman - could be HER MAN. Do you suppose this is another unfeeling killer addicted to another substance -or is this the same - is this Jasper John from Dickens' Edwin Drood? Her man - Rosa's man? Or is that "over the top?"
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I certainly hope we meet some of the characters from Drood here. If Drood was supposed to take place earlier than the time Dickens was writing it, we might find out how they turned out.
But I don't think Herman is Jasper in disguise, because Herman is six feet tall. Jasper is described as well-made, but isn't called tall, and isn't taller than the others in the pictures. He could dye his skin and shave his head, but he couldn't grow 5 inches.
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Oh yes, tall. Everyone comments how tall this guy is. Well, it was quite late. I still like "her man" for Herman though. Don't think his name is really Herman.
One thing we know - Rebecca is definitely not Rosa. I was interested to know what sort of books she'd been devouring as a child on the farm - Were they popular novels of the day? I remember Jane Eyre and Oliver Twist were mentioned by name. The books had belonged to an elderly man - his "boxed up library" - so she very well could have been "devouring" classics as well. She certainly doesn't resemble the other young girls on the ship - in much the same financial circumstances. Would she be more like they are if she hadn't been married before? Somehow, I don't think so.
She had a line in the book that really stopped me - Rebecca was talking to one of the young girls on the ship about the meaning of love - romance. "An unspoken glance when someone looks into your eyes and knows exactly who you are, what you need." Wow! Where did she learn about romance? From the books she read - or from experience...
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What's the name of that South Pacific song with the words -- "She is always chewing betel nuts?" Bloody Mary, Dirty Mary? But what a gross picture.
It really surprised me to find that Daniel was only about 14 years old when he became his sister's protector. A boy of fourteen could be seen as acceptable as a sort of guardian for a "loose" woman (not my words, just what society thought). As it was, it was Rebecca who was the protector, helping her young alcoholic brother become sober.
I think that Herman somehow made those marks on Daniel to make it look like he was an opium user.
thunderstorms here, and I must leave Panera as the lunchtime crowd is coming in.
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Today is publication day for the paperback of The Last Dickens!
(http://www.matthewpearl.com/dickens/assets/dickens_paperback_front.jpg)
I know you all--obviously--have copies. If there's anyone else you think might enjoy it, please consider it as a gift or a recommendation.
Plus our companion edition of Dickens's The Mystery of Edwin Drood is out today, too, from Modern Library.
(http://matthewpearl.com/dickens/assets/edwindroodcoverus.jpg)
That has my introduction, and scholarly endnotes in the back.
Now back to the regularly scheduled program...
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"2.Matthew do you really believe that Dickens was a ripe genius,as Osgood believed? Do you believe that the Mystery of Edwin Drood would have been Dickens' greatest masterpiece?"
I know many of you have just read The Mystery of Edwin Drood for your online discussion--and as I say what a treat that is to have you join here, too (not that it's required, as I've stressed!). MED (as I abbreviate it) was a very different type of book for Dickens, much more economical and efficient in its structure and prose. In that sense, it would have been a milestone, perhaps a turning point, for Dickens--although I leave it to Osgood to judge whether it would have been a masterpiece.
"3. I'd be interested to know from you, Matthew, if you were able to learn anything about the personal character of J R O (I too love that monogram of his initials!) that you used in your book to describe him. "
I'll tell you more about this as I go on, but Osgood was the key to my writing this novel. When I first thought of doing something with Dickens and MED I thought of it from the perspective of the London publishers and was instantly bored. There just wasn't enough beyond an incomplete book. So having the story turn out to be about an American publisher (among other things), put into a very tough position of depending on this last book, made the concept click for me. I related to Osgood right away, if superficially, because we were around the same age. I just turned 34 this past Friday, and Osgood was about the same age when the novel is set. I read anything I could get my hands on about or by Osgood, including his letters in the archives of the Boston Public Library. He was very proper, especially with women, I noticed. In one letter he related an anecdote that involved the word "damned" being used a few times, and Osgood wrote at the end:
“You must pardon the expletives—I am only a faithful reporter”
The letters let me in a little bit, as did references and descriptions of Osgood by writers who worked with him, including William Dean Howells and Mark Twain (whose interaction with Osgood came after the time period of my novel).
Publishers Weekly said of him, a short time after my novel's setting: "No man in the business is more popular, more efficient, more able and energetic than he, and he unites business capacity with literary ability and judgment to a remarkable degree”
I also searched for Osgood's memoirs that he reportedly wrote--which I'll tell more about later.
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(http://www.charlesdickensonline.com/Gallery/images/g302.gif)
A rare portrait of Osgood.
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(http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/birthdaycake.jpg)
Happy belated birthday, Matthew!
Thanks very much for your responses to our questions. Many thanks, also, for plugging our discussion here in your email about the two handsome editions of your books that are available today. They'll make great holiday gifts.
I'll look forward to more information about Osgood from you. It's interesting to know how he came to be the focus of your book. I love that portrait of him! He looks open and handsome.
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As Matthew has already announced, the paperback of The Last Dickens is out today. Thank heaven! I was getting further and further behind with no book. I like the paperback cover better than the hardcover, Matthew. I love the twine around the installment, real fan of twine here. And for those of you worried about where Matthew's name was, above or below the title, please know that although it is below the title, it is the same font AND size as the title.
Anyway, I still have to catch up, but I have read the first four chapters and have noted:
1. In chapter 1, there's a not-so-subtle hit at Imperialism on the (probably unconscious) part of Turner who tells the younger policeman, "Be assured, the natives in India do not value life. Not even as the poorest Englishman does." A few pages later he tells Mason, " Never lose sight of the true blessings of public service. Each one of us is here to turn out a better civilization in the end, and for that reason alone."
He talks nation-building talk, but how ironic that he obviously pushes Narain out the window while Mason is sleeping, and he clearly doesn't think there's anything wrong with the opium business. If a captive like Narain dies now and again, well, it's all in the greater interest of England his people. O, the irony.
I also like the omnibus part. Small touches of Drood are appearing now and again. There's an ominbus in Drood too; it delivers that awful Mr. Honeythunder to Cloisterham and takes him away again after he has bored everyone silly at dinner.
There's also the disdain Turner feels for everyone whose skin isn't the color of his which reminds me of the rough time Neville Landless has in Drood. I'm seeing echoes all over the place here.
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I've now got my own book, too; I'd been making do with a library copy until today.
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(http://dingo.care2.com/cards/stamps/80066.gif)
Good! You've got your own copies to catch up, to mark up , to do whatever, just in time for the Second Installment! Maryal, you have noted some of the class differences - and racial bias too. I expect we'll find more of that in the coming installments. Dickens was always the champion of the poor and the downtrodden. Glad you're with us, fresh from the Drood discussion!
Matthew, thank you for your insights - your comments add so much to this discussion - without spoiling anything. You've been avoiding giving anything away as we put our heads together, attempting to unravel the plot - the plots within plots.
Before we turn pick up the Second Installment in the morning, let's see where we are. The London publisher sent the Advance copies of the last installment Dickens wrote. These were sent to the American publisher, Fields and Osgood, who have an exclusive agreement with Dickens. No one else can publish these installments. These advance copies were taken from Daniel Sand by Sylvanus Bendall - who seemed to know exactly what they were, though he had no plans to sell them or to profit from them. Now "Herman" has them. Herman has killed two people to get his hands on them. Dickens has died and the exclusive contract no longer exists.
Osgood and Fields plan to publish the six completed installments - before the other publishers beat them to it. James Osgood is hurriedly sent off to England to find out how Dickens planned to finish his book - and then they will quickly publish a more complete book, before the others get their hands on the completed episodes. I never understood why Fields didn't go. He wanted to...
Is that how you all see it? And if so, why do you think Herman is following James to England? He has the final episode in his possession. Does he know what James is up to? Why the silly prank on the ship - spilling the water, causing James to fall and taking his watch and wallet? Does that make sense to you? If he's following James, wouldn't he be more discreet?
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I echo the belated brithday wishes for you Matthew. All good people were born in October. AHEM!!! ;D ::)
Joan, I quite agree with the puzzling behavior of Herman aboard the ship. Why steal the guys wallet? Did he know who James was or was he looking for verification of his identity?
Betal palm or not theis guy is diabolical, the devil incarnate, dripping blood et al.
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Well we have two BD's to celebrate this month according to Alf. Hers and Matthew's! Good grief, 34! I have shoes that are older than that. Anyway,
Happy Birthday to you both!!
While reading the link to Osgood and his publishing firm that has failed in 1885, I found another well known author of that time who was Osgood's only big money maker and I looked for, W.D. Howells, who can be found here:
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/howells/hbio.html
D
Also, I noticed that Osgood's firm had offered what we call paperbacks(Daniel Sand's suggestion) but they weren't popular at that time and didn't sell well.
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Can someone refresh my memory? Do we know for sure that Herman chewed betel nuts, which would explain those bright red teeth and lips - or is this one possible explanation supplied by our PatH? I'm thinking of the ivory toothpick he always seem to have in his mouth. Don't you think that betel juice would have stained the ivory?
Well, the second installment is in - and the mustachioed monster is nowhere in sight. We've stepped back in time two or three years - to 1867 - Dickens is in America in this installmetn. I'm expecting to meet up with the American publishers, Osgood and Fields, aren't you? This is quite a well publicized tour . -Is Dickens promoting a new book? Does anyone know which book he had published before the Mystery of Edwin Drood?
I've been trying to think of another author who created such a stir - ever! Can you?
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I am caught up. Yes! I won't comment yet because what I want to write about is at the end of this installment. I can't think of another author who caused such a commotion--the Beetles did, of course, and other pop starts I'm sure.
Off to see if the Bookaneers are invented (I tend to think so given the punning name)--that is, I think the name is invented, but there was a good deal of literary piracy going on at the time--and remember no American copyright laws yet, so an American publisher could steal from another (as Harper seems to have in mind) and publish whatever he could get his hands on. I have no doubt that since Dickens improvised during his readings, there may have been people who took down what he said in shorthand. We met some of those Bookaneers earlier in the novel.
Dickens did the American readings because there was nothing he could do about the copyright problem, and it was a good way to earn some of the money he really was owed. He was enormously popular in the States as the commotion over his readings shows.
Nearly forgot--Happy Belated Birthday, Matthew. And Happy Birthday to you as well, Andy. My mother's birthday was October 9, a good month indeed.
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There are Bookaneers on, of all places, Sesame Street!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zf8Ucg31LcA (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zf8Ucg31LcA)
But they sure do seem a lot friendlier than the ones in the book. Tina Fey as a Pirate!
And, if you type bookaneers and dickens into Google, you will find an interview with Matthew Pearl on NPR.
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How on earth, do you think that man escaped from his cell on the ship? I cannot imagine how that was done. I hope that we will solve that mystery, later in our book.
I think that Hermann was actually from India. Immigrents from other countries were often given English and American names.
Belated birthday wishes for you, Matthew. Happy birthday to Andy. What is the date of your birthday, Andy?
Sheila
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;D Well I sure can not claim to be 34 but I turn 66 (double digits again) on the 23rd of October. Thank you all ofor the bday wishes.
Joan- I think that Pat came up with the betel nuts or berries, I do not rmeember reading about him chewing on them but it would be a good explanation for his 'devil incarnate" description.
What about Mark Twain, wasn't he considered a great prolific writer of that time?
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Yes, Andy, I thought of Mark Twain, also. He also gave public readings. Many of his books are still popular. Many have been made into plays.
Sheila
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The Book Club Online is the oldest book club on the Internet, begun in 1996, open to everyone. We offer cordial discussions of one book a month, 24/7 and enjoy the company of readers from all over the world. Everyone is welcome to join in.
Click register at the top of the page to create a username and password so that you can post messages in the discussions here on SeniorLearn.
Welcome! Everyone is invited!
(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/lastdickenscvr.jpg) | We are happy to announce that the author, Matthew Pearl, is joining us in the discussion of his latest novel, "The Last Dickens," as he did with his "Poe Story" and "The Dante Club.
Matthew's literary fiction picks up where Dickens left off in "The Mystery of Edwin Drood." The story of the fate of Edwin Drood is a mystery within a mystery. When young Edwin disappears after dinner on Christmas Eve and his watch and chain are later found in the nearby river, everyone suspects foul play. Could one of Edwin’s acquaintances have murdered him – and, if so, what could their motive be? Tragically, the mystery is destined never to be truly solved, as Dickens died before he could finish this novel – all that is left are the clues that can be found in the completed chapters.
Pearl sends a partner of Dickens’ American publisher, James Osgood, to the Dickens' estate in England where we meet the "fugitives" from the characters of Dickens' novel. Is Edwin Drood dead or alive? Was he killed by his uncle, John Jasper? Or did he somehow escape that fate, possibly to return later? We are anticipating more intrigue as Pearl's fictional characters search for answers in the author's well-researched fiction.
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Chapter discussion schedule
October 1-6: First Installment ~ Chapters 1-10 ~ June, 1870
*October 7-10: Second Installment ~ Chapters 11-17 ~ November, 1867
October 11-13: Third Installment ~ Chapters 18-22
October 14-16: Fourth Installment ~ Chapters 23-26
October 17-28: Fifth Installment ~ Chapters 27-37
October 29-31: Sixth Installment ~ Chapter 40
Discussion Leaders: JoanP (jonkie@verizon.net), Andy (WFLANNERY@CFL.RR.COM )
| (http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/tremont.jpg) |
Some topics for discussion Oct. 7-10 : Chapters 11-17, November, 1867:
1. Can you recall another author creating such rock star excitement as Dickens did in his American tour in 1867? Why was he here? Was this a book tour?
2. Have you ever read Dickens' Nicholas Nickleby? Did you notice William Thackery's rhyme on Nickleby at the start of the Second Installment? Why do you think it was placed here?
3. Do you have any idea why Dickens receive such negative press, yet the public's adulation?
4. Did you notice that screw in Dickens' walking stick? Do you think it was common at this time to use walking sticks as weapons, or for protection?
5. Those Bookaneers again! Who were they? Did they really exist? Do you suspect the man described as George Washington was one of them?
6. Is Tom Branagan correct in warning the police to keep the female stalker away from Dickens, or do you think she's harmless? Did you notice something about the description of her eyes?
7. Why do you think the subject of mesmerism was brought up and then quickly dropped as the train jolted? Have you ever been hypnotized? How had the train wreck at Staplehurst in 1865 affected Dickens? Do you expect to hear more of mesmerism - and Staplehurst in upcoming chapters?
8. Are you familiar with the terms, "incubus" and "succubus"? The stalking woman refers to herself as an incubus. Why is this so odd? Do you think it is ominous?
9. What has happened to Dickens' diary? Could the incubus have learned anything of importance while she had it?
10. Do you think the incident with the lighting in the Tremont Temple was an accident? If not, who do you think would want to harm Dickens?
Related Links : SeniorLearn's Q & A with Author, Matthew Pearl (http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/pearlinterview.html); 19th century Boston publishing houses (http://www.cyberbee.com/henryhikes/ticknor.html); check out Mr. Osgood here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_R._Osgood); James R. Osgood Co. closes, May, 1885 - NY Times (http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9D0CE0DC1739E533A25756C0A9639C94649FD7CF), Listen to Matthew's Interview at the Parker House in Boston (http://www.hereandnow.org/2009/06/rundown-61#4);
(http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/lastdickensicon2.jpg)
Some Recent Questions for Matthew:http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/lastdickens_q_a.html (http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/lastdickens_q_a.html)
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I was just guessing about the betel nuts. It seemed the obvious explanation for red teeth in a man from India or thereabouts.
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Oh, I think it was a fine guess explaining those red lips, PatH! Other than the obvious, that the man is a demon, a vampire. ;D) I just can't figure out how the ivory toothpick doesn't stain too.
Sheila, I'm convinced Herman had to have an accomplice on board the ship - there's no other explanation how he could have broken all those chains - and then climbed out of the ship's hold - unassisted. (Unless of course, you consider the obvious - that he has superhuman powers. ;D)
Were you surprised that the Second Installment did not follow Mr. Osgood and his bookkeeper to England.. I'm trying to figure out why our author took us back in time. There had to be a reason, don't you think? But what? Did something happen in Boston, in Baltimore or in New York that would affect the story three years later?
And what of Herman? You don't suppose he was a Bookaneer, do you? Can anyone remember if that fellow dressed as George Washington was tall?
Maryal, I'm going to come back and listen to Matthew on NPR - is he talking about the Bookaneers?
I doubt Mark Twain caused such a commotion when he gave readings - maybe because he was an American. Did his readers love him - was he celebrated during his lifetime? I think it's amusing that the people seem to love Dickens -yet he seems in a constant state of irritation with their presence. Do you sense that?
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Sheila--I have no idea how Herman (or whoever he is) escaped, but I'm sure we'll find out. Maybe he's a contortionist? Maybe he bit off the rat's head and pretended to be choking on it? Then whoever the guard is comes and he conks him on the head, gets the Key and escapes. But where would he go in the middle of the ocean?
JoanP--Yes, the interview is about five minutes and he does talk about bookaneers. I just listened to it.
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Without looking it up, my memory is that Mark Twain's theatrical evenings were extremely popular. And of course, Hal Holbrook has mad a career by repeating them. (Holbrook does other things, to, but his Mark Twain has lasted for many decades.)
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JOANP asks if we know of other incidents that may have created such long llines and such excitement as Dickens did in 1867.
And it was November? Football time in America?
As I read about the cold and the rowdy lines forming and the ticket speculators who would buy up seats and resell them, why, it takes place in Columbus, Ohio whenever the Buckeyes (OSU) play at home. All of it!
DEEMS mentioned the Beetles. Yes, I remember that excitement also and if we go back in our own times, we could say Frank Sinatra, maybe?
Entertainers! Dickens was an entertainer??? An author created such entertainment?
And he stayed at the Parker House, which is still there in Boston, look how lovely it is:
http://www.bing.com/local/default.aspx?what=Parker+House&where=Boston%2c+MA&s_cid=ansPhBkYp01&mkt=en-us&ac=false&q=Parker%20House,%20Boston,%20MA
"I swore to myself never to return to America again. There can only be bad things from coming here."
I must laugh. Hasn't it always been thus? America, greedy, materialistic America, how they all hated us but loved our money, didn't they? Dickens among them!
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Although he had good manners towards his admirers, he was certainly cynical when it came to the Americans et al. Talk about greedy, Ella, if our author is true to the personality of the Chief, he was very happy to entertain large crowds as long as they paid big bucks to see and hear him. What did he tell Dolby about wiring the money taken in, "Remember that its $7 to a pound!"
Speaking of wiring and ships cargo, I wonder why they didn't wire the installment instead of sending it on a ship? Probably was very expensive.
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Speaking of wiring and ships cargo, I wonder why they didn't wire the installment instead of sending it on a ship? Probably was very expensive.[/color][/b]
It would have taken forever. Messages were in Morse code, and the transmission speed was slow. The Wikipedia article linked in post 70 said that in 1866 transmission speed was 8 words per minute, and it wasn't until the 20th century that they got up to 120 words per minute. Maybe it was more than 8 wpm by 1870, but I bet not much.
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Before we get totally immersed in the current installment, there are 2 things I'm going to keep in the back of my mind. Daniel went to the docks in the morning and picked up the manuscript. He then hid it under a barrel, reappearing some time later, quite disoriented, retrieved it, and doggedly tried to get it to the publishing house. Why did he hide it, and what happened next? He could have hidden it to go off to get an opium fix, but since he doesn't seem to have been an addict, more likely he saw some danger, and hid it before his enemies could get it. He was then caught, and given opium. What danger?
The second thing: what did Daniel actually say to Bendall before he died? Bendall takes the precaution of hiding the papers on his person constantly. Was this because of what Daniel said?
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I think you're right, Pat. I too think that Daniel saw some danger so that is why he hid the papers. It seems he was looking around after he got the papers to see if someone was following him to steal the papers. I think that theft of the papers was the danger.
I don't think that Bendall kept the papers on him because he was worried. When his house was broken into, he didn't put it together with the fact that he had the papers. I think he just wanted the celebrated writings of Dickens near him. But I do think that Daniel was trying to tell him something. I don't know how to figure out what it was.
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Annie, even though Dickens came to America to make money on his reading tour, he asked that the tickets not cost more than $1 so most everyone could afford a ticket. The book indicates he could have made more and could have reduced the number of scalpers if he charged more per ticket.
I can't find the place right now but somewhere it says that the speculators buying up the tickets cut into the profit. I'm not sure I understand why that would be so. A ticket sale is a ticket sale, is it not?
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Apologies--a family wedding this week and lots of relatives in town, so I've had no time in front of the computer. Store up those questions and I'll be back in action hopefully tomorrow!
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Pat H--I went back and reread the dock scene (chapter 2). Daniel manages to get away from Herman. On page 10 (pbk) he says to Herman of the papers, "Osgood needs it." Daniel gets away from Herman by tearing his sleeve loose. Molasses later goes to the barrel where he thinks Daniel hid the manuscript, but it is not there. Implication is that Daniel had the papers with him the whole time. When Sylvanus Bendall kneels above the dying Daniel, he hears a few words, which he later tells Osgood were "It is God's. . ."
But Daniel must have said roughly the same thing he did to Herman as he struggled with him, "It is Osgood's" which Bendall misinterpreted. Later, just before Bendall runs after Herman (big mistake!) he thinks to himself that what Daniel was trying to say was "It is God's vengeance." Red herring, I think.
The dock scene is very confusing because there are so many people and everything happens so quickly.
Well done, Matthew, you made me reread it!
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Drat, I just missed Matthew. Hope the wedding and family were a good break for you!
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How nice to celebrate a family wedding, Matthew.
Deems, I think you are on to something with the misinterpretation by Bendall of Daniel's last words. "Osgood" makes sense.
I think that the reason that Molasses doesn't find the papers under the barrel is because Daniel already got them. At the beginning of Chapter 2, just when Herman comes onto the dock and asks about a "lad", there is a description of the young man the dockworkers saw minutes before. "Steadying himself with a self-conscious air, he had removed a bundle of papers tied up with black string from underneath the barrel..."
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Why did Matthew flash back to Dickens' American tour? The reason will be revealed in time I'm sure but there are three points that struck me. First was the adulation Americans felt for Dickens. The subtle nuances of the copyright law would have had little interest to most but the reality of THE MAN in person, ah that is self evident. Second we meet Tom Branagan. Can't tell yet if he is a pivotal character but much detail in included to make him known to the reader. Last, and most mysterious to me, is the depiction of Mrs Barton. Seems to be short a few bricks. I'm going to make a list of all the characters we've met so far and keep track of their appearances. Whoops, there i go again, organizing and analyzing the data.
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Yes, Jackie, Mrs. Barton seems rather nutty; I doubt she's in there just for local color. Either there's some method to her madness, or her actions impact the plot.
I'm assuming that the foundation for what happens in 1870 is partly laid down during the American tour. We'll probably get more of it later.
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MATTHEW: Happy birthday. And HAPPY PUBLISHING DAY!! That must feel wonderful! To see all the new books in the store. Do you sneak in to look at them?
So Osgood published William Dean Howells and Mark Twain!! Those two have always fascinated me!!! Howells, as I understand it, was very important to Twain's early career, recognizing his talent and publishing him. And yet you couldn't find two writers whose works are more different. Howells, the efete New Englander, whose characters find eating a grapefruit too animal-like and primitive for them. And the raw Twain!!
They illustrate for me one of the most interesting characteristics of the culture of the period: the contrast and clash between the English-imitating sophisticated New England culture, and the more Western raw culture. Intellectuals like Henry James and Dean Howells (who is a kind of Henry James without the genius) couldn't have stood that culture for an instant, but they romanticized it, as Howells did Twain.
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AHA, Jackie I think that you hit the nail right on the head.
The subtle nuances of the copyright law would have had little interest to most but the reality of THE MAN in person, ah that is self evident.
I feel sorry for him. He's a world reknown author BUT values his privacy (remember how the New York World article included his room # at the hotel where he was staying.) Cartoons mocked him and reminded his readers that he was estranged from his wife while off entertaining young maidens. 8) Imagine thousands of people knowing your business! YUK :-X
The Tremont Temple interested me, as it's claim is that it's the first integrated church in America. Is this true Matt? Here's a picture of where Chas. Dickens had his first public reading in Boston.
check this out (http://www.waymarking.com/gallery/image.aspx?f=1&guid=185781e3-ddb2-49fe-a766-3463276deb10).
and here, look at this is the history of this building that housed Dickens first reading attendees.
here they are (http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM7BHJ_FIRST_Integrated_Church_in_America_Tremont_Baptist_Temple__Boston_MA)
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Deems- brilliant deduction there with the final words that Daniel uttered. Yes, that makes perfect sense.
Mrs. Barton is nuts! I will love to hear all of your comments about her, folks.
Matthew- you work so hard, enjoy your family day. When I was in B & N today, I noticed you strewn about in many places. Good for you! Your Poe's Shadow was on a "included with a readers guide" table for Group Discussions.
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We'll be looking for you, Matthew. I'm sure we'll have more questions for you then - Thanks for thinking of us during your family celebration.
Ella - yes! That's it! Dickens, the entertainer! Not a shy, retiring introvert of an author. - We read of his "dramatic renditions of characters that made each one come alive - "each had his own voice, manner and soul" I get the feeling that Dickens was amusing himself, more than he was attempting to entertain his audience.
Ella, the old Parker House was the "in" place to stay in Bostonf at that time, but was demolished and rebuilt in 1920. They still serve those famous "Parker House rolls though...Bruce stayed there on business some years ago - said it was "tired." I love reading its history though -
Opened in 1855 by Harvey D. Parker and located on School Street near the corner of Tremont, not far from the seat of the Massachusetts state government, it has long been a frequent rendezvous for politicians.
The hotel was home to the Saturday Club, also referred to as the Saturday Night Club, which consisted of literary dignitaries such as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
John Wilkes Booth was also once a guest at the hotel.
20th century
The original Parker House and later additions were demolished in the 1920s and replaced with an entirely new building. One wing of the original hotel remained open until the new building was completed in 1927.
As the longest continuously operating hotel in the United States, many well-known people have worked at the Parker House, including Ho Chi Minh who was a baker in the bakeshop from 1911 to 1913, Malcolm X who was a busboy in the early 1940s, and Emeril Lagasse.
Matthew writes - "his reading public has been allowed to know Dickens not only as an author, but a man with a voice, mannerisms, facial expressions." I don't think that many authors let the public get so close, do you? Maybe this explains his rock star status as his fans break into his hotel room to steal his pillow!
I'm wondering why the newspapers, the cartoons etc. are attacking Dickens, while the public adores him? Does that make sense to you?
Marcie, I don't see why the speculators' greed should cut into Dickens' profit - though the speculators stood to profit a great deal - especially after Dickens ordered all tickets go for $1.00. Imagine what they could sell those tickets for when these performances sold out - which they did!
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PatH, I agree with you.
"The foundation for what happens in 1870 is partly laid down during the American tour."
What do you think it is? Daniel Sand is working for Fields and Osgood in 1867- he's the one who suggested they put out paperback copies of Dickens' tour performances. Did you notice Rebecca glowing with pride as Osgood compliments him? Oh, and those Bookaneers were following the tour stops - We'll see them again on the dock in Boston in 1870:
"The swarthy stranger hadn't been the only one out hunting...on the docks that morning. There were, two or three others...familiar faces on the docks, many mornings out before the stevedores. " These were the Bookaneers.
"Right in front of Molasses eyes was hidden what he wanted...he had seen the young man in the suit hide it - earlier in the morning. " "There was a whaler of a fellow following the young man."
Says Esquire, another of the Bookaneers - "Oh I saw him earlier..." The key word is earlier. Daniel had been spotted earlier in the morning by the Bookaneers. They'd also spotted the swarthy stranger.
The question remains - where had Daniel been since early morning to the time of the omnibus incident in the heat of the day? I think we all suspect Herman of injecting D. with an opiate...but where?
Here's a question for you - Do you think the "swarthy stranger" - the one we call Herman - is somewhere in this crowd in Boston in 1867?
Do you all think as Andy does, that Mrs. Barton is "nuts" - disturbed? I'm wondering about that description of her eyes when Tom first notices her staring at him - "Eyes cold and clear but dim". What does this mean?
Whatever is going on with her, I feel fairly certain that we'll hear more about her. Do you think she could have learned anything of importance in Dickens diary that she lifted from his hotel room?
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Thanks, Marcie, I missed the part about Daniel hiding the papers. I guess I should have reread the beginning even more carefully. Sheepish grin.
I'm so happy that other people have brought up Mrs. Barton because I have a theory on who she is. I haven't read beyond the assigned reading, just guessing here.
What with all the other famous real-life people, like Osgood and Harper and the various authors, I think that we have just met Clara Barton, Civil War nurse and founder of the Red Cross. When Dickens comes to America, the Civil War has only been over for two years.
Clara Barton, if it is she, is described as being a woman "about forty." I looked her up in Wikipedia and she was in her mid-forties in 1867, but hey, that's really close. In addition, she had some sort of breakdown after the Civil War and went to Europe to recover. I obviously should have read the article more carefully.
That's my guess, Clara Barton. Probably we will find out later--I hope.
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The press does not change with the years and if there is a hint of a scandal attached to a famous person, the press willl "out" it; true today, yesterday and always.
Dickens does not want the press too close does he? He is married, father of eight children and not living with his wife? He gives parties to which any number of females are invited, so one article entitled "Dickensiana" disclosed. Another cartoon mocked his language, his cockney origins.
But there is good in Charles Dickens. He provided special seating for a woman in a wheelchair and "hating the notion of the wealthier being able to buy a better view" he refused to allow the cost of the tickets to be raised above a democratic one dollar, "even if it might have inhibited speculation to have done so."
"Exact equality for my hearers, he said."
DEEMS, I think you have hit on what poor Daniel Sands was attempting to say while he lay dying under the wheels of that carriage. Good for you! Will Matthew Pearl acknowledge that??
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Ella, let's ask him! I'm going to guess that he'll say to wait for the answer in later chapters though.
Maryal - as good a guess as any - especially since Clara had a breakdown of sorts at the end. BUT Clara Barton never married if memory serves. The policeman who recognizes the "lady" calls her Mrs. Barton...very sorry Mrs. Barton," he says as he allows her to keep her pistol in her carpetbag - for protection. She must be "somebody."
We all seem to feel she is "disturbed" - but do you think she's dangerous - as Tom Branagan fears?
Do you think we'll hear more of her in coming chapters?
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Joan P--Yes, the "Mrs." bothered me too. Here's my reasoning: it was a title of respect due her because of all she had done for the soldiers and her country. Not tremendously convincing, I know, but the best I could come up with when I decided that she must be Clara Barton. (Of course she doesn't have to be Clara at all. She could easily be someone else. Or maybe Matthew made her up?)
Ella--Ah yes, the press hasn't changed at all, has it? Any bit of gossip about anyone famous, true or not, is immediately eaten up and spread around as fast as possible. Dickens' readers wanted to see him as the author of hearth and home, and they were discouraged when he turned out to be a human being after all. He really was lionized in his time.
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I have read up to the entourage going to NYC and Plymouth Church. Here's a link to that church and a link to the map showing its location.
http://www.plymouthchurch.org/
http://maps.google.com/maps?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=s&hl=en&source=hp&q=NYC+Plymouth+Church&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=Plymouth+Church+of+The+Pilgrims,+Brooklyn,+NY+11201&gl=us&ei=EhnPSqegDejj8AbnmfmABA&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=image&resnum=1
I don't know if this is the Dicken's party's Plymouth Church but I will do more research. This one seems to out in Brooklyn so it might not be. Reading on!!
Yes, yes, yes!!!! Dickens did speak in this church. Read the history of Henry Ward Beecher's Plymouth Church, where many spoke. According to this history, the church held 2800, so I am assuming that Dickens spoke 4 times, since they had prepared 10,000 tickets for the NYC audience.
http://www.plymouthchurch.org/our_history.php
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Being the cynic that I am, I just had to challenge the train returning to Boston and its voyage on the ferry to cross certain rivers. But, in this article, I found that it was true!! What a surprise!
http://www.ct.gov/dot/cwp/view.asp?a=1380&Q=259692
In the article's own words, way down that page link: I read this:
"Rail lines along the coast opened between New London and New Haven in 1850, and between New London and Stonington in 1858. The trains still had to use a ferry to cross the Thames River until a drawbridge was completed in 1889." ConDOT; 1 Chapter DOT History
This must have been quite a sight to see and experience.
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Great links, Annie! Don't you love the blend of fact and fiction here? Reading of these old hotels, churches, and theaters lends so much to the story - to the sense of place and time. I'll bet Matthew visited every one of them as part of his research to make his story come alive for us.
I was interested in your links to the train ferry too! What an experience! Dickens didn't really enjoy it though.
Can you find anything on that Staplehurst train wreck in 1865 in England? It seems to have had a traumatic effect on him. Did you notice that he was travelling with Ellen Ternan - and her mother? Her mother?
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Hi everyone.
Here is another guest post I've written, this one about the secret world of 19th century publishing and literary pirates as portrayed in The Last Dickens.
No spoilers--although as I've said before if you're trying to steer clear of external material, you might want to skip it.
The post is at ReadingGroupGuides.com, an "online community for reading groups". If you're not familiar with it, take a look around their site if you go to read my post. Check out the post here (http://www.readinggroupguides.com/blog/2009/10/matthew-pearl-last-dickens-and-exciting.asp).
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Thanks for all the birthday wishes!
Lots of the great discussion here I can't chime in on without spoiling things to come--for instance, all the Herman stuff--so I'll zip my lip!
About Osgood. I'll say this: if I made up a character named Osgood (OsGOOD) as my hero, I'd be accused of being too Dickensian. Glad he really existed!
Deems, glad you're seeing links with The Mystery of Edwin Drood. As I say, I wrote the novel being careful that anyone could read it--not just readers of MED. HOWEVER, I also hoped readers of MED would catch on to small details if they chose. Also, re: the Bookaneers. As you'll see in the post I link to above, the "job" (so to speak) was real, although I did apply the term to them. I did not invent the term Bookaneers though--it was used in the 19th century about literary pirates, generally.
On to some questions kindly pulled out by Joan:
"1.Did your research take you to the hotels, churches, theaters mentioned in your book, or did you rely on the Internet? (It feels as if you actually visited these sites.)"
Oh, never rely on the internet! It is becoming more and more a good starting point for research, but nothing substitutes for getting out there when it comes to seeing the sites. You'll read lots about the Parker House in Boston, where Dickens. This was mentioned earlier, but I gave an NPR show a tour of the Parker House vis a vis my novel. I can't swear there are no spoilers that *they* put in (I wouldn't ever say anything to give away a part of the plot), because I can't listen to my own voice. Maybe someone who has read ahead can listen and tell us if it's spoiler-free.
Scroll down on this page for the interview. (http://www.hereandnow.org/2009/06/rundown-61/)
"2.Did you know that the Tremont Temple was the first integrated church in America. Could this be the reason Dickens chose the site for his first public reading in Boston?"
Dickens's manager Dolby, whom you're all meeting in the Second Installment, chose Tremont Temple after being showed some other choices, because he liked the seating arrangements. But who knows, Dickens certainly would have enjoyed hearing its history, which I'm sure he did since he did lots of readings there.
If any of you ever visit Boston, stop by the Parker House and check out the mirror they have from Dickens's room!
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Hi Matthew,
I see your posts aren't giving anything away as we traverse this most interesting book. What I want to ask is why you went back to Dicken's trip earlier in the 1800's? Is there a clue here that I am not seeing??? or is this part just adding more to the story of Dicken's when he was in the U.S.
He is certainly a most interesting man when he does his readings along with voices for each part. Sounds like my favorite one man show by Hal Holbrook doing Mark Twain. It is the most entertaining of one man shows.
JoanP. ask and you shall receive! Here's the story of the Staplehurst train wreck.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staplehurst_rail_crash
And here is the story of Ellen Ternan.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellen_Ternan
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Hi Matthew,
I see your posts aren't giving anything away as we traverse this most interesting book. What I want to ask is why you went back to Dicken's trip earlier in the 1800's?
Hi Annie, I'm afraid if I answer this, it too might be giving something away! But please remember any such questions later we can add them to the mix... Thanks for being part of the discussion!
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In addition to developing the plot and introducing and providing more information about characters, the device of switching back and forth in time between various chapters makes the book richer and more interesting to read. Just my opinion.
Thanks for the informative links, Annie. I was wondering about the train ferry. It must have been a huge task uncouple the train cars and get all of the cars on the rails on the ferry. There is a graphic of a train ferry here: http://www.igg.org.uk/gansg/12-linind/docks/trainferry1.jpg
The article about the Staplehurst accident says that it's possible that the post-traumatic stress may have contributed to Dickens death by stroke five years later. He was fearless and helpful to the other victims at the time of the accident but it seems to have clouded the rest of his life.
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Thanks, Matthew, for your link to your article about literary bounty hunters. I love the way you brought them to life in your descriptions of Molasses, Kitten, et al in your book. And those stenographers who wrote down every word of Dicken's performances during his tour reminded me of court reporters today, although the Dicken's scribes did it all by hand!
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I just finished listening to the Here & Now interview at http://www.hereandnow.org/2009/06/rundown-61/ (Click Listen under Matthew Pearl near the bottom of the left column). It didn't give away any information that we haven't read in the first two sections of the book. It was great to hear your voice, Matthew, and to learn a little bit more detail behind the book.
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Being a nonfiction reader most of the time, I am, at times, apt to believe that all this is true; whereas, some may be, some not.
I apologize for using the Internet, but I had to know. Dickens made two trips to America but that is all I want to say about what I read in several articles. I believe someone mentioned that they had read or wanted to read his AMERICAN NOTES.
Matthew, thank you for your posts. When I have more time I want to investigate all those clickables you have given us. Those bookaneers must have been highly paid for what they did; where in the world did their employers find men who could speak several languages, who were very intelligent and capable of recognizing from brief glances the author of a particular piece of work.
As to the identity of woman in question, perhaps remembering that a woman had a mudprint of Dickens boot, later a switchblade, she seems to be someone who can obviously take care of herself.
Hurriedly posted, I must go.............
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Annie, thanks for the links to Plymouth Church. That is one place that will be on my “to see” list on a future trip to Brooklyn.
What fun it is to read the Last Dickens and then to read more about what is written there in another source. They blend so well, the tone melds. It is very enjoyable.
Since a fellow Latin student found an ancient Germanic warrior in the New York Times, I thought I would see what was going on there in 1867, and there is lots.
Demand for Tickets (http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9402E0DC133BE63BBC4851DFB767838C679FDE)
Reading in Boston (http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9E00E5DB133BE63BBC4B53DFB467838C679FDE)
American Notes Revisited (http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9E05E7DF123BE63BBC4153DFB467838C679FDE)
It's been interesting to note that all kinds of people, from all walks of life, the tough, the gentle, the good and the bad, the rich and the poor, all want to hear Mr. Dickens read. That would not happen today. When you give readings, Matthew, do you anticipate a certain kind of audience?
As usual, I’m running behind in my reading, but must say, I don’t care much for Mr. Dolby. He’s kind of “picayune” and he certainly does pick on Tom Branagan.
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Oh my, there are so many new links - all serving to fill and make the period come alive - not to say that Matthew hasn't already done a remarkable job.
Even if you don't get a chance to read all of the interesting links coming in with each post, be sure to take a few minutes to Listen to Matthew's Interview at the Parker House in Boston (http://www.hereandnow.org/2009/06/rundown-61);
Thanks for re-posting the link, Marcie. I've put it in the header. You're right - it is enjoyable to hear Matthew's voice as he tells his story.
Be sure to scroll down to Matthew Pearl, and then click the word "Listen."
Matthew, thank you so much for answering our questions - when you can - with such detail. I'm going to ask something about the Parker House - I really want to imagine Dickens in this old hotel, to think that his room is just as he left it - but then I read this. Is the original Parker House entirely GONE?
"The original Parker House and later additions were demolished in the 1920s and replaced with an entirely new building. One wing of the original hotel remained open until the new building was completed in 1927." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omni_Parker_House (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omni_Parker_House)
Ella, I think that there's plenty here for non-fiction lovers to love, don't you? Pedln has provided actual news articles from Boston and NY newpapers - so these events must have happened, right? If you read it in the newspapers, it must be true! ;) Seriously, Matthew really did his research.
I marvelled at the Bookaneers too and loved Matthew's description of the sound ...like cats scratching as they scribbled rapidly with their pencils, faster than he ever saw anyone write. Some of them spoke three or four languages, they could take excellent shorthand one had served as a spy during the "War of Rebellion." So that's a good question - why would such intelligent and talented people take jobs like this - except as you say, for the pay, which must have been very, very good!
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Annie, I knew Matthew wasn't going to give away the answer to your question about placing this second installment two and a half years before Dickens' death. That's up to us to figure out together, don't you think?
Jackie has brought up the subtle nuances of copyright laws which were of a concern back in 1867 and will come into play in 1870 at Dickens' death.
We've already seen the Bookaneers at Dickens' performances - many of the same folks who were on the dock the morning Daniel was killed. They are looking for something - They know Daniel works for Fields and Osgood - so that when he appears on the dock in 1870, they know who he works for.
We read of the Staplehurst train wreck in Kent- and we've read that Dickens was still traumatized by the event during this 1867 tour.
We know that the young actress, Ellen Ternan was on the Staplehurst train with Dickens - and that her mother was with them. I don't know why I found that surprising. Thanks for the two links, Ann. " Dickens met Ellen when he was 45 and she was 18! He cast her, along with her mother and one of her sisters, in a performance of The Frozen Deep in Manchester. Ternan left the stage in 1860, and was supported by Dickens from then on. She sometimes travelled with him, though he abandoned a plan to take her on his visit to America in 1867 for fear that their relationship would be publicised by the American press." Interesting, don't you think? All of these factors seem to be setting the scene for the chaos that followed Dickens' death.
What else? Do you think we'll meet Mrs. (Clara?) Barton again? I do. Now work backwards - do you think that Herman has been among the crowds in Boston or New York or did he become interested in Dickens - or Osgood later in 1870?
While on the subject of Mrs. Barton - what do you think she means when she refers to herself as an incubus. Are you familiar with the terms, "incubus" and "succubus"? Why is this so odd? Do you think it is ominous?
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Welcome! Everyone is invited!
(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/lastdickenscvr.jpg) | We are happy to announce that the author, Matthew Pearl, is joining us in the discussion of his latest novel, "The Last Dickens," as he did with his "Poe Story" and "The Dante Club.
Matthew's literary fiction picks up where Dickens left off in "The Mystery of Edwin Drood." The story of the fate of Edwin Drood is a mystery within a mystery. When young Edwin disappears after dinner on Christmas Eve and his watch and chain are later found in the nearby river, everyone suspects foul play. Could one of Edwin’s acquaintances have murdered him – and, if so, what could their motive be? Tragically, the mystery is destined never to be truly solved, as Dickens died before he could finish this novel – all that is left are the clues that can be found in the completed chapters.
Pearl sends a partner of Dickens’ American publisher, James Osgood, to the Dickens' estate in England where we meet the "fugitives" from the characters of Dickens' novel. Is Edwin Drood dead or alive? Was he killed by his uncle, John Jasper? Or did he somehow escape that fate, possibly to return later? We are anticipating more intrigue as Pearl's fictional characters search for answers in the author's well-researched fiction.
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Chapter discussion schedule
October 1-6: First Installment ~ Chapters 1-10 ~ June, 1870
October 7-10: Second Installment ~ Chapters 11-17 ~ November, 1867
*October 11-13: : Third Installment ~ Chapters 18-22 ~ June, 1870
October 14-16: Fourth Installment ~ Chapters 23-26
October 17-28: Fifth Installment ~ Chapters 27-37
October 29-31: Sixth Installment ~ Chapter 40
Discussion Leaders: JoanP (jonkie@verizon.net), Andy (WFLANNERY@CFL.RR.COM )
| (http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/dickensgadshill-446x285.jpg)
Dickens' Gadshill estate, Kent |
Some topics for discussion Oct. 11-13 : Chapters 18-22, Kent, 1870:
1. How is John Forster, Dickens, friend, confidante and biographer portrayed here? Do Forster and Aunt Georgy differ on how Dickens intended to end his last novel? What did you think of Katie Collins' comment - that no one knows how Dickens would end his story because he didn't want anyone to know?
2. Were you surprised that Dickens' British publisher, Chapman & Hall had not investigated Dickens home at Gadshill, where he had been working on the sixth installment of his unfinished novel? What did you think of Chapman as a book publisher?
3. Why is James Osgood in such a rush to learn the ending that Dickens planned? What effect would his failure have on Fields and Osgood's authors if he doesn't?
4. Do you think the "few small gems" that Osgood and Rebecca were able to find were significant? Why is Rebecca interested in the books in Dickens' library?
5. What did they learn about the white-haired intruder? Had Dickens been really able to help this man at one time? What does he want from Osgood?
6. Did you find anything of interest in Dickens' will?.
7. How can the playwright, Walter Stephens, write a screenplay without an ending? Who does his character, Datchery, turn out to be? If you read Drood, do you agree with this conclusion?
8. Everyone in London has a flower in his coat - for Dickens? Why do you think Osgood's rescuer at the auction house is wearing an opium poppy? Who does he tell Osgood that he is? Why would Osgood agree to meet him at night?
9. Why does Frank Dickens suspect that the Bengali thief is hiding something else besides opium? Why was Dickens able to locate the thief when Turner and Mason failed? What did he find in Narain's remote village?
10. "Though I am the guide, it is not I who guides." What does Datchery mean as he leads Osgood to the Familiar opium den? Has Osgood been left for dead? Who was his assailant? And where is Datchery?
Readers' Guide Questions from FIRST & SECOND INSTALLMENTS (http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/readerguides/LastDickens_Pearl.html)
Related Links : SeniorLearn's Q & A with Author, Matthew Pearl (http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/pearlinterview.html); 19th century Boston publishing houses (http://www.cyberbee.com/henryhikes/ticknor.html); check out Mr. Osgood here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_R._Osgood); James R. Osgood Co. closes, May, 1885 - NY Times (http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9D0CE0DC1739E533A25756C0A9639C94649FD7CF), Listen to Matthew's Interview at the Parker House in Boston (http://www.hereandnow.org/2009/06/rundown-61#4);
(http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/lastdickensicon2.jpg)
Some Recent Questions for Matthew:http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/lastdickens_q_a.html (http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/lastdickens_q_a.html)
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Hi Matthew!
Your interview with PBS's Lynn Matagon, at Parker House, was very interesting especially when you refer to wanting to put your readers right in the middle of the atmosphere of the times and how Dickens was loved by the public but really put down by the press.
I liked the story of the mirror at Parker House where, in his bedroom, in front of the still existing mirror, Dickens would practice his stories before going before an audience. It sounds as if he was a very good story teller and wanted to make sure that those seated in the large halls, got what they paid for.
I felt sorry for Dickens whose private side didn't agree with being hounded by the Bookaneers (a real word that was used during the times of early publishing and before copyright laws were passed in US.) and followed about by crowds of admirers and the press. Your feeling that this last trip might have contributed to his failing health and his early death 2.5 years later, and I believe that you also think that the Staplehurst accident contributed to his poor health and depression. Doesn't Dolby refer to that?? Tells Tom the story of Dickens bravery at the Staplehurst train accident.
I can't quite see where you are going with the hypnotizing scene but since he left that idea and went back to playing cards, I will keep an eye out for another scene with what he calls "mesmirising" maybe being accomplished.
Joan
Thanks for the heads up about "Drood". I was considering getting it from the library but it doesn't sound very readable or enjoyable. And, I certainly don't want to see Wilkie Collins trashed. Speaking of Collins, I wonder what our author found out about him while researching "The Last Dickens".for now.
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Annie- It is sad, isn't it that Dickens suffered the press as he did in those days. Of course it's not much different with today's papparazzi, is it?
Dickens discusses his first experience with the art of mesmerism, learned from the famed English spiritulist John Elliotson.
interesting link (http://www.perryweb.com/Dickens/life_mesmer.shtml)
It saddened him to remember this time. Joan asked us- have you ever been hypnotised before? When I was doing my 6 month psych rotation for nursing in Rochester state hospital, we studied hypnotism and all the old shrinks from long ago. One of the professors told me at that time I would never be able to surrender to a hypnotic trance because of my "strong" personality.
I've thought of that countless times over the past 500 years and always wished I had explored that further with the prof. ??? hmm ---could he have meant I'm too darned stubborn to succumb to another's challenge or that I might revert into Mr. Hyde?
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I was in a group hypnotism once, started to go under, heard myself say to myself "no, I won't let another control me, and came out of it. So I think I understand what your professor was saying?
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Alf: I can't imagine a demon like Mr. Hyde lurking behind your nice words and thoughts. Does the idea frightenyou or do you get a delicious thrill thinking about how something so evil can be a part of your personna, safely hiedden behind your public face? Speculation, how engrossing to speculate.
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Regarding the term "incubus" you might (or might not) want to read a bit (or all?) of this explanation of the word. Too much!! Good heavens!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incubus
My cousin, whom I have lost touch with over the years (which is too bad) was a chiropractor and believed he could hypnotize people. Of course, I scoffed. He was going to attempt it once but we were interrupted.
I read the link that Alf provided and it seems as though Dickens really believed, and his subjects believed, that he could hynotize people and by doing so, help them physically. Perhaps it was what we today call meditation? Or yoga?
I am being very slow as I haven't finished Chapter 13 yet, but am enjoying all therein and the posts!
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JoanK- perhaps it is the idea of another one being in control. I just can not imagine a GROUP hypnotism. Good Lord, the hypnotist might be in for more than he bargained for with a group of minds going off in their own seperate hells/direction.
I love reading stuff like that and Houdini was one of my favorites. The link is about Elliotson and very informative (Ella mentioned ) and I am a great believer in meditation, prayer and yoga, Ella. It is good for the mind and spirit as well as the for the body.
Oh Jackie-Does the idea frighten you or do you get a delicious thrill thinking about how something so evil can be a part of your personna, safely hiedden behind your public face?
I believe that evil lurks within each and everyone of us. It is inherent. We learn early in life how to camouflage loathsome and heinous thoughts and words.
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Oh Ann, I don't know what was said to discourage you from reading Dickens' Mystery of Edwin Drood - it was very, very readable - if you could put out of your mind the fact that you were going to be left hanging half way through! I'll bet you check it out by the time we are done here! ;)
Andy - I'll agree that you would be a poor candidate for "mesmerism." You like to be in control of situations. As a nurse, do you believe that it is possible to heal physical ailments with mesmerism - as Dickens is said to have done in the link you brought us?
No, JoanK, I can't imagine group hypnotism either - or worse, being hypnotised myself and have a group watch me. Jackie, do you think that's it - the fear that an evil side, or secrets will be revealed while "under"?
Dickens tried to hypnotise Aunt Georgy - it is said she became violent. Hmmm, does Aunt Georgy have a secret? Is there difference between mesmerism and hypnotism - or are they synonyms?
I expect Matthew is going to pick up the subject in coming chapters...
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"An incubus (plural incubi) is a demon in male form supposed to lie upon sleepers, especially women, in order to have sexual intercourse with them, according to a number of mythological and legendary traditions."
Ella, that's a fascinating link on incubus and succubus! Now I'm more curious than ever why Mrs. Barton call herself an "incubus." A simple explanation might be that the poor confused woman is confusing the two terms, not knowing that incubus is a masculine demon, and succubus, a female demon. I looked up succubus - "a female demon believed to have sexual intercourse with sleeping men" - I think this better describes our Mrs. Barton and her fixation on Dickens, don't you think?
Looking at the schedule I see we are about ready to move on to a discussion of Matthew's Third Installment, chapter 18. starting tomorrow Ella, as long as you are enjoying chapter 14, please take your time.
Before we start, I'd love to spend a few minutes talking about William Makepeace Thackeray - over the years we've talked about taking some time to read and discuss his Vanity Fair as a group. Initially there was enthusiasm - but it came down to the length of his novel (over 700 pages) that decided against a discussion. What do you think? Should we consider it?
Thackeray and Dickens were always at it - though I've read that they "made peace" before Thackeray's death. I can't tell what he is saying in the poem Matthew has included before the Second Installment - is he making light of those who love the sentimentality of Dickens? Or is he just stating the obvious - that Dickens is popular - more so than he is? What did you think when you read it?
This next installment is a big one- I can't wait! we return to the present (1870) - a few weeks following Dickens' death - and Osgood's search for the end of Dickens' story. See you tomorrow!
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JoanP - I kind of think that Ann was referring to the book by Dan Simmons called "Drood" and not to Dickens" book which is wonderful even if we only have half of it!! "Twas I who gave the Simmons book a bad review (along with many of the real professional reviewers! But we all have a voice, small though it be!!)
The trouble is my name - I get lost in the "Joan's" - maybe I'll come up with something else someday even though it's been so nice to take credit for all the great things all you other Joans say!! (Said with a smile!)
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Aha! Thanks for that, JoanR. Good to see you here. We Joans do have identity crises every once in a while here, don't we?
Now I get it. At first I thought that Annie was turning from Dickens because of something said here. Any thoughts on the incubus matter? Or Thackeray's little ditty in the front of Installment Two?
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JoanR,
You are correct about the "Drood" that I was referring to. Thanks for letting JoanP know.
About hypnotizing, I had had surgery back in the olden days and when the dr came to remove the stitches in the hospital, he claimed he would hypnotize me, I thought that would be okay. So he started his procedure and I, being too alert while watching what he would do, wasn't even close to being asleep but my roommate was out cold. Too bad, she didn't have any stitches to remove! :D
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Annie - that's funny!
I only have one hypnotism story -
Last week my son was home with the kids at night while wife was at a PTA meeting. Two year old Cassidy had been having sleep issues - would only get to sleep in her own room when someone sat with her until she was asleep. Son got a business call after about 20 minutes of sitting with her. She began to cry when son left the room. Six year old Riley went in to sit with her. After a minute or two, she stopped crying - Son went into her room at the end of the call and she was sound asleep. The next morning when asked how he got her to sleep, he shrugged and said, "I hypnotized her like I saw on TV."
What do you think? Should he do this every night?
No one has any ideas on Mrs. Barton, the "incubus?" Maybe SHE is NOT a she at all...a man in disguise?
I'm sure we haven't heard the last of her. Let's add her identity to our list of mysteries -
and move on to the THIRD INSTALLMENT. This is big - we go right to Dickens estate - James is just in time to beat the moving vans to get a look at Dickens' study before it is packed up - (and sent where?)
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When Forster takes them to Dicken's home we meet Aunt Georgy and Dicken's daughter, Mamie, who both mourn the loss of the house and all its valuable goods. In the meantime, the auctioneer who will sell the house itself, glides through the house making sure it is in good condition and preparing it for the auction. Georgy offers them a chance to investigate the Swiss chalet where Dickens wrote his books.
Osgood and Rebecca jump at the chance to see this sacred place. Peering around at what the writing room holds, they see a figure on the mantle?? of an Oriental man smoking a pipe and the figure is quite heavy. I think we need to put this down as a clue. Maybe connected the first installment with India and the sending of opium to China to sell. (Did we all know that GB wanted China's tea so they offered to pay for the tea with opium?? I read that in another book but will research the true history later.)
Also, while there and looking through a spy glass, James, sees an old man with wild hair seeming to look at him,too. Then the old man appears the next day at the chalet but a servant removes him before he can say much.
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Joan, Riley is so precocious. Hypnotizing his little sister from something he saw on TV. That's a great story.
According to the dictionary, one of the meanings of "incubus" is "nightmare." It could be that the term is used figuratively and generically, to apply to both males and females. I do think that Mrs. Barton seems to be deranged, following Dickens around. Maybe she'll turn out to be one of his worst nightmares!
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Gadshill Place is a tourist attraction today and even the room behind the books is there.
http://www.lang.nagoya-u.ac.jp/~matsuoka/CD-Gadshill.html
The poem, JOAN! Thackeray's poem about Nicholas Nickleby. It's one of those you are meant to ponder and come away with different meanings each time. When I first read it I thought the child read it in all her different moods and then enjoyed it so much she decided she needed to read it again. ??????????
ANN has introduced us to the next chapters which I thought were more passive in that they did not have the drama of the Second Installment and we read of the journeys of Osgood and Rebecca (at least through Chapters 17). The wild fellow in the "hop" fields (what are they) added drama didn't he?
I didn't care for Mr. Forster; he seemed loud and too prideful to me and downright nasty in his opinion of Americans, but Georgy was warm and loveable. The two were the executors of Dickens' will and that is strange. At the time women were not given much responsibility in administrative affairs.
Forster has nothing but scorn for Dickens' children - "his many sons, like him in no aspect but his name, lead expensive, wasteful lives" - and that is true, correct?
And Chapman! A businessman? Described as looking "the part of a sportsman and man of leisure, far more than that of a bookman" I would not have believed that Dickens put much faith in the publisher.
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Here's a link to the history of Great Britian's trading of opium for tea.
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/history-of-tea-in-hong-kong-tea-opium-and-the-balance-of-trade.html
Its spelled out pretty good in the second paragraph of "Cultural Differences, The Demand for Bullion and the Opium Wars.
Oh, Ella, don't you wish we could all go to England, Kent and visit Gadshill???
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Well, Marcie, if "incubus" can refer to both male and female demons, that would explain Mrs. Barton's use of the term, wouldn't it? Do you think she's dangerous? Dangerous enough to turn up again three years later?
When I first read it I thought the child read it in all her different moods and then enjoyed it so much she decided she needed to read it again
Ella, do you think the "little girl" who reads Nicholas Nickleby could be Mrs. Barton? Remember how she kept changing her disguise at Dickens' performances? (to suit her different moods?) She seems to have committed much that Dickens wrote to heart. Maybe it is because she has read so much of his work that it has affected her mind? Are you familiar with this novel? Do you think she's dangerous?
Don't worry, you haven't read enough of the Third Installment to reach the action. You won't believe what happens in this one!
I couldn't believe that DIckens had chosen Mr. Chapman as his publisher! Wouldn't you think that a man of Dickens' stature could have chosen anyone in London to handle the publication of his books? Why Chapman and Hall? I'm wondering if he's a fictional character - we'll have to ask Matthew! Could you believe that it is weeks since Dickens died - Chapman has seen all six installments - and knows there will be no more. Wouldn't you think he would have investigated to see if there were more installments that he hadn't finished?
Annie, a month ago I was in London and visited the DIckens museum - a little house where he lived when first married. Little did I know that Cloisterham, which is really Rochester, was only a 20 minute train ride from London! Kick self! Kick! Kick! Kick! The setting for Dickens' Mystery of Edwin Drood. Not only that, the Cathedral is open to visitors. Dickens lived outside of this town as a boy - used to walk by the Gadshill estate as a boy and dreamed of living there. I think it's a school today. The Swiss Chalet out back was Dickens' retreat where he wrote his Edwin Drood. At his death, they disassembled it and moved it to another site - where you can see it. I have forgotten where it is...
Let's go back - lets! Only a 20 minute train ride from London! If only in our dreams!
ps Am reading the Opium trade now Annie, thank you for the link.
pps Riley - precocious, oh yes, Marcie. That he is!
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Back from the beach where it was very fine weather mostly. Quite warm--low 80's on Friday, hard to believe it is October.
Hypnotism--I have been hypnotized twice, once when I was in my 20's by a friend and then twenty years or so later by another. Neither time was I actually "under," but I didn't want to disappoint either hypnotist, so I pretended to be their subject, lifting my arm very slowly during one experience. The hardest part was figuring out how to act as I was brought out from the hypnotism. I guess I did pretty well faking it because both men were very proud of themselves, and one of them said I was an excellent subject.
In reality, I am pretty much like Andy, unwilling to "submit" to being under control.
I'm busy reading out third installment.
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Thanks, ANN, for that link on the opium trade.
No, I want to go China! Anyone else? I bet we could find a good tour.
I've never been and the culture would be so different than England. I never knew just how Britain got Hong Kong but that link talked about the Opium War and as a result of the Treaty of Nanking Britain got the city and had it until 1997. I read about the city when it was given back to China and what the people living there were expecting. I gather not too much has changed. Very interesting.
So, you were faking it, DEEMS, both times? I've often wondered if that was true of subjects claiming to be "under."
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Ella--Yes, truth. Both times I listened to the voice and followed what it was saying, something about going deeper and deeper. I remember the first time something about I was supposed to nod if I was very warm and comfortable, so I nodded. And then there was the raising the arm slowly thing, which I did, trying to go as slowly as possible so as to look hypnotized. But never was I anywhere at all except the chair I was sitting in.
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Well, Deems, how about the possibility that you really were hypnotized and were given the suggestion that you remember nothing about it!!! Could be!
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Chapter 1: Turner says "Never lose sight of the true blessings of public service. Each one of us is here to turn out a better civilization in the end, and for that reason alone."
At this time England is actively encouraging opium trade with China, creating new addicts, in spite of China's objections, to create a more favorable balance of trade so that Englishmen can get their cuppa tea with a suitable profit.
"Better civilization in the end" Yeah, right.
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Yes, another young man, eager to bring pride to his country, truly believes in GB. The usual political nonsense fed to the young.
Here's a link to the Surrey Theatre:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surrey_Theatre
I couldn't quite picture the horseshoe shape from four tiers but my brain is not quite awake this morning.
I have been to the corner of Blackfriar's Rd while looking for a well known pub for lunch. Its the business district now and was eerily empty as folks had left their offices early on that Friday(happens everywhere in the world--pay them early on Friday and they leave soon after)but we did have a beer and some crisps before finding our way back down the subway stairs and home to our tiny apartment which was near an open pub, in Chelsea.
And Osgood sees the old man who accosted them in the Dicken's Swiss cottage at Gadshill.
And we hear some of the lines for a new play entitled "The Mystery of Edwin Drood" It was comforting to hear those lines and other people's opinions about the ending of the book/play.
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JoanR - a good point - Maryal, were there any witnesses? I'm interested in the fact that the farmer was cured by the hypnotism - but now has mental issues. Where's our nurse? Can hypnotism really cure physical ailments? I find that fascinating.
Annie asked about this "hops" farmer (hops - as in beer)-
Because of its abundance of orchards and hop gardens, Kent is widely known as "The Garden of England" – a name often applied when marketing the county or its produce, although other regions have tried to lay claim to the title.
Here's an old photo of some old HOP PICKERS in Kent -
(http://grumpystumpy.com/images/England/Kent/Hoppickers/Hop-picking-in-Kent-2.jpg)
So, here's what interested me in this farmer and Dickens - Dickens, sitting in his garden chalet, writing one of his Drood installments, notices from his window, this obviously troubled farmer (farmer with a head of long white hair that looks as if it could be a wig or a disguise - does this sound familiar?) - stops what he's doing and goes to help the man. He hypnotizes him - cures him, but now the man has no memory of anything that went before. He thinks he is...one of the characters in Dickens' novel!
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Here is Dickens' Swiss Chalet where he had been working on the 6th Installment when he died...
(http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/dickens/gallery/32.jpg)
Isn't this a lovely, private place to work? It amazed me to read that no one from Chapman and Hall had entered since Dickens' died - to look for notes or outlines, or anything to indicate how Dickens intended to finish the story. The moving men are in the main house - they will empty the contents of the chalet into the van next! Annie, the figure on the mantle - the Oriental man smoking a pipe - does seem to be a clue - but what does it mean? Yes, I do see a link to the opium theft in India - and then the opium trade as described in Dickens' novel...and Dickens' own son in India trying to police the trade...
The lack of interest in learning the second half of the novel was due to the fact that both the publisher and the biographer believed they already knew where Dickens was going with the story.
Many people point to John Forster's interpretation of Dickens' plans - saying that as his biographer and close friend, Dickens would have confided his plot in this man. This explains is why Forster went ahead with the production at the Surrey Theater. The same month Dickens died! I think it's important to note that the fifth and sixth installments have not yet been published in England - or anywhere! Yet the production of the play is in full swing! It's important to remember that this is Forster's play!
What do you think of Forster? Ella finds him "loud and prideful." If Dickens had been planning a surprise ending, you have to wonder if he would he have confided in someone "loud and prideful"?
The portrayal of Forster as a less than sympathetic character might be a subtle hint that Forster might not have been in on Dickens' intentions...
Matthew, can you tell us if this is a documented description of Mr. Forster or might it be fiction?
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Why doesn't the auctioneer want to put up for bids the statue of the man smoking opium??
I thought that I recognized the description of those eyes on our farmer who tell Osgood that he is Dick Datchery. Yes, I remembered him from "Drood" and this is getting exciting as Osgood brings in books about mezmerizing and says its okay if the farmer thinks that he is Datchery, as long as he can complete the story.
And, we are back in India, while Dicken's son searches for the confiscated opium. Hmmm, where is are author directing us next??
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Hi everyone!
"1.I really want to imagine Dickens in the old Parker House Hotel, to think that his room is just as he left it - but then I read this. Is the original Parker House entirely GONE? "The original Parker House and later additions were demolished in the 1920s and replaced with an entirely new building. One wing of the original hotel remained open until the new building was completed in 1927." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omni_Parker_House "
Well, that's mostly true. There is still part of the original building left, but most of it is newer. Still, it's worth a visit. They have a Dickens Room, and retained the fireplace and the mirror from the room Dickens stayed in.
"2. Were Chapman and Hill really Dickens'publishers, Matthew? If this is an accurate portrayal of Chapman, the question arises, why would Dickens retain a publisher like this, one who obviously does not value his work? "
As you can see from Harper, there weren't that many great choices when it came to publishers! Actually, Dickens did get fed up with Chapman some years before the setting of my novel and left for another publisher. But the experiment didn't work very well and he ended up back with Chapman. Some years earlier, a different Chapman was in charged, Edward, with a very different personality and business style. I did portray Fred Chapman as closely as I could to the real person, always my aim with a historical character. We can see what an uphill battle it was for authors on both sides of the Atlantic to align themselves with their publishers back then! Of course, even today authors and publishers often have different interests. Chapman, like Major Harper, was a very fun character to write.
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Did anyone notice the Charles Dickens board game I mention in the novel as being sold by enterprising stores while he's on his tour of the U.S.?
At least I think I mention it. I never remember what made it into the final draft.
Either way, have a look! (this is a PDF, just so you know):
http://www.gamearchives.org/rules/Whittemore_Dickens.pdf
UPDATE: I did mention it! p. 108 of the hardcover edition
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Thank you for responding to our questions, Matthew. That was interesting that the U.S. had lots of products related to Dickens' novels for sale. I wonder if the British were as enterprising in that regard.
I too am noticing characters similar to those in Edwin Drood. In this installment, Osgood is reminding me of characteristics of Septimus Crisparkle and Rebecca has the spunk of Helena Landless.
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Oh gracious, I am behind, running in place. Annie, I cracked up at your back surgery debacle, when your room mate succumbed to the hypnotist and you remained wide awake. :-\
And—Joan- I could use Riley right here next to me many nights when I pace the floors. Bless his heart that he is such an attentive brother. Actually, I really want Simon Baker ::) next to me but Bill is so touchy about those kinds of things.
I am still in a tizzy about Mrs. Barton and can not for the life of me figure out why she’s even in the story as a character. Clara Barton??? Deems- old Clara’s trolley went off the tracks but this Barton chick is totally derailed!
It just can’t be Clara Barton, I refuse to even consider that premise (we nurses stick together, you know.) As Marcie mentioned she may turn out to be one of Mr. Dicken’s worst nightmares (incubus.)
Ella- I agree with you. I find Mr. Forster, the executor, to be very obnoxious; after being warned that smoking was not allowed in the coffee room he shouts at the waiter, “ How dare you interfere with me,” as he chews on his nasty cigar.
I hate people like that they feel entitled to – well --to everything and everyone, as if their wish should be your command.
The old coot, all puffed up said to Osgood, “perhaps I did not express my relationship with Mr. Dickens very clearly to you….. I do not flatter myself to say that Mr. Dickens and I were on the closest terms and though I am aftaid he was not as open to counsel in regard to point of personal conduct, he confided nearly every detail of his books to me.”
Oh Pullleeze! Get over yourself Forster. I highly doublt that a man such as Chas. Dickens confided anything to the likes of Forster.
I fear that his reverence is for himself, not Charles Dickens. Did he so eagerly take the pen with which Dickens wrote The MED for a token of love and friendship or for its worth and value? He is so full of himself, trying to conceal his greed. Now I do like the idea he is serving as a lunacy commissioner. Know thineself!
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Marcie - yes, and how about Princess Puffer in the opium den. I'm not sure she was called "Sally" in Dickens' Edwin Drood - but I recognized her when she called her clients, "dearie"...
You mention Rebecca's/Helena's spunk... I remember how sharp she was collecting Dickens' books on mesmerism and spiritualism before they were packed away - some of the "small gems" she and James were able to find. BUT - what happened to that spunk when James tells her he is going off with Dickens' mesmerism farmer. She turns into a scaredy cat and doesn't want him to go.. I guess she wasn't "ready" - but James was. (Ready for what?) How did the farmer decide James was ready?
Matthew, toys and games - it would seem that book stores are becoming more like Barnes & Noble. I've read p.108 in the hardcover and don't see reference to this Dickens' game - I wanted to see what Dickens thought of it. I'll bet he liked it - as long as he profited from it! ;)
Thank you for answering our questions - can't tell you how much we appreciate your candid response.
"I did portray Fred Chapman as closely as I could to the real person, always my aim with a historical character."
I guess you've just answered the next question - since John Forster is an historical character, then you have not exaggerated in portraying him as an "ungenial" character. He seems "prideful" as Ella says - claiming his close friendship with Dickens makes him an expert on his unfinished work.
I find myself agreeing with Katie Collins's response - No one knew what her father had planned because he didn't want anyone to know. What do you think? I agree with you, Andy. I don't believe Dickens would have kept it a secret from everyone - except his biographer? Unfortunately, John Forster published the biography in which he claimed he had inside information - the same way he put on the play at the Surrey Theater! And his is the voice the world listened to when deciding what happed to Edwin Drood. Thanks for telling like it is, Matthew!
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I seem to remember earlier it was said that Foster quarrelled with others close to Dickens after D's death. Matthew: I assume you,ve been as close as possible to your assessmsnt of Fosters character? If so, we can already see the source of the quarrels. Foster, in your interpretation, has appointed himself as the one and only interpreter of Dickens to the world.
This has some justification in literature, but it's dangerous: creating "High preists" whose word can't be questioned. It's even more dangerous in law!! I have heard of several instances where people have tried to appoint themselves as the one and only interpreter of a law on the basis of access to the framer's papers. This of course, gives them all kinds of power. This almost happened with my father: he had written the first codified patent law. After he died, a lawyer friend wanted my mother to give him my fathers notes. She refused, saying (to me) that she was afraid he would make improper use of them. When alive, if people asked him what a sentance in the law meant, he would say "It means what it says. If I didn't say what I meant, that's too bad-- it is what it is."
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I would be interested in asking Matthew if Dickens often did dabble in the supernatural? Did he learn his hypnotic lessons by the reading of these books that were found on his shelves?
Using hypnosis and the power of suggestion, could he really have altered the state of consciousness of the old gardner, Joan asks? After undergoing this hypnosis does he believe he is a Drood character?
Hypnosis is a concentration that bypasses the usual critical activities of the mind to get to underlying matters. The patient becomes much more open to suggestion and guidance -- not so much a loss of control as an openness, agreeing to what someone else is suggesting. Perhaps the old gardner needed an identity and Dickens gave him one.
Deems- who were you when you were under hypnosis? A traffic cop raising your arm ? ;D
As far as could someone be hypnotized like that- sure, why not? Children can easily undergo hypnotism because of their imaginative minds and they will follow the pattern of suggestion.
People block off what is going on around them, suspend their disbelief and enter right into a story just as if it were really happening and they are there!
Those who meditate religiously are used to a concentrative state and can easily enter into a hypnotic like trance.
Most studies suggest that about 25% of people can be easily hypnotized, while about 20% just won't allow it.
Have you ever witnessed a "sports addict" watching a game? He's mesmerized and hypnotised. He doesn't care what goes on around him. Granted there are degrees of that, thank God.
Have you ever been on a retreat or in a mode of heavy worship and found yourself spellbound? That is a form of hypnosis. I have seen hypnosis work and I have seen hypnosis fail. I don't know what's up with this farmer seeking Dickens help in the garden but like Mr. Osgood, I have no fondness for phenomena either. ::)
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No mention, MATTHEW, on page 108 of the board game on my hardcover edition.
I wouldn't mind believing I was a character in a book as the mesmerized farmer who believes he is Datchery, but which book, which character? Certainly, as Rebecca said, I want to be a character in a book that is finished to know what my fate would be.
But not Datchery! An interesting case, isn't it? Another mystery within a mystery. Will Osgood find out anything in his pursuit of the end of Dickens' last novel? What will be ending of all this?
More mysteries - the missing item in the catalog of the auctioneer at Christie's, the plaster statue of a Turk smoking opium, and the two men who were forcing Osgood toward the exit. What is this all about?
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The board game isn't on p. 108, but it's in there somewhere; I remember it. I still have both hardcover and paperback, not having had time to return the hardcover to the library. The paging seems to be the same.
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Hypnosis answers--yes, there were witnesses, two in one case, one in the other. The raising of the arm thing Andy was simply to follow the direction the "hypnotist" gave me which was along the lines of "raise your right arm very slowly." I never was asked to "be" or "do" anyone/thing. Don't know how I would have handled that.
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I found the reference to "Pickwick Snuff, Little Nell Cigars and a Christmas Game of Dickens (for Old and Young)" on the bottom of the first page of Chapter 13. It's page 104 in my hardback copy.
I think that Dickens was a debunker of "spiritualism" but he believed in mesmerism (hypnotism) based on the channeling of "magnetic fluid" within a person.
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And there's our man with the scary cane, out trying to con one of Chapman's gophers as the poor boy tries to get the haunch of meat into the wagon. The man helps the with the job and then feels open to asking the boy some questions about Osgood and Chapman. This guy is never going away.
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What did he say, Annie? Is this the first time we've heard him speak? - something about "a-learning the book trade." A rather jaunty remark for a seasoned killer, I thought. Didn't you expect him to kill the poor boy with that cane, right there on the spot? The boy knows that he is asking about Osgood and his conversation with Mr. Chapman...what's to stop him from telling Osgood?
Since "Herman" is following Osgood this far, don't you think he must be following the "Datchery" character and Osgood to the opium den too?
Did you notice that Sally was speaking Chinese in the opium den? Who is this woman? That was never made clear in Dickens' novel - though we expected to hear more about her in the second half. Do you think there's a connection between Sally and that opium figure Osgood saw back in Gadshill among Dickens' things? There had to be a reason Dickens would keep it in a prominent place in his home - on the mantle! Was it in the chalet where he wrote Drood - or in the house.
While visiting the Dickens' museum in the house on Doubty St. in London, I did see the plaster figure - it does seem quite an odd thing to have on one's mantle, doesn't it?(http://dickensmuseum.com/vtour/groundfloor/diningroom/images/thumb/smoker.jpg)
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/lastdickenscvr.jpg) | We are happy to announce that the author, Matthew Pearl, is joining us in the discussion of his latest novel, "The Last Dickens," as he did with his "Poe Story" and "The Dante Club.
Matthew's literary fiction picks up where Dickens left off in "The Mystery of Edwin Drood." The story of the fate of Edwin Drood is a mystery within a mystery. When young Edwin disappears after dinner on Christmas Eve and his watch and chain are later found in the nearby river, everyone suspects foul play. Could one of Edwin’s acquaintances have murdered him – and, if so, what could their motive be? Tragically, the mystery is destined never to be truly solved, as Dickens died before he could finish this novel – all that is left are the clues that can be found in the completed chapters.
Pearl sends a partner of Dickens’ American publisher, James Osgood, to the Dickens' estate in England where we meet the "fugitives" from the characters of Dickens' novel. Is Edwin Drood dead or alive? Was he killed by his uncle, John Jasper? Or did he somehow escape that fate, possibly to return later? We are anticipating more intrigue as Pearl's fictional characters search for answers in the author's well-researched fiction.
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Chapter discussion schedule
October 1-6: First Installment ~ Chapters 1-10 ~ June, 1870
October 7-10: Second Installment ~ Chapters 11-17 ~ November, 1867
October 11-13: : Third Installment ~ Chapters 18-22 ~ June, 1870
*October 15-17: Fourth Installment ~ Chapters 23-26
October 18-23: Fifth Installment ~ Chapters 27-29
Oct. 24-28: Fifth Installment cont. - Chapters 30 - 39
October 29-31: Sixth Installment ~ Chapter 40/Historical note
Discussion Leaders: JoanP (jonkie@verizon.net), Andy (WFLANNERY@CFL.RR.COM )
| (http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/lastdickensparker.jpg)
Old Parker House Hotel - Boston |
Some topics for discussion Oct. 14-16: Chapters 23-26, Boston, Dec. 24, 1867
1. Was Dickens fully aware of the dangers he would face on this American tour? If so, why would he risk his health and safety? What was the state of his health before he set out?
2. Considering his poor health and dread of train and water travel, why did Dickens jump off the paddleboat in the middle of winter to save the drowning livestock? What does this say about him?
3. What did Louisa Parr Barton want from Dickens? Do you think there really was such a person and was she as dangerous as Tom Branagan suspected?
4. Why did Dickens insist on visiting the medical college basement with Dr. Oliver Wendall Holmes to see the place where George Parkman's remains were found? Do you see a connection between this case and the next novel Dickens would write?
5. What was significant about William Godwin's novel that Poe described to Dickens about - in which he wrote the second half of Caleb Williams before writing the first part?
6. Did you note Dickens' dinner at the White House? What effect would President Johnson's impeachment trial have on Dickens' tour?
7. What is the promise Tom about reading Dickens' next novel? Do you think we will see more of Tom Branagan?
8. Do you believe dreams predict the future? Does Dickens?
9. Tom sleeps in Dickens' bed to capture Mrs. Barton red-handed. What do you think of the whole chase scene with Mrs. Barton kidnapping Dickens? Has she really died?
10. How did Dickens' last visit to America affect the last years of his life? Was it worth it? What did he do with all those (tax-free) American dollars?
Readers' Guide Questions from FIRST - THIRD INSTALLMENTS (http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/readerguides/LastDickens_Pearl.html)
Related Links : SeniorLearn's Q & A with Author, Matthew Pearl (http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/pearlinterview.html); 19th century Boston publishing houses (http://www.cyberbee.com/henryhikes/ticknor.html); check out Mr. Osgood here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_R._Osgood); James R. Osgood Co. closes, May, 1885 - NY Times (http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9D0CE0DC1739E533A25756C0A9639C94649FD7CF), Listen to Matthew's Interview at the Parker House in Boston (http://www.hereandnow.org/2009/06/rundown-61#4);
(http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/lastdickensicon2.jpg)
Some Recent Questions for Matthew:http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/lastdickens_q_a.html (http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/lastdickens_q_a.html)
New blog post (http://www.redroom.com/blog/matthew-pearl/why-you-might-want-read-the-mystery-edwin-drood-without-knowing-it) at Red Room (spoiler free): Why you might want to read The Mystery of Edwin Drood without knowing it
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I wonder if Dickens wrote about Drood and the Opium trade while having a fireside chat with this figurine. Each Chinese figurine is original isn't it? Aren't the real Chinese figurines individually hand crafted? Thanks Joan for bringing the picture to us that is displayed in the Museum. Did it say anyhting other than this was kept on Dicken's mante?
Deems -The raising of the arm thing Andy was simply to follow the direction the "hypnotist" gave me which was along the lines of "raise your right arm very slowly." I never was asked to "be" or "do" anyone/thing.
I know, I was only joking about the arm going in the air. You'd already said that you did it intentionally. :o
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P. 104 for the board game, not 108: sorry!
"1.The portrayal of Forster as a less than sympathetic character might be a subtle hint that Forster might not have been in on Dickens' confidence, as he claimed he was. Matthew, can you tell us if this is a documented description of Mr. Forster or is it fiction?"
Yes, Forster as I show him is as close as I was able to recreate Forster himself. What a character he was! If he seems like something Dickens would create you're right. Those who have read, or plan to read, Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens will notice a similarity between Forster and the character of Podsnap, which was obvious to everyone who knew Forster. And Forster and Dolby did not get along at all.
"2. I would be interested in asking Matthew if Dickens often did dabble in the supernatural? Did he learn his hypnotic lessons by the reading of these books that were found on his shelves? "
In my research, I was actually able to get an inventory of Dickens's books that were in his library when he died. That's the kind of thing you hope for! Dickens's family later auctioned off the books, which is why they did the inventory. So every book title you find in my novel was actually in the library. And yes, Dickens did study mesmerism and other spiritual topics, and often practiced mesmerism, to the point where it became a factor in his estrangement from his wife (who was upset that he was hypnotizing other women--there is something intimate about the practice, one could argue)
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The will? Dickens' will? I see nothing untoward about it, except he did not want a funeral with mourners and no publicity about his death. I understand that, neither do I, having made all my own arrangements and a very simple will. I want no ceremony, no speeches, not even a minister; I will leave it God to judge me and not my fellow citizens left on earth.
This actor, Grunwald, a highly emotional fellow, nevertheless believes Dickens missed the most important aspect of life and that is "be happy in your children." I agree, they are gifts to us and should be treasured.
Dickens was not a good father????? Mamie and Katie do not speak ill of their father, do they? I know that son in India did not love him, but.............. He had numerous children, right? How quickly I forget statistics.
And the playwright, Stephens, states that "when we read, we use our brains, but when we watch a performance, we use our eyes, much more trivial organs."
Strange! And Grunwald and Stephens argues daily about the fate of Drood.
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Oh Matthew, what a coup for you to be able to actually get an inventory of his books. I love that- love it. If that were me writing this great story, I would drool over the find. :P
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Due to a bad night, I can't remember if Herman is the man with the cane. And if so, was he called Herman in MED??
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Ann, yes, Herman is the one with the gold monster cane. I don't remember that character being in The Mystery of Edwin Drood.
SPOILER ALERT IF YOU HAVEN'T FINISHED INSTALLMENT THREE
Thanks for sharing the photo of the plaster figure, Joan. Someone (Herman?) appears to have stolen it from the auction house before the auction.
This installment was full of excitement. I couldn't put it down. I love the way you built up suspense, both in the India sections and the England sections. The opium theme seems to tie the two sections together.
Rebecca's feelings for Osgood are stirred by a bit of jealousy when she thinks that Osgood might be falling for Ms. Dickens. At the end of the installment it takes an opium stupor (from the smoke in the opium den or administered by Herman?) and beating for Osgood to realize that he loves Rebecca! Rebecca was fearful for Osgood to go with "Datchery" and for good reason. Look what happened to him.
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Ella, Dickens had seven sons and three daughters. There is some information about them at http://www.trivia-library.com/b/famous-family-history-charles-dickens-children.htm
The following site: http://www.perryweb.com/Dickens/life_children.shtml says that "when Dickens and Catherine [his wife] separated Kate was the only child to stand up to Dickens and side with Catherine."
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Right, Marcie, Herman did not appear in MED. I forget who asked if we have heard him speak before. He has a conversation with Bendall before killing him, and he has some rather vigorous things to say on board ship when he is caught robbing Osgood.
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Thank you for answering our questions, Matthew! ...and for sharing your Red Room blog with us this morning. Red Room is one of the new Reading Promotion Partners at the Library of Congess - you all may know that SeniorNet and now SeniorLearn have been one of the LOC partners for the last ten years. I hope we can establish an on-line relationship with Red Room. Did you get a chance to read what Matthew said in his blog this morning? If you missed it, I'll repeat the link here...
New blog post (http://www.redroom.com/blog/matthew-pearl/why-you-might-want-read-the-mystery-edwin-drood-without-knowing-it) at Red Room (spoiler free): Why you might want to read The Mystery of Edwin Drood without knowing it
I was quite interested - in all of it, but particularly this -
Without giving anything away to those still in the avoidance stage, readers of The Mystery of Edwin Drood divide into two camps: the survivalists who think Edwin Drood lives beyond his uncle John Jasper's attempt on his life, and the traditionalists who believe Edwin dies. In support of the theories, readers point to clues in the original illustrations, the book's chapter headings, Dickens's working notes for the novel and his discarded ideas for the title.
Dickens knew well what questions he was setting us up to ask. Cloisterham, the novel's fictional town, was (writes Dickens's narrator) “pretty equally divided in opinion whether John Jasper's beloved nephew had been rolled by his passionate rival treacherously, or in an open struggle; or had, for his own purposes, spirited himself away.” Surely, the big reveal could not simply have been to pick one of these two choices we already know about, or could it? Ask me at your peril. I'm so indecisive I have trouble choosing from a restaurant menu even as a vegetarian when there are often only one or two choices.
I happen to think Dickens himself was still deciding how the story would come out when he died—a luxury of the serially published author—
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Matthew's research reveals John Forster, Dickens biographer, to be the man we see here. Ella - Dickens was very clear in his will about how he wanted to be remembered, wasn't he? Earlier he said he wanted to be buried in the little churchyard in Rochester - where his Mystery of Edwin Drood was set.
But he's been buried in Poets' Corner in Westminster...with a huge monument towering over othe poets - including Thackeray's! They say this was Forster's doing. My first thought was - why didn't Aunt Georgy have anything to say about this? But wait, she wasn't his wife. I guess she doesn't have any say. Didn't you think it was sad the way she had to confide in James Osgood her concerns about the disposal of Dickens' personal belongings. What was Forster planning to do with the pen Dickens used to write his Drood mystery? Would he sell it?
This pen was said to be a gift from Ellen Ternan. It was one of Dickens' belongings I saw in the London Dickens' museum. Just a quill pen - doesn't look like anything very special, does it? This was the pen he used to write Mystery of Edwin Drood but why would James Forster want it?
(http://i361.photobucket.com/albums/oo55/jonkie2/143.jpg)
It was in Matthew's book that we learn that "Charles liked to use a single pen for a single book - there was a purity about it that way. He did not want to the pen's spirit mixed up in trifling bills...?"
Andy, is seems that Dickens is very aware of spirits from another world...even the world he has created in his books!
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Thanks for Herman's dialog, PatH - how could I have forgotten?
Maybe someone here has an answer to this question - those of you who have been hypnotized - or those who have smoked OPIUM. ;) Do you speak when hypnotized? Do you say things, reveal secrets? I remember Sally speaking to Jasper John while administering the opium pipe to him...asking questions - getting answers she was looking for.
Do you think these states are similar - opium dreams and hypnotism?
Is it possible that the mesmerism patient, the hops farmer - is hypnotized to think that he is Datchery? If you've read MED, you know that Datchery knows Sally, Princess Puffer, the OPIUM dealer. As Datchery, he'd know where her establishment is located. It was Datchery who gave her the information that led her to Jasper John in the cathedral in the last scene that Dickens wrote.
Now he thinks that Osgood is "ready" - for what? He leads Osgood to Sally's place. And then what? Did "Herman" kill Osgood and kidnap Datchery, knowing he is the one who has the answers that Osgood had been looking for?
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I thnk that Forster wanted the quill pen, for bragging rights. That would fit his described personality. I can just see him, working the pen into his conversations with people. He certainly had a lot of hubris, to change CD"s wishes about his burial.
I have been hypnotyzed twice. The first time was to help me diet. I felt that I was aware of everything going on around me. My primary focus was on the person who hypnotiyzed me. I, too was asked to slowly raise one arm. The person working with me, then talked to me about food. The suggestion was made to me that salads were the food which I most loved. That in a buffet, salad would be my primary choice. I do not think that I was "under", but from that day onward, I prefer a salad, to all other food.
The second time, I was in therapy. A family member verbally and emotionally abused me. I was uncomfortable being around this man. The suggestion was made to me, that he had died, and it was suggested that I bury that person. I was led through the funeral, and burial. After awakening, I was quite aware that this person was still alive. So, I do not know if I was "under", or not.
Sheila
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I have just finished reading the latest installment. It was nice to return to India, and pick up that story. I had forgotten that CD's son, Frank, was a police inspector in that country. Now, I am wondering what the thief has refused to confess.
I am appalled about the sewer hunter! How could any human being work in the sewers? I am glad to know that he was able to afford to buy tall boots for himself. How did Osgood end up in the sewer? What has happened to Datchury? Why did he take JO to the opium house? Lots of questions in my mind.
Today, I plan to begin reading installment four. We had a huge storm, Tuesday. More rain is expected today. I am so glad for the rain. We have been in drought for the past few years. So, we need the rain. The local news said this is the most rain we in the Sacramento area have ever had in October.
Sheila
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Quite interesting, Sheila~ To think that you are still under the hypnotic spell and prefer salad to other foods~ I could use that myself.
Here's how I see Datchery - he is a poor ragged farmer hanging around Dickens garden near the Swiss Chalet where Dickens is working with his Drood plot. He is inspired perhaps to write the Datchery character, while describing the man with his long white hair. At the same time, he takes on this man as his "patient" and tried to heal his physical ailments through mesmerism. Somehow, he has hypnotized the man to think that he is Dick Datchery of Dickens' novel. Does he reveal his plot to this character? Perhaps. If you read Dickens' novel you know that Dick Datchery knows where the opium den is located. Why does he take James Osgood there? Opium Sal must hold the key to information that will reveal more about what Dickens intended to reveal in the second half.
What do you think of this? I have no idea - not even a guess about why this evil man who calls himself "Herman" is on Osgood's trail. Perhaps he thinks Osgood is his best bet to learn how Dickens was planning to end the plot. OR, he is connected to the OPIUM trade...Maybe EVERYTHING is connected to the OPIUM trade.
At any rate, we know that Osgood recognized his assailant before he was attacked and left for dead. (Maybe the boots are part of Steve the Sewer Worker's uniform. Seriously, Matthew must have needed a way for someone to find Osgood before it was too late - maybe there was no such thing as a sewer hunter. )
The assailant must have been Herman. But where is Dick Datchery? Do you suspect that Herman has kidnapped him?
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The plaster figure of the Chinese opium smoker from Dickens' estate - perhaps it was a gift from his son, Frank? I'm glad you mentioned Frank before we move on to the next installment, Sheila. He is quite conscientious in his job - more so than Mason and Turner, who failed to locate the thief. Frank goes all the way to Narain's village - talks to his wife - buys up all his books she sold for food. I wonder why? I'm not sure what his books will reveal.
Did you notice how frightened Turner is? Maybe it's just because he and Mason failed to catch the thief and he's afraid for his job. Don't you get the feeling that the thief AND Turner were hiding something else besides opium. I can't tell if Mason is involved. I hope not.
We'll have to wait - we're heading back to the American tour a few years earlier in the FOURTH INSTALLMENT. There has got to be a reason we keep returning to this tour - something must have happened that has an effect on Dickens' last years back in England...
I'm wondering why he went to America - did he really need the money? Did he fully realize the danger? Do you know the state of his health BEFORE he left home?
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"What if in the process of mesmerism, Dickens transfered, by some profound exposure, the skills of investigation displayed by the fictional character of Datchery onto this man.
If Dickens, intentionally or accidentally, exposed this man to more information about the novel, even if he doesn't consciously know it, this may be our chance-the best chance to quit England with more knowledge than when we entered it."
The twists and turns of the novel. Very interesting, indeed. And, so, Matthew leaves us hanging on this thread, this possible clue to the mystery, to return to India.
As Dickens must have left his readers in the serials in the magazine. As the movie industry left the enthralled audience with episodes at the end of each serial movie and likewise the radio. Today, I suppose, you could say that the TV soap operas do the same.
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Wow, Matthew sure knows how to leave you in suspense. Osgood decides to go off on his dangerous expedition with Datchery, and we switch back to India, where it looks like the young Dickens is just about to get somewhere uncovering the more serious mystery underlying the opium theft, then it's back to London, where Osgood's expedition turns out badly. We then leave him half-drowned in a sewer and backtrack to Dickens' tour again. It's as bad as waiting for the boat to find out if Little Nell died.
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Oh good, am finally in the Red Room, after having trouble for two days. Maybe there were just so many people going for it all at once. In answer to your last question there – I think we should let unfinished books stand on their own, although I have read a few where someone else has finished the book. Many of us would have been disappointed had not Annie Barrows stepped in for her aunt Mary Ann Shaffer to complete The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, but they did have the advantage of time to plan in advance.
I love you comments about folks gathering around and discussing the latest installments and what would happen next. In trying to think of recent books that have generated lots of discussion, the only one I can think of is DaVinci Code, and am not sure if that’s a plus or a minus.
The Christmas Game – what fun. It reminded me so much of the now unavailable game of Authors that we loved as children and even the simple “Go Fish,” played with regular cards. Can’t you just hear some Tiny Tims saying, “Give Me All Your Tale of Two Cities,” or “Do you have any Little Dorrits?” Someone should bring that back to life and then we could say, “Give me all your Dante Clubs.”
As usual, I'm a little behind in my reading, so hope all of this hasn't been too out-dated.
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Did you notice the British farming policy in Bengal? The villagers are ordered to grow the profitable opium, and it's illegal to grow food crops like rice. You get in trouble if you're caught doing so. If there's a famine, the British make some effort to bring in food, but it isn't always successful, and people die. As Turner says, they're "..here to turn out a better civilization...."
I can't imagine what it is that Dickens is trying to track down, but it seems obvious that Turner is involved in it, and that Mason doesn't have any idea what is going on around him.
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Pedln, I remember when I first read "Little Women", I was very amused that the characters played "Authors", because by the time I read the book Alcott was one of the Authors and "Little Women" was one of the books.
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Yes, I did notice that farming policy, Pat. I don't understand why the British couldn't have allocated some of the land for food.
I agree with you that Turner seems to be involved in something related to the opium thief.
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I've caught up with my reading now. Everyone's posts have been so helpful and informative that you have left me speechless!! One thing that has interested me most, I think, is seeing what the colonial policies and commercial interests did to India and other places as well. Poor tragic India! Man's greed causes no end of trouble - just look at what has happened to us now because of the actions of some unscrupulous bankers.
Well, enough economics! Back to our hero and heroine - I do like her so much!!
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oK, I give up. Why was Dickens so interested in the murder of a money lender? Did he know Parkman?
This is quite a story. Check this out @ Wikipedia and read about their confrontation that Matthew describes the story of Parkman and Webster (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkman-Webster_murder_case)
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oops, sorry.
Dicken's Staplehurst experience left him with such a sense of dread, I feel sorry for him. Fear is a terrible emotion but he was the type of person that couldn't stand to see anyone suffer, including the livestock that was left to drown. His compassion and the "cries and moans from inside that sounded like human misery" directed him to rescue those animals.
His health was fragile and he did not like to admit to poor health. I don't blame him one bit for keeping the flask ever-ready. He was ill and home sick, no wonder he would talk with anyone who happened to be nearby.
Isn't it amazing that a man of Dickens worth was the same as the rest of us? He wanted to site see and visit with people he knew. He located Poe's mother in law, who was destitute.
Matthew, was that true of Dickens that he did not read his own reviews? I couldn't do that, curiosity ....
Why was it that Longfellow and friends such as Emerson were not interested in Dickens? He was a fellow write.
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I suppose, Alf, that it was because Longfellow was a poet and translator (Dante's Inferno) and Emerson was an essayist. They probably had little interest in what was popular fiction at that time - at least outwardly. Who knows what their recreational reading was when no one was looking!!!
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Joan-
Who knows what their recreational reading was when no one was looking!!!
who knows what evil lurks in the heart of fellow writers? ::)
but still------ Wouldn't one that composes and works with the "written word" have a cetain degree of kinship towards another? Even if admiration was not involved, what about some degree of regard or approbation for poor old Charlie?
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Joan ask us-
#3. What did Louisa Parr Barton want from Dickens? Do you think there really was such a person and was she as dangerous as Tom Branagan suspected?
Personally, I still think the woman is totally whacked and can not for the life of me figure out her place in this story. Is she over zealous because she's in love with Dickens? Is she a failed actress and thus disenchanted? Beats me. Anyone else have a handle on her?
I tend to agree with Mr. Branagan about her sanity and sense that he is correct in worrying about her intent.
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Well, gosh, all your comments are very interesting, but it's all very confusing!
I read the India chapter and was I surprised to read all about WATERBOARDING! Talk about mixing the past and the present, or fact and fiction. Isn't this what all the complaints of torture in Guantanamo is about: "He slowly poured water onto the upper lip of his subject. The water ran down the small cracks of his lips and collected in pools around his nostrils sending the man into spasms of drowning."(pg.192)
JOAN AND MARCIE mentioned in their posts the plight of the poor peasant farmers attempting to grow rice to feed their hungry families.
And why was Frank Dickens so interested in finding books on Hindoo mythology and rellgion? You see, I am suspicious of everything in this book, EVERYTHING, as one little thing may lead to the unraveling of a puzzle.
The trip Osgood took with Datchery is unbelievably horrible! The squalor of it all and those people who reek of opium and are practically dead to the world.
And we meet an opium manager by the name of Sally.
And AHA! I thought so from the very beginning, Osgood, at a point in this awful situation he walked into, a point he felt he might not recover from, admits to himself that he loves Rebecca and has loved her from the first time he saw her.
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There's got to be a connection with the opium trade in India and Dickens - or this opium den in London, don't you think? Or we wouldn't keep returning. Is Frank Dickens the link? What strikes me is that opium usage is not illegal at this time...though there is quite a market for it in England - and China. Marcie, for the life of me, I can't figure out why all the land had to go to growing the opium poppies - nothing allocated for food. This doesn't sound very - English. JoanR, do you really think this is an example of how greedy the English were - or maybe just here in this remote area where Narain lived? Young Dickens seems highly disturbed at this situation - exhibiting his father's concern for the poor and oppressed. Maybe Turner is fearful because he knows that Frank Dickens is coming closer to learning about the situation in which he is involved...I love Turner's tongue in cheek remarks, Pat H. And Mason, his straight man, not understanding his meaning.
Ella, I've forgotten - was it Frank Dickens who has ordered the waterboarding?
Matthew and Dickens have something in common, the way they keep us in suspense, don't they? Remember those Saturday matinee serials. You had to wait a week to find out if the hero survived - you HAD to find that quarter and come back the next Saturday!
From London to Boston to India THEN, just when we are about to learn what happens in the opium den where Osgood has done with Datchery, we are left with his body in a London sewer ... Thank heavens for Steve the Sewer Hunter - or our hero would have been a goner! Ella - you're right to suspect EVERYTHING! And just when you think you're on to something, it turns out to be wrong! By the way, in Dickens' Edwin Drood story - Princess Puffer the opium queen fits the description of her counterpart in Matthew's story - TO A TEE.
Osgood and Rebecca aren't the most romantic hero and heroines. To realize that you are in love with someone while in an opium den about to be tossed into a sewer - is not really impressive. What made him think of her then? Maybe he'll get cleaned up before he expresses his true feelings to her.
By the way - what is wrong with Osgood - is it simply the fumes of smoked opium that have made him so whoozy? Didn't you think that was odd?
Pedln, I am so glad to hear you were able to read Matthew's Red Room blog - he revealed some interesting information - such as what he has concluded Dickens' plan was for the Drood ending after all his research for this book!
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It's hard to keep this big mouth shut about saying anything more about Louisa Parr Barton, while you are still reading the 4th Installment. But Andy's right, she is whacko and - and dangerous! Can't wait to hear from you when you read what happens. It is all so unbelievable - her character cannot possibly be based on a living person. Or can she?
Ella, watch out for the conversation between Tom Branagan and Dickens regarding fiction (which Tom doesn't read) - I'd like to know what you think of Dickens' answer...
This installment is wild! Can't wait til you all catch up!
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Fellow readers, you sure know how to make someone shoot an evening. First I had to follow Alf's link to the Parkman-Webster murder case. It's lengthy, but interesting for anyone who has a taste for such things. There are nifty forensic and legal points, and also an interesting reminder of the quality of the Boston Brahmin society--people unwilling to believe Webster's guilt as "one of us".
Then I got caught up in a real wild goose chase (almost literally). I was looking at the picture of the pen used to write "Edwin Drood" (thank you, JoanP) and the tip looked funny to me. So I came up with this how-to site on making quill pens.
http://www.flick.com/~liralen/quills/quills.html (http://www.flick.com/~liralen/quills/quills.html)
You would only want to read much of this if you have a taste (as I do) for reading descriptions of a careful craft that you are never going to try. But I did come out of it with the feeling that you couldn't possibly make one pen last for a whole book.
And, of course, a reminder that there was a reason for the name penknife.
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Yes, Joan, I'm up to date with the reading and champing at the bit for the next installment, but hesitating to say too much too soon.
I have questions for Matthew, though. Am I right in presuming that the incident of rescuing the animals on the train actually happened? And what about Mrs. Barton? I presume she was a real person, but how much of what she does here really happened? Boy, truth really is stranger than fiction, and you're milking it for all it's worth.
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Spoiler alert.
Another exciting installment! Lots of action in this installment, as well as insight into Dickens, the writer.
Andy you are right about Mrs. Barton. And Tom was so right to be concerned about Mrs. B... but no one else thought his judgement was correct. I thought that Osgood was pretty harsh with Tom at the beginning of Chapter 23. "Your thoughtless actions have risked tainting the entire reading tour to the public eye, Mr. Branagan," Osgood said. "The future reputation of our publishing house is at stake." It's clear that it's not in the best interests of Dickens and the publishing firm for "waves" to be created by Tom's confrontation with Mrs. Barton, but Tom had Dickens' best interests in mind. They won't even listen to him.
Ella, the waterboarding incident caught my eye too.
PatH, I too read the long article that Andy linked to about the Parkman-Webster murder case. It is very interesting. I don't know if Dr. Webster would have been convicted in a trial today.
JoanP, I also noted the description of novels that Dickens gives Tom. Matthew, can you let us know if those are your words or if Dickens actually said, or wrote, that description (in Chapter 25 "Novels are filled with lies, but squeezed in between is even more that is true--without what you may call the lies, the pages would be too light for the truth, you see?")
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Wow!! What a dramatic trip Dickens had. Not specific so not to be a spoiler, but I'm sure all of us want to know how much of the incident with Clara and how much of the later incident are true?
I feel sad for Dickens' health -- like his friends I can't help wondering if he would have lived longer had he not gone.
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Hi everyone!
Sorry if I have fallen behind. I've been in Texas (still am) for the last few days speaking about my second novel, The Poe Shadow, at a college that chose it as their Book in Common.
So to try to catch up more quickly here are Joan's questions she collected...
"1.Matthew, did the contents of Dickens' estate actually go to Christie's after his death? Is there an actual catalog, an inventory of the items included in the auction? Was the yellow plaster figure on that list?"
Yep, yep, yep. Not only was I able to find the catalog with every item described, but also I found the prices most of them ended up selling for in the newspapers. I also found several detailed accounts of the auction. I knew I needed that scene! Remember Hitchcock's North by Northwest, when Cary Grant is hiding in the auction room from his pursuers? I always loved that.
"2. Was Dickens in good health before coming to America on his last tour?"
Dickens's health was already shaky when he left for America, but it got worse while he was there. Some obituaries, as well as John Forster, more or less pointed the finger at the American trip as leading to Dickens's death. I've been saving the link to this article I wrote, Dickens v. America (http://www.moreintelligentlife.com/story/dickens-vs-america), until you were a bit farther along in the novel, but I think now anyone who'd like to read it might enjoy it. I hope such links don't bombard anyone--obviously they're optional!
"3. Matthew, was that true of Dickens that he did not read his own reviews? "
Yes, it's true, and I think it would make any writer feel better that even Charles Dickens could be sensitive about such things.
"4. Why was it that Longfellow and friends such as Emerson were not interested in Dickens? He was a fellow writer."
Longfellow was actually welcoming to Dickens, but it's true Emerson was not very interested. Emerson was generally suspect of fellow writers. That's actually not uncommon among writers, especially ones who take themselves very seriously. Also, it would have been hard not to be envious of Dickens's incredible celebrity if you were a writer back then.
"5. Matthew, can you let us know if those are your words or if Dickens actually said, or wrote, that description (in Chapter 25 "Novels are filled with lies, but squeezed in between is even more that is true--without what you may call the lies, the pages would be too light for the truth, you see?") "
I can't tell you how much I hear those lines quoted back to me! What a surprise to me. It's funny, sometimes after writing one of my novels I forget which words are my own, which are historical, and which are a mixture. These are mine--but I'd like to think Dickens might have said something like it if Tom Branagan, or someone like him, had asked the question.
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Just into #24 and so curious about Louisa Parr Barton! Having much family doings this weekend so may be behind all of you.
I want to go back to the church in Brooklyn where Dickens gave his presentation in NYC. I left a link to it but no one commented on it so I will! hahaha!
"The church in Brooklyn was served by Ward Beecher who I think is Harriet Beecher Stowe's father. So my question to Matthew is: Is he her father???"
Aha, I looked it up and they are brother and sister! And their father was Lyman Beecher. Who would have thought??? Here's another link for those who might be curious.
http://www.npg.si.edu/exh/brady/gallery/05gal.html (http://www.npg.si.edu/exh/brady/gallery/05gal.html)
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You are so generous with your time, Matthew. Thank you for the responses to our questions. No wonder that the words in question #5 are quoted back to you. That's such an interesting take on novels. It must be fun, and challenging, to write about very different authors and find, as well as put, something of yourself in each of them.
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I just finished the article at http://www.moreintelligentlife.com/story/dickens-vs-america. It provides an interesting and helpful perspective on Dickens trips to America.
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Marcie,
What an incredible article. How do you find these links??? I wonder if Matthew uses this type information??I can't even having the energy to write and to do all the detective work it must have taken to make much of our book true. Amazing!
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The Book Club Online is the oldest book club on the Internet, begun in 1996, open to everyone. We offer cordial discussions of one book a month, 24/7 and enjoy the company of readers from all over the world. Everyone is welcome to join in.
Click register at the top of the page to create a username and password so that you can post messages in the discussions here on SeniorLearn.
Welcome! Everyone is invited!
(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/lastdickenscvr.jpg) | We are happy to announce that the author, Matthew Pearl, is joining us in the discussion of his latest novel, "The Last Dickens," as he did with his "Poe Story" and "The Dante Club.
Matthew's literary fiction picks up where Dickens left off in "The Mystery of Edwin Drood." The story of the fate of Edwin Drood is a mystery within a mystery. When young Edwin disappears after dinner on Christmas Eve and his watch and chain are later found in the nearby river, everyone suspects foul play. Could one of Edwin’s acquaintances have murdered him – and, if so, what could their motive be? Tragically, the mystery is destined never to be truly solved, as Dickens died before he could finish this novel – all that is left are the clues that can be found in the completed chapters.
Pearl sends a partner of Dickens’ American publisher, James Osgood, to the Dickens' estate in England where we meet the "fugitives" from the characters of Dickens' novel. Is Edwin Drood dead or alive? Was he killed by his uncle, John Jasper? Or did he somehow escape that fate, possibly to return later? We are anticipating more intrigue as Pearl's fictional characters search for answers in the author's well-researched fiction.
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Chapter discussion schedule
October 1-6: First Installment ~ Chapters 1-10 ~ June, 1870
October 7-10: Second Installment ~ Chapters 11-17 ~ November, 1867
October 11-13: : Third Installment ~ Chapters 18-22 ~ June, 1870
October 15-17: Fourth Installment ~ Chapters 23-26
*October 18-23: Fifth Installment ~ Chapters 27-29
Oct. 24-28: Fifth Installment cont. - Chapters 30 - 39
October 29-31: Sixth Installment ~ Chapter 40/Historical note
Discussion Leaders: JoanP (jonkie@verizon.net), Andy (WFLANNERY@CFL.RR.COM )
| (http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/dickensgadshill-446x285.jpg)
Dickens' Gadshill estate, Kent |
Some topics for discussion Oct. 18-23: Chapters 27-29 ~ Kent, London ~ July. 1870
1. What had happened to James Osgood that night in Sally's opium den? Why was he taken to jail? Do you have any reason not to trust the respected Marcus Wakefield - other than the way he looks at Rebecca?
2. Given Dickens habit of using actual names and characters in his novels, is it far-fetched that he would include his neighbors in Kent and Rochester as he wrote his last novel?
3. How does the relationship between Eddie Trood and his uncle Nathan resemble or differ Edwin Drood and Jasper John? Why do you think Dickens would portray the relationship one way and Matthew another?
4. Why would do you think Dickens' last words would be to call for Forster, Georgy, one of his daughters - or Ellen Ternan?
5. When you consider Dickens' interest in the George Hartman murder case and the incriminating forensic evidence when in America, do you think Dickens could have intended to reopen a real murder case in this novel?
6. Had Dickens actually hypnotized Datchery? Why did Osgood decide to give him another chance, even after Tom Branagan revealed his disguise?
7. Why does Datchery/Rogers believe that Osgood is in danger?
8. Does Yahee's revelation of Herman's childhood experience explain his cold-blooded behavior now? How would Dickens have veiwed this character? Why would Herman be following Osgood?
9. Do you think Dickens may have planned his Mystery of Edwin Drood backwards, with the second half in mind as he wrote the first six episodes? If he had actually written the second half first, where is it? Did he leave a clue with someone?
10. Why does the note that Forster received from Christie's Auction House cause Osgood to start packing to go home?
Readers' Guide Questions from FIRST - FOURTH INSTALLMENTS (http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/readerguides/LastDickens_Pearl.html)
Related Links : SeniorLearn's Q & A with Author, Matthew Pearl (http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/pearlinterview.html); 19th century Boston publishing houses (http://www.cyberbee.com/henryhikes/ticknor.html); check out Mr. Osgood here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_R._Osgood); James R. Osgood Co. closes, May, 1885 - NY Times (http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9D0CE0DC1739E533A25756C0A9639C94649FD7CF), Listen to Matthew's Interview at the Parker House in Boston (http://www.hereandnow.org/2009/06/rundown-61#4); Dickens in America - by Matthew Pearl (http://www.moreintelligentlife.com/story/dickens-vs-america)
(http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/lastdickensicon2.jpg)
Some Recent Questions for Matthew:http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/lastdickens_q_a.html (http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/lastdickens_q_a.html)
Sheila: I,too was struck by the "water boarding". I wonder when it was first used?
On Wednesday, the 21st, on the History Channel, a documentary will be shown. It is called "Hooked". I saw it two weeks ago, and was fascinated by it. Three deadly derivatives of the poppy plant are Opium, Morphine, and Heroin. If I remember correctly, it includes the story of GB's involvement, with these drugs, in India.
IMO, not allowing the Indian people to plant food, was strictly born of greed. The other reason, I suspect, was the native people used the drugs which left them more manageable.
Sheila
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Annie, that last one is a link to the article that Matthew wrote and provided in his post #235. He sure did do a lot of research and incorporated it into the book in a believable way as the stories unfold.
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Sheila, thanks for the information about the History channel program on opium.
There is an article here that describes the history of waterboarding: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15886834. Apparently it was first documented in the 14th Century.
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Marcie, thank you for that link. I am going to check it out, now.
Sheila
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What drama! What exciting chapters! Matthew does it every bit as good as Charles Dickens himself and I am sure Dickens would be pleased to read the tale of his own American tours.
But he should have stayed in England and not tried the last one. It undoubtedly cotributed to an earlier death, don't you all agree?
As ALF has said all along, Mrs. Barton was mad, poor woman, but she could have killed Dickens and nearly killed Tom. But one of the devils was at peace, at last, as Dickens said.
I love the history behind the story. Here is Delmonico's restaurant (where the New Uork Press gave Dickens a celebratory dinner before his departure); I cannot tell if it is the same building, but it has the date of 1837 at the top.
http://www.delmonicosny.com/
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Oh, Ella, isn't it elegant! We need to go - it's still open! Do you suppose this is where the name, "Delmonico Steak" came from? (what is a Demonico steak?) Dickens must have enjoyed travelling in such company to such places as this!
That chase scene - Dickens kidnapped - Tom Branagan jumping on the cart horse, (was he riding bareback?) ...and then the drama with Mrs. Barton in the theater. What did she want Dickens to do? Have a private reading just for her? And she ended up....dead? Let me tell you what I thought happened, JoanK. (And I'm sure we'll hear from Matthew at some point. It's fun having him with us for comment, isn't it? I think it strains the imagination to think this woman really lived - and died like this!)
Why did Dickens go out - was it insomnia? Did you notice all the "soporifics" he took to get to sleep? Nothing worked. I guess even the Laudanum
failed this time. Here'a what I see happening: It's late - Tom goes into Dickens" bed so he can catch Mrs. Barton whom he expects to make an appearance. Dickens went to Dolby's room. Tom waits and waits, it's late. He falls asleep - and dreams...the whole chase scene. What do you think?
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Matthew, I want to echo Marcie in thanking you for answering our questions - while on a busy, exhausting tour of your own in Texas! Nothing like being in upstate New York in the middle of winter, though - Albany, Ithaca, Syracuse! Annie knows - right Ann? Collllllll-Gate! Thanks for the link to your article on second tour, Matthew. (Ann, did you notice in the link you provided, that Henry Ward Beecher, brother of Harriet B. Stowe, gave the eulogy for Dickens? I assume he did so in the Baltimore Church - not in England.)
Did Dickens know how long the tour was going to be when he started out? It seems there were so many incidents, accidents, storms, etc. that slowed the tour - perhaps extended it. I can see where it exhausted the poor man. ESPECIALLY when he went into the freezing river to save the livestock.
Let's extend our discussion of Installment Four for one more day - that way we can look a little closer at the George Parkman murder case - and also William Godwin's novel - Caleb Williams - I think I see some ideas that Dickens may have incorporated in his Mystery of Edwin Drood when he gets home.
(PatH - I've noted your skepticism concerning Dickens' quill pen, said to be the one with which he wrote the six installments of his novel.
And you will all have time to begin to get into the long, long Installment #5 - which is essentially Matthew's own creative imagination at work!
Sheila, I've just marked my calendar for the History Channel's production on opium - will you please remind us again on Wednesday?
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Just back from Texas, and since you're mostly completed the Fourth Installment I can now give you a link to another article I wrote that I'm pretty sure you'll find interesting:
Read the article here (http://www.slate.com/id/2213159/).
Why is it I don't get a private dresser like Henry Scott when I travel??
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Thanks for the article, Matthew. That answers my question about Mrs. Barton nicely.
Why is it I don't get a private dresser like Henry Scott when I travel??
Times are rough; guess you'll have to pull on your own boots.
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I'm fine with discussing this installment one more day, but there's no way I'm going to hold off reading the next one. It was bad enough waiting this long.
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Just for the record, I probably have more experience--perfectly legal--than any of you with opium, but not in a way useful for this discussion.
I started my professional career as a natural products chemist at the National Institutes of Health. At one point in the early 1960s our lab was exploring the then-new technique of gas chromatography. One thing we did, in collaboration with some experts in the narcotics field, was to analyze a number of opium samples to see if you could tell the country of origin by the percentages of the different alkaloids. It turned out you couldn't, so the work wasn't much use, but I do know what's in opium and have handled it. Nasty-looking gunky brown goo--none of us was even slightly tempted to try to figure out how to sample it.
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Hi again.
Here is a guest blog post (http://www.literaryfeline.com/2009/10/animals-and-writing-guest-post-by.html) I've written on the scene when Dickens helps rescue the stranded animals.
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Waterboarding happened in "People of the Book" when the Inquisition was occurring. When a young Jewish man, living in Spain, was tortured (by waterboarding) so he would confess that he was not a Christian, as he claimed, but a practicing Jew. During his imprisonment, his wife delivered their baby helped by his sister, who found his wife in a cave where she, the sister, had come to secretly meet her brother. The wife died and the sister and the baby left Spain and didn't the Book go with them???
And yes, Joan P, I do know that area of New York, quite well and have been in many of those towns visited by Dickens. This can be their last mild month until next June!
And if Ward Beecher gave the eulogy for Dickens, I would think that it would be in Plymouth Church, where Dickens first appeared in NYC, since Beecher was pastor there.
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Annie- bite your tongue!!!
I will be in that area of upstate NY next week in celebration of MY birthday and my 11 year old grand-daughters. It was 34 there yesterday and I do NOT own a pair of boots any longer. :P
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AHA Matthew, that's where you conjured up our whacko Mrs. Barton. She walked right out of the page of history. Do you know when we first began reading of her, the story of a woman slapping a prince rang true to me. I dismissed the familiar story to "reading ahead" in my assignment but here, now, you tell us in that wonderful article how true this story really was. I love fact intermingled with fiction. You absolutely shine in that field, Matthew.
Mrs. Fields recorded in her diary that Dickens had "the deepest sympathy for men who are unfitly married and has really taken an especial fancy I think to John Bigelow, our late minister to Paris who is here, because his wife is such an incubus."
[/i]
Isn't it strange how we often picture celebrities being much different than they are?
"his external appearance did not answer to our puritanical notions of a literary man."
[/i]
A Dickens fan could surpass Dickens himself for a fee of $5 an hour.
What would that be worth in today's standard $500/hour?
Thanks so much for that link Matthew, I really enjoyed it.
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PatH- good one, Matt will have to pull on his own boots. If you're in upstate NY next week Matthew, I will pull them up for you.
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THANK YOU, MATTHEW for the articles. Most interesting! So there was a real stalker; an unusual one I would gather in that she was a woman? But she didn't kill herself in public I daresay.
And the animal stories; how very nice of you to do that for the animal shelter. My daughter got a kitty recently who all thought was abused as the poor little thing was very frightened of everything and still is after months of being pampered. When I think of publishing stories of animals I think of the very well liked book DEWEY. Now I must confess I have not read it yet, but my sister who, to my knowledge, has never cared for pets, cried at the end of the book and now thinks she wants a cat.
I've been meaning to mention Dickens' pet raven as it seemed to be such a strange thing to have around. The mention of the bird always makes me shudder as it reminds me of the terrifying Edgar Allan Poe's poem THE RAVEN:
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-raven/
Terrifying to me, anyway, as all his poetry is. And the name of Dickens' pet bird - GRIP! Get a grip, couldn't he have thought of something a bit more pleasant.
I do think Dickens is an eccentric man; perhaps all writers are - NO, NO, JUST SOME WRITERS, MATTHEW!
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And didn't our grandmothers call a piece of luggage a "grip?"
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Matthew, Thanks for sharing your interesting article about the beginnings of modern celebrity. Dickens and some of the over-the-top characters he created in his novels seem ripe for branding. It seems he didn't even have to encourage entrepreneurs to create games, cigars, food, etc with the names of his characters. Of course, he didn't directly benefit from the sales of those items either.
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Ella, I read somewhere that Dickens' raven could hold a hammer in his beak. Perhaps his strong clamping power is why he was called "Grip."
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That is, indeed a fascinating article. I'm especially interested in the description of "American Notes", as we were considering it for discussion. " "American Notes" was a dry account of divergent aspects of American life, but harsh on slavery and outraged by the “abject state” of the press". Ken Burns quoted some of it in his PBS series on National Parks, and indeed the tone of it would be very irritating to us Americans.
I was also interested in Dickens attempt to get an international copyright law. My father was a patent atterney who helped negotiate the international patent law, and I remember him, in the 70s, praising the international copyright law. Matthew, would you agree?
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Whoooeee, there is so much left to talk about in the 4th Installment! Thank you all for the great posts! So there was in fact a Mrs. Barton - Jane Bigelow. Thank you for this information, Matthew. I'd begun to think she might be a "he" - she was a strong woman to drag poor Dickens into the theater to read for her. I honestly believed it was all Tom's dream!
I've been thinking about all the "soporifics" - the medications that he'd been taking in an attempt to get to sleep. Do you suppose this is what made him so whoozy and easy to drag around. Poor guy! Matthew, did Jane Bigelow actually take her own life - or try to?
Before we talk more about the 4th Installment, I'd like to make a change in our discussion of the 5th Installment starting tomorrow. The 5th is long - and important. I hate to lump it all into one big 10 day discussion. Can we concentrate on the chapters 30 - 39 27-29 this coming week - and then next Saturday, pick up chapters 30 - 39 to finish the discussion of the 5th Installment? Is that all right with everyone?
I've changed the heading -and will send you all a note to remind you. That means less reading for tomorrow's discussion.
October 15-17: Fourth Installment ~ Chapters 23-26
Be right back...
October 18-23: Fifth Installment ~ Chapters 27-29
Oct. 24-28: Fifth Installment cont. - Chapters 30 - 39
October 29-31: Sixth Installment ~ Chapter 40/Historical note
I'll be right back - such interesting posts here today!
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Really fascinating information here today -
Pat H - I loved reading about your attempt to trace the origin of the opium plants.
Nasty-looking gunky brown goo--none of us was even slightly tempted to try to figure out how to sample it.
Too bad you hadn't been reading Edwin Drood at the time - you might have learned to heat and mix it until it was the right consistancy to put in your pipes and smoke it! ;) I gather it is now illegal to do such a thing - even in the name of science?
Andy - pack warm duds for upstate NY next week. I still can't figure why Dickens would have risked his life in that freezing cold river outside of Albany in the winter - to save the drowning livestock. What does this say about him? He loves animals? I do too, but wouldn't risk my own life for even one sheep. Well, maybe to save my little Gaela - but these were sheep and pigs!
We know Dickens had some dogs - and of course his pet raven, Grip. I think a raven is a weird pet too, Ella. Thanks for Poe's poem - it was good to read it again. Matthew mentions Poe's conversation with Dickens - concerning William Godwin's novel - in which he wrote the second half of Caleb Williams before writing the first part?
I noted it, thinking there was some reason for bringing it up here - and sure enough, I see it again in the Fifth Installment, so I won't go into it more here. The whole idea of writing the second half of a novel, before writing the first part caught my attention though. Why mention it here? Did Dickens like this idea - and return to America to write the second half, the ending of Edwin Drood BEFORE he wrote the 6 installments that we consider the first part?
Matthew, is it a fact that this is how William Godwin wrote his novel? And is it a fact that Dickens spoke to Poe about this - or is this part of your storytelling?
JoanK - you've got me interested in reading Dickens' American Notes now. Of course he'd be interested in "the abject state of the press" and the lack of International copyright law in America. He's losing a lot of money. It seems he was more interested in this subject during his first trip - by 1867 he seems to have given it up as a lost cause, wouldn't you say? As Marcie says, he wasn't seeing any of the profit from the sale of all those products based on his characters - like the Dickens' Christmas game.
Also on my desk top I see a note regarding the George Parkman murder case - Andy brought us a link describing the trial and how Parkman's body was identified and his murderer convicted - from his dentures. DIckens was quite interested in this case as related by Oliver Wendal Holmes - it seems to have had an effect on Dickens own story, though we never did see anything about Edwin Drood being identified by the ring in his pocket that did not dissolve in the lime pit. I'm wondering whether any of this conversation with Holmes is fact - and if Holmes really did accompany Dickens to the basement of the Medical College....
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Andy's link to the Parkman-Webster case says: "When Charles Dickens visited Boston in 1867, among his first requests was to see the room where Dr. Parkman had been murdered." But it doesn't say who went with him.
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Wouldn't you think that since Parkman's body is hidden in Dr. Holmes' medical college basement, the good doctor would have accompanied his curious friend to the basement, Pat? Or, wait a minute, do we know for a fact that this IS the building where Dr. Holmes teaches? Hard to distinguish fact from fiction, isn't it?
Are you ready to delve into the Fifth Installment? - Matthew's turn to shine take off with his own fiction. I thoroughly enjoyed reading of the Troods and the Droods. We'll have to discuss the nephew-uncle relationships in each. Edwin Drood, that nice young man Dicken's protrayed. He seemed not quite fleshed out - you didn't really know much about him, did you?
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this...
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Hi everyone! Back to Texas tomorrow for another event for The Poe Shadow. Later in the month I will be in Old Greenwich, CT for a luncheon about The Last Dickens, if any of you are near that neck of the woods.
"1. Am I right in presuming that the incident of rescuing the animals on the train actually happened?"
Yes indeed, this really happened. I love moments like that, and wish someone would do an illustration portraying that scene! (In case anyone wants to read more about it and missed my post above, here is a guest blog post (http://www.literaryfeline.com/2009/10/animals-and-writing-guest-post-by.html) I wrote in part about that scene).
"2. And what about Mrs. Barton? I presume she was a real person, but how much of what she does here really happened?"
Barton is a fictionalized/composite character--there were several stalker-ish people Dickens encountered in his two visits to the U.S., and I've incorporated elements from them, but I've also crafted the character from my imagination (thus giving her a new name). If anyone wants to read about the real female stalker, see the article (http://www.slate.com/id/2213159/) that I had also posted above.
"3. Matthew, is it a fact that this is how William Godwin wrote his novel, second half first? And is it a fact that Dickens spoke to Poe about this - or is this part of your storytelling?"
Yes, what they talk about Godwin was true (at least it is what Godwin claimed), and, though we do not know exactly what was said in Dickens and Poe's private meeting, I strongly suspect they really spoke about it because of a letter between Dickens and Poe before their meeting. I can't remember if I already posted my blog post on Red Room about Dickens and Poe meeting (http://www.redroom.com/blog/matthew-pearl/to-be-a-bee-wall-when-poe-met-dickens)?
"4. I'm wondering whether any of this conversation with Holmes is fact - and if Holmes really did accompany Dickens to the basement of the Medical College"
Here is the building where Parkman's body was found, as shown in 1878:
(https://www.countway.harvard.edu/chm/rarebooks/exhibits/broad_foundation/scans/bldg_north_grove.jpg)
Holmes did indeed bring Dickens to the site of Parkman's murder, and through my research I compiled as much as possible of their actual conversation and used it in the scene. For those who read The Dante Club, you might remember Holmes taking about the Parkman case in that novel, too.
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I love this. I subscribe to The Week- The best of the U.S. and International Media magazine and LO and behold I found this small article:
"When a destitute Edgar Allan Poe died in Baltimore in 1849, barely anyone attended his hastily assembled funeral. But this week, hundreds gathered to give the writer a proper send-off, 200 years after his birth. The mourners- some in the 19th century costume, some in 'EVERMORE!" T-shirts accompanied a horse-drawn hearse bearing a coffin containing a mock Poe corpse to Westminster Hall, the converted church next to his actual grave.
Inside, speakers portraying Poe's acquaintances and colleagues eulogized him; the emcee was actor John Austin who toured witha one year Poe show for years. "
I wonder if Mr Dickens was amongst the honored guests. ;D
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I wonder if Mr. Pearl was there, Andy! ;)
Thanks for your responses to these important questions, Matthew! Be back later to address them - as they have an impact on the story that you write in the Fifth Installment!
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I was invited to give a eulogy at the Poe re-burial/funeral, but unfortunately my travel schedule was already very booked up. I get a little claustrophic, though, so it might have been too crowded for my taste: which is a good thing for Poe!
For any of you Poe fans, and/or readers of The Poe Shadow, you might be interested in a recent post I did for my Red Room blog, Was Edgar Allan Poe really an alcoholic? (http://www.redroom.com/blog/matthew-pearl/was-edgar-allan-poe-really-alcoholic)
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wow- wee! Matthew, you were actually invited to give a eulogy at this event? I am impressed and delighted that we are fortunate enough to have you with us.
The eulogies were given, apparently, inside this church. I would imagine that it is a small enclosed, old church not condusive to claustrophobia.
I do not wish to cast aspersions on Mr. Poe's character but, Matthew, could Poe's reaction to alcohol be something else other than a recoil from the alcohol itself ?
Did Poe indulge in drugs, do you know? Many times the ingestion of drugs will potentiate such a strong reaction to alcohol.
Thank you so much for sharing your Red Room blog with us. You always add great questions to our strong dilemmas and existing confusion. ;D
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Thanks Andy. Actually, the only evidence about Poe and drug use is evidence that he was not a drug user. He tried to commit suicide with a very small amount of laudanum, which if he were a drug user would have been pretty meaningless.
A bit of a tangent, I guess--although we can tie things with the changing role of opium we see in The Last Dickens.
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Thanks Matthew, it was just a thought.
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And a good one, Andy! It's tough to figure out what was going on with Poe, mentally and physically. I have scraped together some evidence (http://www.observer.com/print/58996/full) that shows a possible brain tumor, although nothing is certain with EAP.
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Strange that you should mention that because that was my next question.
Could it have been an undiagnosed tumor or something neurological? Well of course andy, it is neurological but WHY remains the mystery?
Perhaps we are in the middle of a developing a plot for another story, Matthew.
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Matthew's already done that in "The Poe Shadow". Matthew, it sounds like you're having a lot of fun as a historical detective.
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It's true Joan, I get to be--in my mind at least--like one of my characters!
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I can relate to that!!
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For those who like reading some of the external posts, here is another guest blog post I wrote, this one on the role of my editor in writing The Last Dickens (http://bfishreads.blogspot.com/2009/10/guest-post-matthew-pearl-on-working.html). Doesn't give anything away, I promise.
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Matthew, thanks so much for the "external" articles. I've explored some and look forward to the others. The amount of research you do and have done continues to be mind boggling.
But my most recent WOW moment -- Annie Fields was the one who first used the term "incubus" when writing about Jane Bigelow! Amazing. In trying to conjure up any recent spouses (famous/infamous) who made life a bit difficult for their prestigious mates, the only one I can think of is Martha Mitchell (Mrs John -- attorney general back in the 50's? 60's?)
I keep thinking back to The Dante Club whenever the Parkman/Webster case is mentioned. My memory fails me, but did someone involved in that case (not judge Shaw) meet his demise by murder in TDC?
Matthew, in your animal article you mentioned how Dickens could be a hard man, and how his concern for animals showed another side. I thought, too, that his seeking out Poe's mother-in-law and making an effort to visit her, was another example of his compassionate side.
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Ann, you're right about Dickens's contribution to Poe's mother-in-law/aunt, which was one of the reasons I wanted to include that (as well as a further connection to Poe and, of course, to The Poe Shadow). Good memory! in The Dante Club, the fictional judge was based on Judge Lemuel Shaw (Herman Melville's father in law), who presided over the Webster trial.
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Welcome! Everyone is invited!
(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/lastdickenscvr.jpg) | We are happy to announce that the author, Matthew Pearl, is joining us in the discussion of his latest novel, "The Last Dickens," as he did with his "Poe Story" and "The Dante Club.
Matthew's literary fiction picks up where Dickens left off in "The Mystery of Edwin Drood." The story of the fate of Edwin Drood is a mystery within a mystery. When young Edwin disappears after dinner on Christmas Eve and his watch and chain are later found in the nearby river, everyone suspects foul play. Could one of Edwin’s acquaintances have murdered him – and, if so, what could their motive be? Tragically, the mystery is destined never to be truly solved, as Dickens died before he could finish this novel – all that is left are the clues that can be found in the completed chapters.
Pearl sends a partner of Dickens’ American publisher, James Osgood, to the Dickens' estate in England where we meet the "fugitives" from the characters of Dickens' novel. Is Edwin Drood dead or alive? Was he killed by his uncle, John Jasper? Or did he somehow escape that fate, possibly to return later? We are anticipating more intrigue as Pearl's fictional characters search for answers in the author's well-researched fiction.
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Chapter discussion schedule
October 1-6: First Installment ~ Chapters 1-10 ~ June, 1870
October 7-10: Second Installment ~ Chapters 11-17 ~ November, 1867
October 11-13: : Third Installment ~ Chapters 18-22 ~ June, 1870
October 15-17: Fourth Installment ~ Chapters 23-26
*October 18-23: Fifth Installment ~ Chapters 27-29
Oct. 24-28: Fifth Installment cont. - Chapters 30 - 39
October 29-31: Sixth Installment ~ Chapter 40/Historical note
Discussion Leaders: JoanP (jonkie@verizon.net), Andy (WFLANNERY@CFL.RR.COM )
| (http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/dickensgadshill-446x285.jpg)
Dickens' Gadshill estate, Kent |
Some topics for discussion Oct. 18-23: Chapters 27-29 ~ Kent, London ~ July. 1870
1. What had happened to James Osgood that night in Sally's opium den? Why was he taken to jail? Do you have any reason not to trust the respected Marcus Wakefield - other than the way he looks at Rebecca?
2. Given Dickens habit of using actual names and characters in his novels, is it far-fetched that he would include his neighbors in Kent and Rochester as he wrote his last novel?
3. How does the relationship between Eddie Trood and his uncle Nathan resemble or differ Edwin Drood and Jasper John? Why do you think Dickens would portray the relationship one way and Matthew another?
4. Why would do you think Dickens' last words would be to call for Forster, Georgy, one of his daughters - or Ellen Ternan?
5. When you consider Dickens' interest in the George Hartman murder case and the incriminating forensic evidence when in America, do you think Dickens could have intended to reopen a real murder case in this novel?
6. Had Dickens actually hypnotized Datchery? Why did Osgood decide to give him another chance, even after Tom Branagan revealed his disguise?
7. Why does Datchery/Rogers believe that Osgood is in danger?
8. Does Yahee's revelation of Herman's childhood experience explain his cold-blooded behavior now? How would Dickens have veiwed this character? Why would Herman be following Osgood?
9. Do you think Dickens may have planned his Mystery of Edwin Drood backwards, with the second half in mind as he wrote the first six episodes? If he had actually written the second half first, where is it? Did he leave a clue with someone?
10. Why does the note that Forster received from Christie's Auction House cause Osgood to start packing to go home?
Readers' Guide Questions from FIRST - FOURTH INSTALLMENTS (http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/readerguides/LastDickens_Pearl.html)
Related Links : SeniorLearn's Q & A with Author, Matthew Pearl (http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/pearlinterview.html); 19th century Boston publishing houses (http://www.cyberbee.com/henryhikes/ticknor.html); check out Mr. Osgood here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_R._Osgood); James R. Osgood Co. closes, May, 1885 - NY Times (http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9D0CE0DC1739E533A25756C0A9639C94649FD7CF), Listen to Matthew's Interview at the Parker House in Boston (http://www.hereandnow.org/2009/06/rundown-61#4); Dickens in America - by Matthew Pearl (http://www.moreintelligentlife.com/story/dickens-vs-america)
(http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/lastdickensicon2.jpg)
Some Recent Questions for Matthew:http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/lastdickens_q_a.html (http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/lastdickens_q_a.html)
Matthew is explaining a few of the mysteries in these chapters, isn't he? I'm just into Chapters 27 and 28, very long chapters, indeed. It was good that Rebecca finally put to rest the doubts she and others had of her brother's death; he was poisoned and his last words were an attempt to get the bundle of papers to Osgood. He tried, poor fellow, to do what was right, which perhaps will begin to heal the death of Daniel for Rbecca.
A tosher? That's a new word, an English word of some sort?
And now, Mr. Wakefield. This businessman, who shows up to rescue Osgood from a charge of being a public nuisance, I hope will take his pleasure in another's company; Rebecca is not for him. Perhaps we can match him up with "a fair-haired, pretty, and tightly cloaked young woman, a woman whom everyone knew about even if they were not meant to."; another individual who mysteriously appears at Gadshill when Osgood and Rebecca visit before returning to London.
What a story about Edward Trood, only in fiction, truly! His son's bones falling upon his shoulders from a rotting celing. Good heavens! Surely, this has to do with THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD, but as I have not read the book, I know not what. Suffice it to say I shall learn from others what mysteries are contained within the story of the landlord of the Falstaff Inn.
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I have just finished the 26th chapter and read all of these questioning posts to Matthew. When I was in HS, we had to write a term paper at the end of the year. I chose Edgar Allen Poe and truly enjoyed living in the main library in Indianapolis, researching my author. But, without the internet, I didn't begin to find all of the info imparted here.
I have always believed that Poe drank himself to death from the research that I did. Remember, I was only 16 yrs old and in a hurry as most HS juniors are. Had to return to my social life as soon as possible. ::)
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Ella, do you trust Mr. Wakefield? He showed up at the police station - and bailed out our Mr. Osgood. Why did the police think him a "tosher"? (I looked up "tosher" for us -
A tosher is someone who scavenges in the sewers, especially in London during the Victorian period. This activity began around the time of the construction of the London sewerage system, designed by Joseph Bazalgette.
The toshers decided to cut out the middle man and it was a common sight in 19th Century Wapping for whole families to whip off a manhole cover and go down into the sewers, where they would find rich pickings.
As most toshers would reek of the sewers, they were not popular with the neighbours.
I can see why they thought that - since that's where he as found - reeking. Disturbing the peace. How did Mr. Wakefield turn up at just that time? Remember that it was Mr. Wakefield who stepped forward and accused Herman of pouring a bucket of water so Osgood would fall when aboard the ship. I believe he was leering at Rebecca then too!
I can't see his role here - but he doesn't seen like one of the good guys.
It was interesting to read that Osgood had been injected with opium - just as Daniel had.. But where? in Sally's opium den? Where they using needles? I thought just pipes. I think we need to hear from Sally in the coming pages...
You're right in assuming there is a parallel between the stories of Matthew's Eddie Trood and Dickens' Edwin Drood. Both of their uncles are suspected of murdering these young lads, their nephews. There's a major difference though - Edwin Droid was a sweet young boy with a bright future before him. Eddie Trood is a run-away, a drug addict and involved in smuggling. The question is - why do you think Matthew chose to describe the nephew in this way, when Dickens described him more in such a better light?
I'd like US to address this question first - and after that, ask Matthew for his thoughts...
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I agree that Wakefield is suspicious, and he's certainly after Rebecca, but he turned up at the police station because Osgood had his card in a pocket, and the police sent for him to help clarify things.
The question is - why do you think Matthew chose to describe the nephew in this way, when Dickens described him more in such a better light?
That's an interesting question; I'll have to think about it some.
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I'm looking forward to what you come up with, PatH...
also, I've been thinking about what you said about Wakefield's card showing up in Osgood's pocket. I'm wondering if that's the truth? Osgood dressed for the low life in London - didn't wear his best clothes. Tried to fit in with those who frequented the opium den as he set off with Datchery. Did it make sense that he'd fill his pockets with calling cards of folks he met on the ship? I am finding that hard to imagine... Does ti make sense to ylou?
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I, too find it odd that JO would carry a business card in the pocket of his least good suit of clothes. It will be interesting to see if this leads anywhere.
I just read the change in our reading schedule. I am now at chapter 36. So, I will attempt to not give anything away.
Sheila
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Interesting point about the business card. I wonder if it was in a little holder, just as some men carry business cards today -- something that like a wallet, that automatically went into the pocket after one had dressed for the day.
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Well, I've read through Ch. 29. More twists and turns. And a forray into the lives of pirates.
More info from the period. I had never heard of the tunnel under the Thames. What an atmosphere to hear about piracy and muder.
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Wow, not only twist and turns but many new names are being added. Too much information to digest in Chaps26-29!!
Here's a link to the Thames Tunnel:
http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi1791.htm
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Yes, there's a lot going on in this Fifth Installment, JoanK. I think we can handle it - if we follow Osgood - along with everyone else! Let's stick with the action and revelations in the first two chapters - 27-29, which lead up to James Osgood and Rebecca deciding to pack it up and go home, recognizing failure.
Thanks for the tunnel links, Annie! - the sewers and tunnels of London provide great settings for high nighttime intrigue, don't they? (Matthew, I'm betting the abandonned Thames Tunnel is no longer there - nor the opium dens for your research. Can you speak to Dickens' visit to an opium den as part of his research for writing his MED?) Who knew there were such people known as Sewer Hunters? Lucky for Osgood - Steve the Sewer Hunter came upon his body while there was still life in him. Someone is following him - and wants to kill him. Not surprising that it turns out to be Herman. He seems to be the only killer we've come across. It seemed he got what he came for - doesn't it? Datchery? I thought he wanted to kidnap Datchery, thinking him hypnotized with knowledge of Dickens' plans for the ending. Wrong!
So if Herman wasn't after Datchery, but murdered Osgood - what was he after as he followed the two to the opium den? Not the ending of Dickens' Drood? Then what?
By the way - Maryal figured it out, didn't she? Daniel's last words - "It is God's" = "It's Osgood's." That's one for our team! Hope you are feeling better, Maryal!
I'm really interested to hear your thoughts on Eddie Trood and Edwin Drood - and why do you think Matthew chose to describe the nephew as a wastrel and drug addict, when Dickens described him more in such a better light? Both of their uncles were addicted to opium - but Edwin Drood? Will this shed some light on the story?
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Yuk- sewer hunters! Are they akin to the hobos who live in the NY City sewers- under the tubes?
Is it coincidental that Wakefield keeps popping up all of the time? He assists JO and Rebecca aboard ship and now he has him freed from jail. He also seems rather hot for Rebecca doesn't he?
"I confess that although I am horrible alarmed by Mr. Osgood's surprising state, I take solace in the pleasure I feel to be in your company again."
Then he tells Rebecca that Osgood told of her being a divorcee'.
Maybe I am just too much of a cynic but WHY does he keep appearing when the chips are down, practically drooling over Rebecca?
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Matthew, I love this Falstaff impersonation by Wm. Trood. Dressed in a costume the landlord of the inn provided information and insight just like Shakespeare's Falstaff. Was Trood a drunk, a merry maker, like Falstaff? No, I don't think so. Didn't Falstaff believe that "Life is a big charade?" I'm confused with this Falstaff reference so far.
FALSTAFF- ::)Even his name invites humor, as it is a sort of pun on impotence, brought on by the character's excessive consumption of alcohol. Scholars also note the potential for a pun on the author himself - Fall-Staff; Shake-Spear.
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Regarding the police finding Wakefield's business card in Osgood's pocket, it's believable to me that, the night that Osgood and Datchery went to the opium den, Osgood had on a suit that he was wearing on the boat, presumably when Wakefield gave him his business card. Osgood didn't have a lot of clothing choices. In Chapter 19, as he gets ready to go with Datchery, the text says "Osgood returned in a suit only a little less formal. 'I am afraid I shall still stand out,' he said, smiling."
Wakefield does seem to turn up at the moments when Osgood encounters Herman: first on the ship when Herman caused him to slip on some water and then when Osgood appears to be attacked by Herman in the opium den.
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The question is - why do you think Matthew chose to describe the nephew in this way, when Dickens described him more in such a better light?
Well, in The Last Dickens, we have the important relationship between Edwin Drood and Rosa, around whom the main plot seems to revolve. Edwin Drood has to be likely match for Rosa so he has to be an upstanding person and we have to care about his possibly being murdered.
I see a sort of blending of characteristics and events relating to the Eddie Trood character with both Edwin Drood and his uncle Jasper in The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Some of the events in Eddie Trood's life parallel those of Edwin Drood (taken under the wing of his uncle; possibly killed by his uncle)and he also shares the kind of Jeckyl and Hyde personality of Jasper (seemingly good but has a side of him that steals things with no recognition or remorse).
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It seems to me that Dickens could have been doing research for "The Mystery of Edwin Drood" to learn more about the "how tos" of murder and the disposing of a body when he toured the lab related to the Parkman-Webster murder case.
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"Who knew there were such people known as Sewer Hunters?" Anyone who reads mystery stories! They are stock figures in finding bodies there.
There were so many poor people in London, that no possibility of earning a living went unexplored. There were also "mudlarks", small boys who would search along the mud banks of the Thames for anything they could sell.
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I'll get to some of the question in a second.
I have a new link this time a guest post about my writing space (http://www.savvyverseandwit.com/2009/10/matthew-pearls-writing-space.html).
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Hi again, Writing from Texas. Returning home a bit later (then no travel to speak of for a while, thankfully!)
"Matthew, I'm betting the abandonned Thames Tunnel is no longer there - nor the opium dens for your research. Can you speak to Dickens' visit to an opium den as part of his research for writing his MED? "
Yeah, those places are definitely not there anymore! Dickens wrote several letters describing his visit to the opium den, so I had details. Plus, other journalists and writers visited the same dens--there were only two main ones--around the same time, so I was able to get tons of details, and they also stayed very close to what you read in The Mystery of Edwin Drood.
We're so close to everything being tied up, I don't want to give anything away!
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Good morning, Matthew!
We can't tell you how much we appreciate your stopping in and sharing so much with us during your busy travel schedule. Not only have you shared information on the writing of this novel - but we have enjoyed the extra information you have written in blogs elsewhere.
This morning's glimpse into your work space was a treat! I like to think of you on your couch - (or lying in bed!) in your late 19th c. house - as you dreamed up the scenes we are now reading in The Last Dickens.. You are really caught up in this period - in is only fitting that your new work space will continue to provide the mood. Can you tell us again what you are planning for your next book? As I recall it did have something to do with Dickens. Terrible memory, these days.
Your mention of "trinkets' surrounding your writing desk reminded me of my visit to the Dickens' Museum on Doubty St. in London several weeks ago. The docent there told of how Dickens' liked to surround himself with familiar objects when he sat down to write. I took a picture of these monkeys which were said to be on his desk as he wrote Drood -
(http://i361.photobucket.com/albums/oo55/jonkie2/145.jpg)
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You are so right, Matthew - we are in the process of tying things up. I think we are all on different pages - and are now afraid to say anything that will give things away. With each turn of the last pages, there are more revelations! Treading gently here - and still trying to keep the discussion to the first two chapters in the 5th Installation.
Marcie - all right, it's possible from the quote you brought here, that Osgood was wearing the same suit he wore aboard the ship and that would explain why Wakefield's calling card is still in his suit pocket. Also Pedln's explanation that he was carrying a wallet, or a clip with a number of cards in his pocket would explain the same thing. I still don't like the way he keeps turning up - and suspect him of ...something.
When Matthew wrote that he chose the room at the front of the house - looking out at neighbors, perhaps - and what is going on beyond his workspace, I thought immediately of Dickens in his workroom at Gadshill. We know in other of his novels he wrote of actual people and their doings. Changed their names - and characters, somewhat, to fit into his story. It really isn't too far-fetched to think of him choosing to write of the troubled Trood boy - and then changing his name to "Drood" - do you think? Nor is it hard to believe that he would choose to write of this boy in a better light - ever conscious of the difficulties poor boys faced at the time. Dickens may have rehabilitated his Drood boy for his novel and wrote of his trusting relationship with his drug-addicted uncle instead.
Here's a question to play with today - How do you think Dickens came up with the name "Drood" for his Edwin? Is it a play on words? Was it the name of an actual person? The only thing I can come up with is - "Druid" - but can't see how that would work here.
Must run, be back soon. In the meantime, don't give anything away!
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Writing in bed! That's unusual, Matthew, I would think.
Do you write in longhand or on a laptop? If on a laptop, do you have a bed tray of some sort?
I read in bed much of the time, but haven't tried writing. The new pencil leads are good for writing while lying down, though, as I have found when reading and making notes in the margins.
I am ahead of the reading schedule, but, perhaps, I can inject an interesting note about James Harper, founder of Harper and Brothers publishing House, mayor of New York in 1844. Here is a biography of the man.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Harper_(publisher)
MATTHEW, it must have been fun to do the research on this book, delving into historical facts and figures. I noted that Harper ran on the KNOW NOTHING party, that's so different as to be almost comical, but it was a real party at the time and has an interesting history that we have run into as we have discussed a couple of nonfiction books dealing with that period.
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Here's a question to play with today - How do you think Dickens came up with the name "Drood" for his Edwin? Is it a play on words? Was it the name of an actual person? The only thing I can come up with is - "Druid" - but can't see how that would work here.
The introduction to my copy of MED gives some things Dickens scribbled down on a piece of paper as he was trying to zero in on a title and character name:
Friday, Twentieth August, 1869
The Loss of James Wakefield.
Edwyn.
James' Disappearance.
FLIGHT AND PURSUIT.
SWORN TO AVENGE IT.
ONE OBJECT IN LIFE.
A KINSMAN'S DEVOTION.
THE TWO KINSMEN.
The Loss of Edwin Brood.
The Loss of Edwin Brude.
The Mystery in the Drood Family.
The Loss of Edwyn Drood
The Flight of Edwyn Drood. Edwin Drood in hiding.
The Loss of Edwin Drude.
The Disappearance of Edwin Drood.
The Mystery of Edwin Drood.
Dead? or Alive?
Wherever he got the idea, you can see him fiddling around with it. But look at the first line. Wakefield? The Wakefield in our book can't be Trood, because Trood's bones were found, and besides Wakefield doesn't have a club foot, but it's a very suspicious coincidence.
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Ella, I work crossword puzzles and Sudoku in bed a lot. The only problem is falling asleep while doing it and rolling over on your pencil. Ouch.
I've only read through chapter 29, on schedule, and I'm glad, because the plot keeps twisting around. It would be hard not to give something away.
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Just a reminder. Today, the program about opium, morphine and heroin, is being shown on the History Channel. It is called "Hooked: Illegal Drugs and How They Got That Way".
Sheila
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Thanks, Sheila, for that reminder. I hope it doesn't interfere with the baseball game! :D
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Matthew, Thank you for the link to your guest post at http://www.savvyverseandwit.com/2009/10/matthew-pearls-writing-space.html. It must be fun to be able to design your own workspace. I love the story about your grandmother giving you the framed print of the American poets just when you were writing the Dante Club.
Joan, I love those weird monkey figurines. I'm glad you took all of the photos you've been sharing with us. It helps me to visualize Dickens.
PatH, some of those titles make me wonder now if Edwin Drood was actually killed in the Mystery of Edwin Drood (especially the "Edwin Drood in hiding" one, although his dead body could be hidden).
Thanks for the reminder, Sheila.
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Yes, the titles certainly make it sound as if Edwin Drood is in Hiding!!
I'm caught up, too, but as was said afraid to say a spoiler for those who aren't. In other discussions, we put SPOILER in caps before anything that might do that.
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I have decided that Edwin Drood just disappered. It seems to me that if he had been murdered, the book would have been titled: "The Murder of Edwin Drood". Of course, I have never been any good, at guessing outcomes. Either in fiction, or in real life.
Sheila
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Shiela, Dickens was being very close-mouthed about the end of the book because any leak would have hurt sales. The same introduction I quoted suggested he might even have misled Forster or deliberately fed him inconsistent remarks.
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SPOILER!!! DON'T READ THIS IF YOU AREN'T UP TO CHAPTER 29!
Well, let's not all speak at once. Wow! the plot certainly goes a long way in these chapters. Tom Branagan resurfaces, we find out who "Datchery" really is, we learn a lot more about Herman, and the details about what's behind everything are starting to become clearer. Of course, I wouldn't put it past Matthew to change half our perceptions in the next chapters--he can be pretty sly.
Where to start? I think with Herman, though he's not first in the section. What a scene! Down in a dank tunnel with the terrified Yahee, who knows he will be killed if Herman finds out he's been talking, then we hear Herman's grisly story. What a tale! His whole family, opium traders, killed by rival Chinese pirates, he being taken prisoner. The harsh life would have been enough to make anyone vicious, but he seems to have been without any conscience or compassion from the start.
Now he has a big opium smuggling operation going, and much of the plot turns on it. Eddie Trood knew too much about it. Herman is afraid that Dickens' novel will reveal too much, so he's trying to get hold of it. And presumably what Dickens in India is zeroing in on is that end of the operation.
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PatH, as I listened to Yahee describe young Herman's sad childhood, I felt I understood how he grew up with no concept of right or wrong - no attachment to another human being. The boy never had a chance. He had to struggle just to survive. I know, I know, he's a murderer - but I'm wondering if anyone else felt a bit of sympathy for him when reading of his childhood, his capture aboard the Chinese pirate ship. I'm expecting him to show some sort of feeling, self-realization - before Matthew is finished with him. I think he's the kind of boy that Dickens would have reached out to help. (As I write this, I'm thinking it's probably too late.)
What does Herman want? Why is he following Osgood? It wasn't Datchery he wanted - to take him to the end of the tale, was it? He wants to get to the end so that he can murder the person who might reveal the opium smuggling operation? He's not working for Harper after all. That's what I had thought at first. You're right, Pat - Matthew has us in the palm of his hand. Didn't you believe that Dickens had hypnotized the farmer to believe he is Datchery? I thought it was a pretty good story and was willing to follow him into the opium den while he and Osgood got to the bottom of what had happened to Edwin Drood. (Thanks for the names Dickens considered - before he settled on "Drood." Don't you wonder why he wanted it to rhyme with "Brood"? Wouldn't you love to interview Dickens? Over a meal - at Gadshill?)
Oops, I'm missing the History Channel - Hooked! Will be back later...
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SPOILER (SORT OF)!
This is only sort of relevant, but it's too good not to share. Herman's time with the Chinese pirates reminded me of a book I read a few years ago: "I Sailed With Chinese Pirates" by Aleko Lilius. Lilius was a Russian-born, Finnish-raised American journalist who, in the late 1920s, on commission for several magazines, managed to worm his way onto a number of pirate ships in the south of China and photograph their operations--a pretty impressive feat for a white man with little Chinese language skills. They weren't anything like as bloody and vicious as Herman's pirates, but the feel was the same. Lilius seems to have had a taste for danger, but he was still pretty lucky not to have been killed.
His first and most important contact was a woman pirate, Lai Choi San, thought by some to be the model for the Dragon Lady in "Terry and the Pirates". (She doesn't look much like the Dragon Lady, though.) And if there are any Arthur Ransome fans out there (I bet there aren't--I only know one among all my acquaintances) they will suspect that she is Missee Lee.
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Matthew, your new working room reminds me of a room at the top of the house I grew up in. My room had wonderful vibes--peace and happiness. I hope yours will too.
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I wonder if Matthew read "I Sailed with Chinese Pirates," PatH...let's ask him. I have to admit, that I was unable to find the History Channel program - they showed it this morning at 10am! How could I have read that wrong? I'm going to have to depend on you for details, Sheila. It was on again this afternoon at 4pm and then at 6 pm. I paged ahead to see if there was a repeat - without luck.
That was a touching description of Dickens' last day as he lay dying in the dining room. All the more so because it seemed an accurate description of what it was like that day at Gadshill. One question, Matthew - did Dickens really say John Forster's name at the end? I understand he was his best friend, but what of his family gathered around? His daughters - Georgina? Or Ellen Ternan? Did he really call Forster's name - or is that fiction? I thought it was interesting that Ellen came - was this the first time that she had ever visited Dickens' home? I know she lived in a house nearby - purchased by Dickens - but somehow I got the impression that he kept Ellen and his family completely separate - never discussing her with them.
Here's a photo taken at Gadshill shortly before Dickens' death -
(http://pic.srv104.wapedia.mobi/thumb/a15014526/en/fixed/230/315/Hogarth-dickens.jpg?format=jpg,png,gif)
Group portrait in the porch at Gads Hill Place, H.F. Chorley, Kate Dickens, Mamie Dickens, Charles Dickens, C.A. Collins and Georgina Hogarth
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Sheila - one more question before I turn off this computer tonight- when did you conclude that Edwin Drood had slipped away, not been murdered after all? I know you were part of the Dickens' discussion - how did you vote at the end of it? How about you, PatH? JoanK - Marcie? If you changed your mind since then, can you share what is making you think Edwin is hiding somewhere? Is there any one thing?
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I'm winding up packing to go off to the west coast tomorrow early. I'll have internet access there, but probably not much time until Friday. I'll read the next installment on the plane.
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Bon Voyage, PatH! Have a great visit to the west coast! Didn't Andy have a travel day yesterday too? To upstate New York? We get around, don't we?
Ella, I've spent the morning poking around the link you brought yesterday to background information on James Harper (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Harper_(publisher))- what a character! A big man, Mayor of NY, and a shrewd publisher! Started his own police force - (Banished free-roaming pigs from the streets of New York, and began work on establishing a citywide sanitation system.)
He was ruthless, he did want to be the first to publish Dickens' MED in hardcover - before Field and Osgood did it. But you know, he doesn't seem to be a man who would stoop to murder, does he? Unless, he hired such people to follow Osgood and turned his back if they resorted to murder to get their hands on the needed information. I think they are following Osgood - that Jack Rogers aka "Datchery" was one of his hired hands, but Datchery is right when he tells Osgood that he is in danger.
But Osgood seems not to be as concerned with his own safety - or Rebecca's. He wants to find the missing installments.
What do you think of the idea that Dickens had written the ending pages first - and that they are hidden somewhere? He really was interested in the story Poe related about William Godwin's Caleb Williams, do you remember? If Dickens lived to publish Installment Seven, where do you think he might have gone with the story? For those of you who haven't read Dickens' novel, we were left after the 6th installment with Datchery, an investigator (we think he was someone else in disguise) on Uncle Jasper's trail - and the Opium dame, was a connection that he was pursuing...
I'm caught up in the idea that Dickens' had already written the conclusion - before he even began the 6 existing episodes. Although, on another day, I believe that Dickens still hadn't figured out how he was going to end the story! ;)
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Good grief, I'm traveling for one day and all hell has broken loose between these hearty 3 chapters!
I will be in and out all day. My daughter is leading a Great Books discussion for the children of the 5th grade and at this moment is entertaining 14 women who are meeting to distribute 999+ bags for the Saratoga County Children's program.
So-- I will scoot in and out most of the day.
I agree Joan that Dicken's unhappy childhood seems to be reflected through our Edward Trood; albeit the club foot. What didn't ring true, to me, was the "genuinely kind and amiable " personality that seemed to do an about face in the presence of the evil, nefarious Uncle Nathan. WE learn from William that this resulted in the death of both Nathan and Edward being "walled off" from existance. Poor William suffers from the belief that he held the skull of his beloved son evene though he told friends and neighbors that he had been lost to the sea.
I also had a problem with Dickens dying in that manner. Perhaps, befoee I beat that to death, I will ask Matt if he has any information about Dickens last few hours?
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Joan- I don't know about DRUID. I do know that in early Irish law and literature they were portrayed in early Irish sagas and saints' lives -set in the pre-Christian past of the island, usually accorded high social status.
The evidence of the law-texts, which were first written down in the seventh and eighth centuries, suggests that with the coming of Christianity the role of the druid (Old Irish druí) in Irish society was rapidly reduced to that of a sorcerer who could be consulted to cast spells or practise healing magic and that his standing declined accordingly.
We know Mr. Dickens dabbled in allof this stuff. Maybe you have hit on something here with the bastardization of the name DRUID to TROOD or DROOD. Ok Matthew, are we way off base here?
Our historical knowledge of druids is very limited but throughout history Druids have had different conotations; ignorant savages, priests and get this! From Wikipedia
-"The Pythagorean doctrine prevails among the Gauls' teaching that the souls of men are immortal, and that after a fixed number of years they will enter into another body."
"The principal point of their doctrine", says Caesar, "is that the soul does not die and that after death it passes from one body into another" (see metempsychosis).
Hello! Did we have some exchange of metempsychosis here in The Last Dickens, I ask? Yes we did! Did Dicken's play with that word Druid in his writing????????????????/ ??? ???
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Andy, don't you wish we could sit down to dinner with Dickens' and ask him about all of this? Brood/Drood - Druid? and why those monkeys on his writing table? They seem so...unlike Dickens, don't they? Gifts from daughters? From Ellen? We'd probably forget to ask this - as we peppered him with questions about the ending of his story. He probably wouldn't tell though.
Meanwhile, back in London.... Tom Branagan appears on the scene! Bigger and better than ever - like Superman! Reveals Datchery's identity - and becomes self appointed protector of Rebecca and Osgood. Thank heavens! Someone needs to help them. They are so focussed on finding what they came for, they seem to shrug off Herman's threat - and he's out there somewhere - probably not far away either!
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The Book Club Online is the oldest book club on the Internet, begun in 1996, open to everyone. We offer cordial discussions of one book a month, 24/7 and enjoy the company of readers from all over the world. Everyone is welcome to join in.
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Welcome! Everyone is invited!
(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/lastdickenscvr.jpg) | We are happy to announce that the author, Matthew Pearl, is joining us in the discussion of his latest novel, "The Last Dickens," as he did with his "Poe Story" and "The Dante Club.
Matthew's literary fiction picks up where Dickens left off in "The Mystery of Edwin Drood." The story of the fate of Edwin Drood is a mystery within a mystery. When young Edwin disappears after dinner on Christmas Eve and his watch and chain are later found in the nearby river, everyone suspects foul play. Could one of Edwin’s acquaintances have murdered him – and, if so, what could their motive be? Tragically, the mystery is destined never to be truly solved, as Dickens died before he could finish this novel – all that is left are the clues that can be found in the completed chapters.
Pearl sends a partner of Dickens’ American publisher, James Osgood, to the Dickens' estate in England where we meet the "fugitives" from the characters of Dickens' novel. Is Edwin Drood dead or alive? Was he killed by his uncle, John Jasper? Or did he somehow escape that fate, possibly to return later? We are anticipating more intrigue as Pearl's fictional characters search for answers in the author's well-researched fiction.
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Chapter discussion schedule
October 1-6: First Installment ~ Chapters 1-10 ~ June, 1870
October 7-10: Second Installment ~ Chapters 11-17 ~ November, 1867
October 11-13: : Third Installment ~ Chapters 18-22 ~ June, 1870
October 15-17: Fourth Installment ~ Chapters 23-26
October 18-23: Fifth Installment ~ Chapters 27-29
*Oct. 24-28: Fifth Installment cont. - Chapters 30 - 39
October 29-31: Sixth Installment ~ Chapter 40/Historical note
Discussion Leaders: JoanP (jonkie@verizon.net), Andy (WFLANNERY@CFL.RR.COM )
| (http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/bldg_north_grove.2.jpg)
Harvard Medical College, North Grove St., Boston |
Some topics for discussion Oct. 24-28: Chapters 30-39 ~ New York, Boston ~ July, 1870
1. Can anyone find an illustration of the Harper insignia with the flaming torch and the company's Latin motto? Just how desperate is Harpers to learn Dickens' ending?
2. Do you think the Bookaneers are dangerous in their pursuit of Osgood? Do they know what it is they are looking for? Why is Jack Rogers in New York?
3. How many characters in both novels who were men who "only wanted to belong to a family?" What were their relationships with their fathers? Do you believe that Wakefield would have gone back to kill his own father?
4. What was Osgood's reaction to Tom Branagan's cable telling him what he found in Grunwald's lodgings?
5. Why is Dickens' ending and Osgood's discovery important to the Bengali smugglers?
6. How did Rebecca learn where Dickens was heading the night he left the Parker House back in 1867?
7. Which scenes did you consider the high points of the story as it unravelled in the basement of the Medical College? Which scenes did you most enjoy? Do you still have unanswered questions?
8. Can you describe how you felt as the precious pages covered with purple black ink fluttered down into the inferno? Has the author left us a glimmer of hope at the conclusion of the Fifth Installment that someone someday might be able to transcribe that last page?
Readers' Guide Questions from FIRST - FIFTH INSTALLMENTS (http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/readerguides/LastDickens_Pearl.html)
Related Links : SeniorLearn's Q & A with Author, Matthew Pearl (http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/pearlinterview.html); 19th century Boston publishing houses (http://www.cyberbee.com/henryhikes/ticknor.html); check out Mr. Osgood here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_R._Osgood); James R. Osgood Co. closes, May, 1885 - NY Times (http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9D0CE0DC1739E533A25756C0A9639C94649FD7CF), Listen to Matthew's Interview at the Parker House in Boston (http://www.hereandnow.org/2009/06/rundown-61#4); Dickens in America - by Matthew Pearl (http://www.moreintelligentlife.com/story/dickens-vs-america)
(http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/lastdickensicon2.jpg)
Some Recent Questions for Matthew:http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/lastdickens_q_a.html (http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/lastdickens_q_a.html)
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Andy, don't you wish we could sit down to dinner with Dickens' and ask him about all of this?
Oh what fun that would be Joan. I can just see the twinkle in his eye can't you? An email heading your way.
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Yes, Joan, I'd love to talk to Dickens...but you know he wouldn't tell us what he had in mind for Edwin Drood. ;) It seems he didn't tell anyone!
SPOILER ALERT
I was very much surprised at the identity of Datchery. In Dickens' "Mystery of Edwin Drood," I had a feeling that Datchery might be someone else in disguise but I didn't suspect that to be the case in THE LAST DICKENS. Very well done, Matthew!
Osgood and Tom Branagan are disgusted with Datchery toward the end of our reading selection and Osgood tells him to leave before Branagan calls for the police. I somehow don't think it's the last time we'll see Datchery. He does seem to have developed a fondness for Osgood, although he had to pay off his debt to Harper by misleading Osgood.
In Chapter 29, Forster shows Osgood a letter found at the auction house, purported to be from Dickens, addressed to "My dearest friend," that says "with my illnesses worsening each day, I shall reach no further than the end of the sixth number of my Drood. What hopes I had for a unique ending. I need not tell you!...."
That news causes Osgood to believe that his looking for more about the ending of Edwin Drood is a wild goose chase. He and Rebecca are to return to Boston.
Osgood says that gaining Tom Branagan's friendship has been worth all of it. At least now Osgood knows the worth of Branagan (whereas he had mistrusted Tom's "gut instincts" before).
I'm looking forward to seeing what keeps Osgood and Rebecca in England (I know they can't return now!!)
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I am with you Marcie, I did not expect Datchery to be an out of work actor/ ex cop junkie, employed by the Harpers.
He, himself, on a ruse, chose to become this figure out of Mystery Of Edwin Drood
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Do you think that Dickens felt he actually was curing Rodgers when we tended to him?
"Finally, he would blow softly on my forehead until he thought I had just awakend."
He is genuinely fond of Osgood, though isn't he?
OK, what the hey?Now we find out, from Tom Branagan that Mrs. Barton is NOT dead. That shocked me. Did anyone even guess that one?
This is the last day of this installement isn't it, and we've barely touched on the evilHormzad, pirates, and that awful Kylin head on the stick.
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From Wikipedia-
Although it looks fearsome, the (KYLIN) Qilin only punishes the wicked.
It can walk on grass yet not trample the blades and it can also walk on water. Being a peaceful creature, its diet does not include flesh. It takes great care when it walks never to tread on any living thing, and it is said to appear only in areas ruled by a wise and benevolent leader (some say even if this area is only a house). It is normally gentle but can become fierce if a pure person is threatened by a sinner, spouting flames from its mouth and exercising other fearsome powers that vary from story to story.
In the Qilin Dance, movements are characterised by fast, powerful strokes of the head.
Sounds as if Hermanknew what he carried. with this mythological single horned beast.The Qilin Dance is often regarded as a hard dance to perform due to the weight of the head, stances and the emphasis on "fǎ jìn" (traditional Chinese: 法勁) — outbursts of strength/power/energy.
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Yes, I forgot about that, Andy. I was surprised when Tom said that Mrs. Barton survived, "although forever diminished inside and out." Dickens did whisper something in her ear, thinking that she was dying. Was it about the fate of Edwin Drood? Is she so diminshed she can't provide clues?
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I can't wait to talk about the end of the fifth installment. In Chapter 29 we're left with Osgood making up his mind his trip has been futile and he needs to return home ASAP. But we know the book can't end there!
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Yes, I was surprised too, when Osgood so suddenly decided to give up and go home; he'd been so persistent and determined. And why should he even believe Forster, who obviously has his own agenda and seems untrustworthy. Maybe the note is a forgery.
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As for writing the second half of the book first: you surely have to PLOT a mystery story backward. Otherwise you'll back yourself into some corner where what you did in the first half makes the second half impossible, or you will have left out some clues you need. You might very well at least rough out some of the second half first. Whether Dickens, used to writing complete installments as he went along, and changing direction sometimes in reaction to people's reactions, would have written a complete second half, I'm not sure.
I think that in real life, Dickens started out knowing how he wanted the book to end, but might still have changed his mind as he went along.
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What a tale both Dickens and Matthew have woven! It was bad enough trying to guess what Dickens had in mind - but now this! I admit I am completely enjoying Matthew's tale as it unravels - but am hoping that Matthew will be like the hypnotized Datchery - and lead us to DICKENS' intended ending - without fully realizing what he's doing.
PatH - yes, you'd think that Dickens would have had an idea where he was going with the ending - but if it was as obvious as it seemed in those first six installments - that Uncle Jasper had killed his nephew - how else could he have concluded - except to surprise everyone with twists and turns as Matthew has done - and reveal that things were not as they appeared to be?
Marcie - yes, just like in Dickens' novel, Datchery was in disguise - not a hops farmer from the neighborhood at all - but an ex-addict hired by Harper to follow Osgood. Yes, that was masterful, Matthew. Osgood listened to his story and told Tom B. to let him go. I think that Osgood is much like Dickens - understanding the boy with the unhappy childhood - giving him a free pass. And it seems Datchery is not going to forget this - and will work for Osgood in the final pages - I'm counting on seeing him again.
But it seems that the letter Forster shows him is proof enough that Dickens regarded him as his best friend, in whom he has confided his ending...exactly as Forster has been telling everyone. Did you notice Since the letter doesn't name Forster as his "friend" I find it hard to believe in the validity of this letter - but who else could he have addressed it to? Georgina? Pat suggests a forgery - but who could have, would have done this?
So Osgood, feeling a failure, begins to pack for home, knowing that this is the end of Fields and Osgood. Rebecca realizes that this is the end of her position - and the end of her relationship, if you can call it that, with Osgood.
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Still some question marks in my notes - before we meet up with Osgood and Rebecca back in America...
I noticed that Forster refers to the quill pen as a "rare forget-me-not" - given to Osgood by Georgina. I never did understand why Forster wanted to keep it in the first place - it sounded too sentimental for a man like him to want to keep such a thing. Did he bring it back to Georgy, or did she ask him for it? And why did she give it to give it to Osgood? Is Forster okay with this?
The other question - Dickens left Forster his chronometer watch - which keeps poor time, requiring frequent shaking, causes F. to comment - "Not that I shall ever know what o'clock it is with this blasted timepiece." Those who read MED will remember how Edwin took his watch to be set and wound on his last day - and that it was the time on his watch that indicated the time of death. This subtle comment about the poor time Dickens' watch brings the accuracy of Edwin's watch into question.
And finally, Mrs. Barton! She lives!!! See, just because we had a ghastly death scene in a previous installment, doesn't mean she has to stay dead in this one. Perhaps the same was true of Edwin Drood - and Eddie Trood too, for that matter!
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Happy Birthday, Andy - the last of the Libras, but on the cusp of Scorpio
Enjoy your day!!
(http://dingo.care2.com/cards/html_cards/5438/bdaymice.gif)
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hahahah love it Joan, thank you. Let's just hope while the cat is away the mouse doesn't play. Naw, he wants to live.
I will have to go back and read about Dickens watch but didn't he tell someone a couple of installments ago that his watch had not functioned properly since his ordeal when he almost died? Didn't he say itnever keeps the proper time since that ghastly event?
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Just the thing to leave to your "best friend" in your will - a watch that doesn't keep time! ;)
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Just the thing to leave to your "best friend" in your will - a watch that doesn't keep time! ;)
Tee hee.
Pat suggests a forgery - but who could have, would have done this?
Forster is the one who produced the letter and showed it to Osgood, claiming it had just surfaced. He could have forged it to get rid of Osgood by discouraging him. Forster certainly seems to want Osgood out of the way.
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Well, this is it! The big REVEAL! There is so much in this Fifth Installment, it's hard to know where to start. Have you all finished reading it? We may have to wait another day or so to talk about some of the big revelations.
But we can start the discussion at the beginning of the Installment - the scene that takes place in Fletcher Harper's office (Fletcher took over when James died in 1869, the year before Dickens), back in New York - at the meeting with Leypoldt and Nast...Nast the cartoonist! I am a bit confused at Harper invoking Ben Franklin - saying the basis of the Harper firm is character and not capital. What did you think of that? This is from a man who seems to be stopping at nothing to get the information from Osgood to publish the first edition of Dickens' MED!
Is he saying this for the benefit of Leypoldt and Nast?
Can anyone find an illustration of the Harper insignia with the flaming torch and the company's Latin motto? Just how desperate is Fletcher Harper to learn Dickens' ending?
PatH - yes of course, that makes sense - John Forster might have forged the letter in order to preserve the ending he believes Dickens intended!
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Oh, dear, OH, DEAR! I've been out of town and so busy for the past couple of days and I'm not finished with Chapter 29 yet. I do believe the character, as with others Matthew has written about, could be fleshed out and made into a book of their own. I mean, Rogers, the opium user, and his various jobs after an acting career, in which he employed his acting abilities.
I was also shocked to read that Mrs. Barton was not successful in her attempt to kill herself and I was going to go back in the book to read about that incident again, but then found myself so intrigued by the story of Yahhe, the opium dealer, who is telling his story of Herman - Ironhead Herman.
I'm wondering why the Thames Tunnel? Why not a bridge acros the Thames? Does the story of the Thames Tunnel have any truth in it? I must stop and look that up. I'll be back!
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WELL, WELL!! LOOK AT THAT TUNNEL!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thames_Tunnel
Still being used today as a railroad tunnel! Quite a history, would you walk down to it?
Yahee and Tom Branagan and Osgood descended the stairs to the lowest level of the subteranean underworld.
Joan, that would be a good picture to put up!
And Matthew should make a book out of Yahee's story!! Pirates! A story for children perhaps (without the opium, of course).
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JoanP,
Here's a link to the HarperCollinsPublisher logo of today. That's all I could locate.
http://www.brandsoftheworld.com/catalogue/H/49119.html (http://www.brandsoftheworld.com/catalogue/H/49119.html)
Am looking for a larger one and here we go but you have to roll down the page to see it. Looks like Fire over Water???
http://www.scribd.com/doc/159065/logo-harper-collins-publishers (http://www.scribd.com/doc/159065/logo-harper-collins-publishers)
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I must try to finish Chapter 29 and on to Chapter 30, but I do believe we have many, many stories all wrapped into one to absorb! Mercy! My poor brain cannot remember from one chapter to the next!
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JoanP found the Harper publishers logo and I've enlarged it a bit but I still can't determine the letters (of course, I can't read Latin so that doesn't help). Can anyone else decipher it?
Here is the logo:
(http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/harperlogo.jpg)
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Where is Ginny, our intrepid Latin teacher, when we need her?
I have read the next section: so much happens, my goodness! Things are coming together in a very clever way. And more 19th century technology to wonder about -- I love it!!
JOANP: you asked me if I voted that Edwin Drood was still alive. I did, but just because it makes for a much more interesting plot. Dickens has strewed the clues around both ways to keep us in suspense. But it seems rather dull after that to have the most obvious thing happen. I had imagined that Jasper had tried to kill him, and perhaps thought he had, but Edwin had managed to escape somehow, and was hiding.
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Ginny took a look at the motto, JoanK, but the letters aren't clear enough for her to decipher them.
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Ella, take your time to read Chapter 29 - and then read some of the back posts. We talked about that chapter for much of last week - links to the Thames Tunnel there too. I didn't know that it is used as a railroad tunnel today, though.
I think you'll enjoy reading Chapter 30 - lots of information on the Harper and Bros. Publishing firm.
I thought it was interesting, the conversation in Harper's office. The Harper who is speaking to his young nephew, Philip is Fletcher Harper. Philip is the son of James Harper, who passed away the year before. These Harpers are fascinating people - but I can't tell just how ruthless they are. Fletcher's talk about putting more value on character than profit doesn't ring true to me. They want to publish Dickens' novel in the worst way - but first they need to know what Osgood has learned in England. They aren't hearing anything from their man, Jack Rogers. They will pay the Bookaneers big bucks because there is much money to be made from the sale of Dickens' last novel. I'm just not sure that they would actually hire people to kill or do harm to Osgood.
JoanK - now we are questioning whether the motto on the Harper insignia is Latin. Maybe it's French? (see the "ez" at the end of the second word in the motto? Thanks for clarifying the illustration, Marcie - and posting it. It's still difficult to make out the letters behind the torch, isn't it?. There's a prize for whomever comes up with the translation.
I felt as you did - I couldn't believe that Dickens was going to dedicate the second half of his last novel to proving how Uncle Jasper killed his nephew. He had to have something else up his sleeve. I'm liking the idea that the second half was written first - or at least Dickens had it in mind - before he wrote the six episodes that were published.
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Hi gang!
Here's a new interview with me (http://www.readinggroupguides.com/blog/2009/10/talking-with-matthew-pearl.asp) posted on a reading group website, although I'm not sure it mentions anything that you don't know.
After my Texas trip I had to go to New York unexpectedly for something family-related, too, so I've fallen behind once again. I'll jump right into the compilation of questions.
"1. I wonder if Matthew read "I Sailed with Chinese Pirates" by Aleko Lilius.""
I didn't read that -- that's an account of experiences with pirates in the early 1900s. I did read several account from the mid-19th century, though, of sailors who were captured by pirates. Can't ask for research that's more fun than that!
"2. Did Dickens really say John Forster's name at the very last or is this part of the fiction?"
Yes, "Forster" was possibly the last audible word he spoke, at least by some accounts.
"3. Do you know anything about those monkey figurines Dickens kept on his writing desk while writing Drood?"
Dickens had several trinkets on his desks, including some frog statues, too. I don't know anything in particular about the monkeys, but I'm sure the info is out there somewhere.
"4. Matthew, did you research provide any reason Dickens decided on the name "Drood" for his main character? "
Yes, there are many theories--but remind me of the question when we've reached Installment Six, so I don't give anything away!
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Marcie and Ginny,
The letters look as though one is seeing them in a mirror. Does that help to read them?? Probably not. Just a thought. Oh, oh, just reconsidered them and am I seeing symbols inside those words that look like Greek. For instance, delta, omega and epsilon???
I have finished the book as I had to return it. Lots of info is released in the these last chapters and I won't give it away. Very interesting possibilities, Matthew.
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Annie, I considered that the Harper insignia was printed backwards too - but still can't see it...I think that until someone tells us what those letters are, we are not going to be able to translate the words. I just read again what Matthew wrote in Chapter 30 about this - the context is Fletcher Harper explaining to his nephew Philip the Harper tradition of trusting only Harper's to carry on the Harper publishing house business -
"let true hands pass on an extinguished torch from sire to son!"
(http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/harperlogo.jpg)
Matthew goes on to write- "This saying was also roughly the translation of the publishing house's Latin motto on the insignia of a flaming torch." So, not French, not Greek - but Latin.
Matthew, we have a number of Senior Learn's Latin students in our midst - who would be interested in having a go at translating the Latin words on the insignia? Would you happen to know what they are?
Thanks for looking in on us - have not read the Sixth Installment yet and look forward to commentary of the "Droid" name.
I reread Chapter 30 again - and you know, I really don't think that Fletcher Harper wants to harm Osgood - nor does he instruct the Bookaneers to do anything but follow him - and find out what information he has for big $$$. They really don't know what they are looking for - but whatever it is, I don't think they'd harm Osgood. They MIGHT steal whatever it is that he finds on Dickens' ending though.
So it seems that the real danger to Osgood is coming solely from the drug trade, the smugglers...we know for sure that Herman is after him. But what does the drug trade want with James Osgood? Herman has already committed three murders (am I counting right?) - all related to Osgood's quest for Dickens' ending.
We see that Jack Rogers is back in New York - Why the disguise? He seems quite sick - what is he doing on the city docks?
For those of you who read Dickens' MED, do you see Jack Rogers as a parallel to Dickens' Dick Datchery? What is his role in Matthew's story?
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Most of my notes on the Harpers are in storage right now, but it could be the insignia has gone through several different versions, and some point it might have been Greek rather than Latin, or even written in English. The current insignia is also a torch, though stylized without the motto.
(http://www.harpercollins.com/images/hclogo.gif)
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JoanP, I think Jack Rogers is in disguise because he's afraid of something, probably Harper agents, who might think he knows more than he really does. Might Rogers think he carries subliminal information about the MED ending because of his mesmerism sessions with Dickens?
And who is disquised as the Turk Smoking Opium? That certainly would be a way for some agent to identify his contact. Could is be one of the Bookaneers?
Annie, I think you're right -- those letters on the logo looked more like Greek. I found another logo that had open pages with H and B, then encircled with letters, again looking more like Greek with sigma and delta. Then PaintshopPro jumped in and froze my machine.
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Well, Pedl'n!
Who do those PSP people think they are, freezing your machine??
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Pedln- what does he fear? Why is it that Jack Rogers, AKA Datchery, feels such remorse? He is after all chasing the opium (his initial reason for becoming obsessed with The Mystery of Edwin Drood), as he follows the Turk to the fish shed and witnesses an "exchange."
Up pops Wakefield again. I don't mind telling you Matthew, this guy is starting to annoy me! He's so solicitous-- so unbelievably available at the worst of times. Who does he think he is questioning Osgood as to his activities in England and making such a snide remark as "I should say you are in quite better form than when I saw you in the company of the police in London covered with rat bites."
Come on Osgood, be the man! Belly up and tell Rebecca how you feel. Why do men feel that women automatically can read their minds and/or their feelings?
I can't find a darned thing about Harpers insignia ladies.
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Good morning!
Matthew, I assume that the old flaming torch motto was changed once the Harper family relinquished control of the publications. I don't know - there seemed to be a full line up of Harper grandchildren lined up for the future.
So the mystery continues - Greek, French, back on the table as far as the original Harper motto is concerned. Thanks for showing us the new logo - is that the one you found, Annie? Far less dramatic than the flaming torch, though.
Pedln! I totally forgot Imam - (was that his name), the one who is the spitting image of the plaster figurine of the opium smoking Turk. You think he's in disguise to look like the figurine - as a way to connect with an agent. Now that's very interesting! Why couldn't I have figured that out? We know that Herman stole the figurine from Christies' - but why would Wakefield have made up the story that it was dropped at the auction? Now we know that Wakefield is associated with Herman - and with the smugglers.
I've been puzzled from the beginning about why Herman had tripped Osgood aboard the ship. Now I'm seeing that it was Wakefield's idea - he would come to Osgood's rescue, accuse Herman - thereby gaining Osgood's trust.
But Osgood is totally in the dark about this - still trusts Wakefield. Especially with Rebecca! We understand how you are feeling, Andy!
Don't you feel an increasing feeling of dread whenever he appears on the scene? The word,"oily" occurs to me. I'm trusting Rebecca's judgement not to fall for him.
Jack Rogers is in disguise because he's afraid of something, probably Harper agents, who might think he knows more than he really does. Pedln
. OK, I'll agree with you - but what's he doing out on the dock if he's hiding from the Harper agents? He's sick too - There must be a compelling reason for him to be out there.
I'm sensing he is an important character in Matthew's tale - just as he was emerging to be in Dickens' MED, in which he was seen as an investigator into the mystery of what really happened to Edwin Drood. Pedln asks might Rogers fear he has retained subliminal information from his sessions with Dickens? How do the rest of you explain his fear - and his motive for being in disguise on the dock?
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The word,"oily" occurs to me. I'm trusting Rebecca's judgement not to fall for him. -Joan
Yes, that is my thought, Joan! I think Rebecca has more sense than to fall for such a fellow.
Major Harper tells the Bookaneers that Osgood has something that he needs and to get it, but he doesn't know what it is. I think he is telling them to "tail" Osgood, so we know he, Osgood, is in for some sort of trouble.
"PURE, RAW, CRUDE POPPY JUICE" - pg. 307
Rogers wanted that form of opium? Was that the most convenient way to ship it? How was it shipped from India to China? Later I read that it was in the form of balls of some sort, the balls being found in buried chests.
Was that a true story of the Union General in the Civil War having wounded soldiers lick his glove that had liquid morphine on it? How awful for anyone to do that? A disgusting sight, indeed, as Rogers says.
Coleridge and De Quincey (who is he?) were, apparently, in the habit of taking opium.
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Here's Thomas Quincey who was a writer and an opium user.
http://www.answers.com/topic/thomas-de-quincey (http://www.answers.com/topic/thomas-de-quincey)
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De Quincey was an English writer who is known for writing "Confessions of an English Opium-Eater"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_de_Quincey (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_de_Quincey)
You hear mention of him a lot: apparently the above made quite an impact. He apparently knew a lot of people, and was noted for his conversation, so he was a well known figure of the time, even though his works are not read now.
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Ella, sometimes I forget how many years separated Dickens last novel from the end of the Civil War. We're reading of opium addiction amongst writers, people seeking thrills - and also seeking relief from physical ailments. It makes sense, doesn't it, that the wounded soldiers from the war - both Confederate and Union, would be looking for something to alleviate their pain...during the war and after.
"During the Civil War, the painkiller used most often was morphine. The morphine was often given as opium pills. The surgeons of that day had no idea what an addiction was. As a result, most of the soldiers that came back form the war were addicted to opium. Opium, however, was not hard to come by and could be found at a local drug store. If Opium pills were not available, then Dr. Chisolm suggested that first the patient should take morphine by mouth. If this was not effective then the surgeon would administer the morphine by injection. Dr. Chisolm wrote: "Finding that one-half grain of morphine every two to three hours produced no alleviation of the patient's suffering, I tried the experiment of injecting one third of a grain, dissolved in two minims of water, under the skin covering the sternum. Absorption was immediate: in two minutes the patient was relieved; in five all pain had disappeared, and in ten minutes from the time of injection the patient was sleeping soundly, after seventy hours of unmitigated torture." http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Lobby/7899/medicine.html
The story of the wounded licking the glove was just too sad to be fiction. Look -
Opium was administered ORALLY to a massive extent in both armies, troops routinely dosed on a daily basis against malaria and diarrhea
To say administration was casual is an understatement. Union Surgeon Major Nathan Mayer did not even dismount from his horse to dispense opeum. Morphine Licking (http://books.google.com/books?http://books.google.com/books?id=8XHV8JAoAi4C&pg=PA73&lpg=PA73&dq=civil+war+morphine++lick&source=bl&ots=tpdnCfoSMe&sig=nIq_MrMviOZdZ87mNxJvkigqLh8&hl=en&ei=3zPmSsjVOtPOlAfirb3oCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CAwQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=civil%20war%20morphine%20%20lick&f=false)
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Jack Rogers was addicted to opium. Harper sent him away to an asylum for the "cure" - where they perscribed heavy does of morphine. Now he has a new dependence on the pure raw crude poppy juice. He indulged "every morning and every night."
He has an addiction, he is hooked and cannot stop. People of this time were not aware that they were becoming addicted and would be unable to stop at will.
Dickens concentrated on this addiction in his MED, just as Matthew does here. Do you have any idea why? It certainly was a main issue of his time. I seem to remember that at least one of his family members - and his writer friends - such as Wilkie Collins were addicted - even died from overdosing. Is this one of the many causes that DIckens has written about in his novels?
Thanks for the links to DeQuincey, JoanK and Annie - I noticed that his father died when he was young - leaving him in an unhappy home - from which he ran away.
Have you noticed how many young boys had left home at this time - and turned to opium? Unhappy fatherless boys - is that the theme here?
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Morphine and the use of opium has long been a cure as well as a "KILL."
It's the drug of choice in hospice care and frankly who cares if one becomes an addict? The pain is almost immediate as you've quoted JOan.
Post operative pain is alleviated almost immediately as well and I'm sure with all of these narcotics that the drug companies have since manufactured they are looking more for the $$$ end of it than the immediacy of the results.
Ok back to Mrs. Barton.
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I can see the use of Morphine for medicinal purposes, yes - but for the "ecstacies" that the well-to-do were seeking, the addictions that followed were not worth the destruction that followed. Is it fair to say that people at that time were not familiar with the seductive, addictive powers of opium use?
Oh dear, Andy - things are unravelling so fast from the time Osgood and Rebecca set off for home - I forget the chain of events that led them to Mrs. Barton - in New York - and then to Boston to the startling revelations in the Harvard Medical College's gruesome basement. Was Mr. Wakefield with them the whole time? I forget that. I just remember being surprised that he was the one who accompanied them to the college - supposedly protecting Rebecca while James ran his errand in the basement.
Let's go back to the ship - Tom Branagan sends a cable - he has found forgeries of the letter that Grunwald had sent to Forster. Were the forgeries made with the pen that Dickens had used to write MED? With blue ink? I do remember that James was "gifted" the pen by Forster before boarding the ship. So James shaves off the blue ink - and finds the Parker House ink - which indicates that Dickens had used the pen during the trip to America several years before.
I got that - but please - help me to remember - how did James and Rebecca know where to find Mrs. Barton? How did they know she was even alive?
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Joan, I would have to agree that opium is a major theme in this book, if not Dickens' books. It begins with the possible addiction of Daniel and continues with addictions of other characters, opium traders, smuggling, piracy, etc.
Wars, such as the Civil War, and in our era, the Vietnam War, creates addictions to drugs, understandable in many ways.
There is this from pg. 308: (I haven't learned yet how to do the blue quotes in a box, shame on me):
"In going to England, Rogers had sought to fulfill a lucrative mission for Major Harper. He also had known that Edwin Drood was set among the opium trade and had half hoped that seeing it through Dicken's eyes, he might gain some insight into his own dark history.
And then there is that mysterious TURK SEATED SMOKING OPIUM - the statue that Dickens kept in his study. Strange thing to have around?
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(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/lastdickenscvr.jpg) | We are happy to announce that the author, Matthew Pearl, is joining us in the discussion of his latest novel, "The Last Dickens," as he did with his "Poe Story" and "The Dante Club.
Matthew's literary fiction picks up where Dickens left off in "The Mystery of Edwin Drood." The story of the fate of Edwin Drood is a mystery within a mystery. When young Edwin disappears after dinner on Christmas Eve and his watch and chain are later found in the nearby river, everyone suspects foul play. Could one of Edwin’s acquaintances have murdered him – and, if so, what could their motive be? Tragically, the mystery is destined never to be truly solved, as Dickens died before he could finish this novel – all that is left are the clues that can be found in the completed chapters.
Pearl sends a partner of Dickens’ American publisher, James Osgood, to the Dickens' estate in England where we meet the "fugitives" from the characters of Dickens' novel. Is Edwin Drood dead or alive? Was he killed by his uncle, John Jasper? Or did he somehow escape that fate, possibly to return later? We are anticipating more intrigue as Pearl's fictional characters search for answers in the author's well-researched fiction.
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Chapter discussion schedule
October 1-6: First Installment ~ Chapters 1-10 ~ June, 1870
October 7-10: Second Installment ~ Chapters 11-17 ~ November, 1867
October 11-13: : Third Installment ~ Chapters 18-22 ~ June, 1870
October 15-17: Fourth Installment ~ Chapters 23-26
October 18-23: Fifth Installment ~ Chapters 27-29
Oct. 24-28: Fifth Installment cont. - Chapters 30 - 39
*October 29-31: Sixth Installment ~ Chapter 40/Historical note
Discussion Leaders: JoanP (jonkie@verizon.net), Andy (WFLANNERY@CFL.RR.COM )
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Some topics for discussion Oct. 29-31: Chapter 40/Historical Note ~
1. Why would Osgood confide his doubts that Chapman lost the final pages of Dickens' novel in Longfellow ? Do you agree with Longfellow, that it was for the best that the end of Dickens' story is not available?
2 .What did Longfellow mean when he said that "all proper books are unfinished"? "An unfinished Dickens novel is a mystery in itself." Do you agree?
3. If you could ask Dickens one question about his unfinished novel, what would it be?
4. Why would Chapman not come forward with the final chapters if he had been able to transcribe them?
5. Do you believe that Dickens did write the ending first and that the pages are waiting somewhere to be found? Were you expecting to hear more from Frank Dickens - who also knew the Gurney shorthand ?
6. When all is said and done, do you believe that Edwin Drood was murdered by his uncle?
7. Which bit of factual information caught you attention in the Historical Notes ?
8. Are there questions you would like us all to consider or put to Matthew while he is still in our midst?
Readers' Guide Questions from FIRST - FIFTH INSTALLMENTS (http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/readerguides/LastDickens_Pearl.html)
Related Links : SeniorLearn's Q & A with Author, Matthew Pearl (http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/pearlinterview.html); 19th century Boston publishing houses (http://www.cyberbee.com/henryhikes/ticknor.html); check out Mr. Osgood here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_R._Osgood); James R. Osgood Co. closes, May, 1885 - NY Times (http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9D0CE0DC1739E533A25756C0A9639C94649FD7CF), Listen to Matthew's Interview at the Parker House in Boston (http://www.hereandnow.org/2009/06/rundown-61#4); Dickens in America - by Matthew Pearl (http://www.moreintelligentlife.com/story/dickens-vs-america)
(http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/lastdickensicon2.jpg)
Some Recent Questions for Matthew:http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/lastdickens_q_a.html (http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/lastdickens_q_a.html)
We are posting at the same time, Joan!
I forget the particulars about Mrs. Barton also, but it will all be made clear to us in the end.
Relative to the "opium theme" of this book, we find that Frank Dickens, son of Charles Dickens and chief police office in India, states this when arresting another policeman:
"it is our responsibility to ensure that the opim trade moves freely and safely through Bengal and to China. In contributing to its disruption, you contribute to those who wish the European success around the world to fail. You leave room for smugglers and traders far less reputable than those our government chooses to make partners in these endeavors-those harming not only the English, but the natives in India, in China, around the globe. It is Bengal's right to share in the prosperity of civilization."
Wow! The world econmy depends upon the success of trading in opium!
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Mymemory doesn't always serve me well, but I think it was from Rogers, when Tom Branigan caught him, that Osgood learned that Mrs. Barton was still alive. And assumably in a mental institution.
There probably weren't too many of those for the "upper class"" -- isn'
t that what Mrs. Barton, was, and am I getting her confused with her real-life counterpart, so they could do some qucik eliminating.
Anyway, Osgood and Rebecca make haste to the McLean Asylum -- coming right from the ship.
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But Ella, we're at the end - these are the final chapters - everything has been revealed - but things are happening so fast, I forget some of the threads that hold the story together. Aha - Pedln, thank you! - they learned from Jack Rogers that Mrs. Barton was alive? (How would Jack know that?) I thought it was curious that from Mrs. Barton's words, Rebecca knew exactly where Dickens had been going that night? How did she recognize that address?
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Doesn't Rebecca recognize the address that Louise said -North Grove Street? She probably knew somehow that the Medical College was there??????? It would have been in the news wouldn't it? A place where Dr. Webster murdered Mr. Parkman? Surely she recognized the place.
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Yes, and now that I think about it - Rebecca lived in Boston - I can see how she knew about the murder and where it took place.
OK, but how did Jack Rogers know that Mrs. Barton was alive and living in the asylum in NY? That was such an important bit of information - because it led right to the Medical College basement!
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In Chapter 29, after Tom Branagan confronts "Datchery"/Jack Rogers, he tells Osgood and Rebecca that Mrs. Barton didn't die: "But the truth is that few women attempting suicide in that fashion ever possess the strength to cut their own skin deep enough after they begin."
I didn't find a place in the book where it says how they knew that Mrs. Barton was in McLean Asylum in Somerville. I'm sure that "Constable Tom" could have located her. It may have been the only institution of its kind in the Boston area for the upper class.
I agree with Ella, that Rebecca would have recognized the infamous address, especially since there was talk earlier about the side trip that Dickens made to the medical college.
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Back to the Latin motto on the original Harper logo: On the second page of Chapter 30, it says that the Major would say to each of his nephews and their grandsons as they came to work at Harpers:
"When my flame expires, let true hands pass on an unextinguished torch from sire to son." It goes on to say "This saying was also roughly the translation of the publishing house's Latin motto on the insignia of a flaming torch."
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SPOILER IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THROUGH CHAPTER 37
I think we needed to see the background chapters about the economy around opium in the India settings, and the addiction of Jack Rogers in the foreground, to understand the motivation of "Wakefield" to go to such lengths to kill people in order to keep the secrets around his opium business.
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Wow! The world econmy depends upon the success of trading in opium!
History reepeats itself.
Read about the shenanigans going on in the realm of the Columbian drug-trafficers.
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Wakefield "erased little Edward Trood" when he began enjoying opium with his uncle Nathan. (A parallel here to Drood). He understood the "unavoidable power of the drug-the need to oversee its arrangements not through a doctor or druggist but in the shadows and the cover of night."
Lord, how I hate that statement. We haven't come very far, have we, from Wakefield's abhorrent and illegal drug lord practices?
This chapter shows what a couple of sociopaths he and Herman were. Oh leet us not forget Iman the Turk who colluded with the likes of those two.
He went way out, didn't he Marcie? He had his own secure line of ships to provide storage for the illegal drugs as he safely sailed into the harbors bribing and murdering whenever necessary. Poor Daniel became one of his victims as he was bludgeoned, injected and ultimately run down by the omnibus.
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Andy, wasn't Daniel heroic in trying to fulfill his responsibilities to Osgood? Wakefield recognized that he wouldn't be able to bribe, scare or torture the information about the manuscript out of Daniel.
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I admit to being very confused as to where we're supposed to have read in the book. I've been holding off comments on the next-to-last section, not sure people had read it. Now were on the last section?
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JoanK, we're discussing the next to last installment (five)-- chapters 30-39-- now through October 28.
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Wakefield! A drug lord! He runs the whole operation! You know what I think is curious?
The guys involved with the opium ring - the smugglers, Turner, Herman...Wakefield. None of them seem to be addicted to the drug. I guess they might be - but we get no indication of that.
But Jack Rogers - he is not involved in the drug trade, but the guy is addicted. He's a victim. I count him as one of the good guys. He tried to talk others out of using opium. I'm wondering when it was that people became aware of the addictive nature of this wonder drug that cured whatever ailed you.
I think that would be my one question for Dickens - if I only had one. What were your plans for Dick Datchery in MED? What was his background before he came to Rochester (to Cloisterham) - Why did he come to Cloisterham at this time, acting very much like an investigator. (Let's put that question in the heading.)
So, how long did it take you to figure out Wakefield was not the beneficent tea merchant who only meant well to Rebecca - and Osgood too, of course! Matthew has served up a double whammy with this character, hasn't he?
JoanK - don't hold back - keep an eye on the schedule in the header and you won't get behind. We want to hear from you before this discussion is over!
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I forget exactly where it appears (somewhere before the end of chapter 39, since that's how far I am) but Wakefield was, in fact addicted to opium at one time, but managed to kick the habit.
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Good for him - I think. It's difficult to congratulate him for anything! I'm going to go back and read Chapter 39 again, PatH! Thanks for that!
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I admit to being very confused as to where we're supposed to have read in the book. I've been holding off comments on the next-to-last section, not sure people had read it. Now were on the last section?
JoanK, we are up to chapter 39. You are welcome to exchange any information up to the end of that chapter .
Everyone shoud have completed the assignmnet by now!
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SPOILER IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE CURRENT SECTION:
Matthew gave us a tremendous clue in the name Wakefield. I'm proud to say I spotted it (post 301) but he still fooled me somewhat. Wakefield was the first name on Dickens' scribbled list working out possible names for Drood. I saw this, but thought Wakefield couldn't actually be Trood, because of the club foot, not knowing that at that time they had braces that could restore relative normality.
Having read to the end of this section, and presumably knowing most of the answers, though I don't trust Matthew not to spring a few more surprises, I have to say I'm overwhelmed by the ingenuity of it all. Starting with the unsolved mystery of MED, Pearl has thrown in a large number of facts about Dickens' life, plus a number of his possessions and the politics of opium, and constructed a really satisfying and consistent mystery and solution, with a huge number of details that turn out to be relevant. Most satisfying.
I've just gotten back from the west coast, have loads more to say, but will defer it until tomorrow.
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By the way, while I was in Portland, OR, of course I went to the magnificent Powells Books. Matthew's edition of MED was the only one they had on their shelves. I picked up my copy there, having not had a chance to get it before.
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Pat, you are so right. Matthew's plotting is ingenious. All of these relationships are coming out in the end.
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Well, I for one must hang my head in shame. I MISSED IT- totally! I was very surprized to learn of the Wakefield identity and missed that reference Pat. Rest up from your trip.
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Is this what you were linking us to when it came to Opium Licking?? My gosh, they used it for all kinds of medical treatments. What a shock! When I read this I was amazed!
http://books.google.com/books?id=KwEAAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA201&dq=opium+licking#v=onepage&q=opium%20licking&f=false
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What a chase, up and down the stairs, up and down in that fabulous elevator! What a movie that would make! Imagine that elevator, a moving parlor it was called, with a chandelier, couches, mirrors, carpeting! Could Hollywood duplicate that? Of course!
All I could find on that Sears Building in Boston, was this:
http://www.midtowncommunityworks.org/sears/scale.html
Matthew probably had a whale of a time writing that chapter! All the characters in the book almost were in this chapter, Chapter 38.
Now, I am confused or have forgotten! I can understand why Harper, and his minions, wanted the Dickens chapers, but why does Wakefield and Herman?
And we know after reading Chapter 39 that we may never know the ending of Dickens' tale, but I am waiting until tomorrow to finish the book - the Sixth Installment.
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Hi there!
Yesterday was spent mostly in Old Greenwich, CT for a luncheon event talking about The Last Dickens, and in traffic to and from there back home.
"Matthew, did your research reveal what motivated Dickens to focus on the disastrous, addictive effects of opium on those who did not seem to be using it for medicinal or healing purposes in this, his last novel? Was it personal, or was he addressing what he saw as another of the major problems confronting the poorer classes? "
Great question, and I think the answer is both. Dickens was increasingly reliant on opiate medicines as he became ill in various ways in those last few years, and also he observed the way opium use was becoming an escape in an increasingly wild urbanized enviroment. We see both things crop up in The Mystery of Edwin Drood, of course, and in different forms in The Last Dickens.
Publishing was learning how to create a market for escapism, and so were the burgeoning drug dealers. And the mystery --of an unfnished book or an exotic drug -- was too much for many people to resist getting hooked on.
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Ella, at least we know that the Harpers and his Bookaneers were not desperate enough to kill to get their hands on whatever information James has found. Remember that they don't know what it is that James is after. I'm wondering how far Molasses would have gone to wrest the pages away from James, once he realized what they were?
When I first began to suspect Wakefield was up to something other than selling tea, wooing Rebecca and being kind to James whenever he got in trouble, I thought he too wanted Dickens' pages, for profit, perhaps - maybe to publish them before Osgood had the chance. And then we learned that Herman worked for him! I guess we always knew Herman was intersted in the Dickens' installments, from the opening chapters - when he killed Daniel. So there is a tie-in between Wakefield, the drug smugglers and the Dickens' papers.
Pat H I NEVER put 2+2 together - that the NAME WAKEFIELD on Dickens list of names = Edward Trood. I just now went back and read your post #310 - and there it is! How long have you known - how long did you sit on this information with your lips zipped tight? When I posted the other day about the drug smugglers not suffering from opium addicition - and YOU said that Wakefield was at one time - you were thinking of young Edward Trood's addiction, right! Such restraint!
Was the list you published a real list from Dickens' own papers - or part of Matthew's fiction? I'm thinking perhaps that it is Dickens list - and Matthew's fiction created Marcus Wakefield? There's something else about that list you posted - but I'll wait till we begin the SIXTH INSTALLMENT and the Historical Note - TOMORROW.
Ella , it appears that the smugglers, expecially Marcus Wakefield, formerly known as Edward Trood - feared that Dickens pages would contain incriminating evidence against the Drug cartel. Edward Trood is also interested to see what Dickens had to say about the death of Edwin Drood - IF he revealed that Edwin Drood was NOT killed, then perhaps people would begin to question the death of little Edward - and reveal his identity.
So, the Harpers and the Bookaneers want to steal whatever it is that James finds - The smugglers are afraid of what is Dickens' work - and intend to kill James and destroy the pages once they get their hands on them.
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Hello, there, Matthew! Thanks so much for your response! See, Annie, even Dickens had a growing addiction to opium! It's a wonder that everyone at that period wasn't addicted one way or another - even colicky babies! How long was it before the cause of the addiction was made public - and opium was no longer as readily available as aspirin? Did it go on into the 20th century - for some reason, I thought that the end of the 19th it had reached its peak. But I'm not sure about that.
Now that we are nearing the end, Matthew, I hope you are prepared to be peppered with questions! ;)
Can we talk today about Herman? Wasn't he the result of an abusive, traumatic childhood? Somehow he fit the description of the sort of boy Dickens would have reached out to help, don't you think? Was he too far gone, beyond help? He had such loyalty to Wakefied - and Wakefield could not have cared less. I guess I was waiting for Matthew to find a way to touch his heart - to give him one moment to repent - before he fell into the inferno. Did you ever once consider taking pity on this lost soul, Matthew? Or was he to you, the personification of evil, rather than a lost boy...
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I've renamed your book Matthew. I will call it Drugs and Thugs.
the drugs are rampant throughout the glove ; the Suez Canal gapping hither to yon for supplies to travel.
What a sad commentary this is but ever so true.
" America is the land of experimentation- a new religion, a new medicine, a new invention- if there is something to transform, Americans will throw away all constraints with the freedom of self-indulgence. Alcohol makes man into beast, but opium makes him divine."
What does everyone think of Wakefield's obnoxious offer to Rebecca?
Joan- could Herman (as well as Matthew) be toying with us?
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Before I dash off to read the last installment, I must admit I'm fascinated by that elevator.
MATTHEW: you've done a great job of incorporatting interesting facts of the period into your story. Now this elevator. Can youtell us it's real sttory? (I assume it's real). How was it put in? How long did it run? Did it catch on fire? Were there others like it?
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This has nothing to do with the novel specifically -- it's interesting material but I simply didn't have room for it.
Still, some might be intrigued to know why Dickens might have skipped Chicago on his book tour.
Read my post on Dickens and Chicago (http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/printers-row/2009/10/sometimes-whats-left-out-of-a-book-is-as-interesting-as-what-made-it-into-a-book-take-matthew-pearls---chicago-was-on-a-prel.html).
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whoa Matthew, could it be possible that the nefarious Uncle is truly "Uncle Augustus?" I feel sorry for Dickens, the guy was damned if he did, such as support the abandoned wife(s) and damned if he didn't (continue his tour in Chicago.)
The guy seems pulled at every end and much like today';s papparazzi the press has entirely too much freedom when it comes to common courtesy.
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Andy, I think Wakefield's "proposal" to Rebecca indicated that he knew nothing about her - except that she had a pretty face. I particularly liked it when she told him that she could have loved Eddie Trood, but not the fraud that he was. (The exact words escape me.)
Despite the title, the true subject of the novel is not Edwin Drood but John Jasper, the nefarious uncle of young Edwin who seeks to steal away Edwin's presumed lover by doing away with his nephew. Edwin appears to be inspired by Dickens's own sons. If Edwin is a surrogate son of Dickens, could Edwin's famous uncle Jasper be... Chicago's own Augustus Dickens?
The media attention to Augustus's case brought about by Dickens's American tour would have forced Dickens to at least think long and hard about a brother he had tried to forget. The character of John Jasper has a dual persona—publicly respectable and family-oriented, while secretly sordid and twisted. Matthew's Dickens in Chicago.
Gosh, I'd almost forgotten John Jasper! In Matthew's tale, Uncle Nathan got out the way early - killed someone else - who turned out NOT to be his nephew after all. Could Dickens' Uncle Jasper have killed someone other than Edwin Drood - thinking that he did?
If you could ask Dickens just one question about his MED, what would it be?
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Edward Trood's uncle Nathan didn't actually kill anyone, did he? I think Wakefield said that they found a dead body and put that body in the wall of the uncle's house to mislead others.
It is possible that Jasper could have killed someone else, instead of Edwin Drood. That would be complex plotting too!
Definitely, I would ask Dickens what happened to Edwin Drood!!
JoanP, earlier you asked whether we thought that Herman had any redeeming qualities and I don't think so. In Chapter 29, Yahee says that the other captives on the pirate ship were horrified at the brutality of the pirates but young Hormazd "seemed to absorb rather than repel the grotesque lessons of the pirates... he did not seem to cherish any particular notions of right and wrong." After his terrible upbringing (and, perhaps, malfunction of his brain--genetic or opium induced), I don't think that he could be changed.
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Matthew, thank you for that article about Dickens' brother. I hadn't heard about him and his abandoning of his blind wife and moving to America to live with another woman.
Charles banished his own wife, and supported Nelly (and her mother!) but I assume he still supported his wife also.
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The elevator in the Sears Building fascinates me, too. It says something about its speed that it would be worth the bother of sitting down on a couch while going up a 7 story building. I couldn't find a picture of it, but I did find one of the Sears Building.
Sears Building (http://books.google.com/books?id=pE-raWX3k8kC&pg=PA188&lpg=PA188&dq=elevator+sears+building+boston&source=bl&ots=s5-8MyqDFR&sig=qITiYyyUykwG_yWMM-iwDLfHcZw&hl=en&ei=9ArpStiADsSf8Aagic2KDw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CA8Q6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=elevator%20sears%20building%20boston&f=false/)
Scroll down a page to figure 188. It seems to be the building to the left of the tallest building in the picture of several buildings.
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Marcie, I agree that Herman isn't redeemable. On page 348 (early in chapter 28) , Rebecca says "It's Mr. Wakefield who has made you what you are, Herman! He made you into a pirate."
"I was born one, lassie."
JoanP, yes, the list of possible names and titles was found among Dickens' papers.
On p. 340, Wakefield himself describes kicking the opium habit via a long sea voyage.
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Wakefield/Trood had several reasons for needing to destroy the ending of "Drood". It was thought that Trood was killed because he knew too much about the opium smuggling. Wakefield was already losing business because rumors were circulating, as a result of the book, that Trood was alive. Presumably he could expose the business. If people were certain, they would probably stop trading with Wakefield altogether. Also, once Trood was known to be alive, the Wakefield disguise would be less secure, and someone might figure out who he was.
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I really like the touch of saving the last chapter and finding it unreadable. Chapman, Dickens' English publisher, shows up, and vows to try to get the old practitioners of the outdated shorthand to try to read it.
BUT, he's going to pull a fast one. He says: "I have no doubt that for the right price their success in 'translating' this text will be assured. Then he inquires carefully to be sure that no copy has been made. He can safely produce anything he wants as the end.
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I just finished Matthew's book. I am both frustrated, and dissappointed. Of course no one promised the solution to the "Mystery of Edwin Drood", would be forth coming. However, I expected to have the mystery solved by the end of Installment 6. Sighhhhhhhhh
A part of what I am feeling, is tired of reading. I think the two books, one right after another, were too much at one time, for me. I feel as if I have been living with Edwin, and his mystery, for months. Actually, it has only been two months. I do not plan on reading an unfinished mystery, again. Nor, two books with the same topic.
I enjoyed both James Osgood, and Rebecca. The rest of the characters, in both books, confused me. Too many for me to keep track of. My memory is like a sieve, at this stage of my life. LOL
Sheila
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Hi everyone
"1. MATTHEW: you've done a great job of incorporatting interesting facts of the period into your story. Now this elevator. Can you tell us its real story? (I assume it's real). How was it put in? How long did it run? Did it catch on fire? Were there others like it? "
That is the first elevator in Boston, and certainly others followed. I had a vision very early on in planning the story that I'd have a climactic scene using the first elevator, though I didn't know exactly what the scene would be (sometimes you start with a setting, sometimes the setting comes later). All the details about the elevator are real. Here is a scene that I cut out with the elevator (http://www.matthewpearl.com/dickens/assets/elevator.html) that would have appeared early on in the novel. Later, although I don't have the year in front of me, the whole building burned down.
"2. Did the sale and addiction to opium continue into the 20th century? For some reason, I thought that by the end of the 19th it had reached its peak. "
In The Last Dickens we witness it making a transition as opiates started to be labeled as poison and be restricted from the market. This created a whole new drug dealing trade in the West (as opposed to the drug trade that had already existed in the East). By the end of the 19th century (over the thirty years following The Last Dickens) other drugs would be introduced including heroin and cocaine to the trade, but it was opium that established the structures of the trade for many years to come.
"3. Did you ever once consider taking pity on Herman and give him a heart, Matthew? Or was he to you, the personification of evil, rather than a lost boy? "
That's a bit of an interpretation question that I'll leave to you, whether or not Herman has a heart--but we could say he has a job to do, and does it very well, no? I certainly see him as someone who was forged into who he was at a young age and manipulated.
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This is on my website, but for those who haven't had a chance to explore there, here is an actual image of Charles Dickens's special type of (unreadable!) shorthand:
(http://www.matthewpearl.com/dickens/assets/galleryshorthand.jpg)
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The Book Club Online is the oldest book club on the Internet, begun in 1996, open to everyone. We offer cordial discussions of one book a month, 24/7 and enjoy the company of readers from all over the world. Everyone is welcome to join in.
Click register at the top of the page to create a username and password so that you can post messages in the discussions here on SeniorLearn.
Welcome! Everyone is invited!
(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/lastdickenscvr.jpg) | We are happy to announce that the author, Matthew Pearl, is joining us in the discussion of his latest novel, "The Last Dickens," as he did with his "Poe Story" and "The Dante Club.
Matthew's literary fiction picks up where Dickens left off in "The Mystery of Edwin Drood." The story of the fate of Edwin Drood is a mystery within a mystery. When young Edwin disappears after dinner on Christmas Eve and his watch and chain are later found in the nearby river, everyone suspects foul play. Could one of Edwin’s acquaintances have murdered him – and, if so, what could their motive be? Tragically, the mystery is destined never to be truly solved, as Dickens died before he could finish this novel – all that is left are the clues that can be found in the completed chapters.
Pearl sends a partner of Dickens’ American publisher, James Osgood, to the Dickens' estate in England where we meet the "fugitives" from the characters of Dickens' novel. Is Edwin Drood dead or alive? Was he killed by his uncle, John Jasper? Or did he somehow escape that fate, possibly to return later? We are anticipating more intrigue as Pearl's fictional characters search for answers in the author's well-researched fiction.
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Chapter discussion schedule
October 1-6: First Installment ~ Chapters 1-10 ~ June, 1870
October 7-10: Second Installment ~ Chapters 11-17 ~ November, 1867
October 11-13: : Third Installment ~ Chapters 18-22 ~ June, 1870
October 15-17: Fourth Installment ~ Chapters 23-26
October 18-23: Fifth Installment ~ Chapters 27-29
Oct. 24-28: Fifth Installment cont. - Chapters 30 - 39
*October 29-31: Sixth Installment ~ Chapter 40/Historical note
Discussion Leaders: JoanP (jonkie@verizon.net), Andy (WFLANNERY@CFL.RR.COM )
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Some topics for discussion Oct. 29-31: Chapter 40/Historical Note ~
1. Why would Osgood confide his doubts that Chapman lost the final pages of Dickens' novel in Longfellow ? Do you agree with Longfellow, that it was for the best that the end of Dickens' story is not available?
2 .What did Longfellow mean when he said that "all proper books are unfinished"? "An unfinished Dickens novel is a mystery in itself." Do you agree?
3. If you could ask Dickens one question about his unfinished novel, what would it be?
4. Why would Chapman not come forward with the final chapters if he had been able to transcribe them?
5. Do you believe that Dickens did write the ending first and that the pages are waiting somewhere to be found? Were you expecting to hear more from Frank Dickens - who also knew the Gurney shorthand ?
6. When all is said and done, do you believe that Edwin Drood was murdered by his uncle?
7. Which bit of factual information caught you attention in the Historical Notes ?
8. Are there questions you would like us all to consider or put to Matthew while he is still in our midst?
Readers' Guide Questions from FIRST - FIFTH INSTALLMENTS (http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/readerguides/LastDickens_Pearl.html)
Related Links : SeniorLearn's Q & A with Author, Matthew Pearl (http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/pearlinterview.html); 19th century Boston publishing houses (http://www.cyberbee.com/henryhikes/ticknor.html); check out Mr. Osgood here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_R._Osgood); James R. Osgood Co. closes, May, 1885 - NY Times (http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9D0CE0DC1739E533A25756C0A9639C94649FD7CF), Listen to Matthew's Interview at the Parker House in Boston (http://www.hereandnow.org/2009/06/rundown-61#4); Dickens in America - by Matthew Pearl (http://www.moreintelligentlife.com/story/dickens-vs-america)
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Some Recent Questions for Matthew:http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/lastdickens_q_a.html (http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/lastdickens_q_a.html)
OH I love it Matthew. I just finished lthe last installement around 2 AM. It is the very first time that I have followed an assigned schedule, always being very careful not to present a "spoiler" to others. :o
I do not usually like mysteries because it seems that I can figure them out too early into the story.
However, You got me on this one, and I salute you.
I loved the climatic scene as Wakefield and Herman plummeted down the elevator shaft into their own personal HELL. Will Dante be there to meet and greet them as he chooses an eternall assignment for them?
Perhaps in a pit of coins obsturcting any movement , allowing only the smell of the metal to infuse their thoughts? How about a vat of cocaine? NO, I've got it, A circle of pirates? Fanciful this AM, I am.
I knew right from the get-go that that nasty Wakefield was slinking around to no good.
I shall return after a bit. We have a sick kid here, mom's at the gym and I am flying home this afternoon. (to get warm.)
I love it. down an elevator shaft- KABOOM! (Oh Andy, you are SO childish.)
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Later, although I don't have the year in front of me, the whole building burned down.
The Sears Building burned down Feb. 2, 1890. I came across a Feb. 3 1890 New York Times article in my search for a picture of the building. The fire started in the engine room and roared up the fabled elevator shaft, spreading to the whole building in just a few minutes. It was insured for $175,000, which the NYT thought would cover the loss.
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Pat, when you said that the furnishings of the elevator (like a small sitting room) said something about the speed at which it went up and down, I laughed out loud. Yes, it seems that people would have time to sit and chat while it went from floor to floor!
I have enjoyed reading more about the mystery surrounding Edwin Drood and more about the life of Dickens. Matthew, your account of the missing manuscript, and all the possible revelations you took us through, was a great adventure. I can't wait for your next book.
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The page of shorthand is fascinating. I never learned shorthand. My husband did and was very good at it, also inventing his own shortcuts, to take notes in college. That was very imaginative to have Dickens write the first chapters in shorthand in the margins of his diary.
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I finished the book last evening and I do believe you ended it on the right note, Matthew.
"each reader will imagine his or her ideal ending for it and every reader will be happy with their own private finale in their mind. It is in a truer state, perhaps, than any other work of its kind, however large we print those words, THE END.
We know this is a novel about a novel, but a novel written by Charles Dickens, the first half of which was published before his death.
I can't imagine how you could have ended it differently? Did you ever imagine another ending?
I was somewhat intrigued by Longfellow's comment that "The world was a holiday planet then, and things were precisely what they seemed."
Interesting statement. Could he have meant his youth, perhaps? Do we look back to our youth and believe the world was a holiday?
The discussion was very enjoyable, MATTHEW'S COMMENTS ADDED SO MUCH, and I want to thank JOANP and ANDY very much for their work in bringing us this book!
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Ella- You are so sweet, thank you but the majority of the work and research questions belong to JoanP. She is my slave driver and I just do as told. ::)
As you said, Ella, "each reader will imagine his own ending" but this statement by Longfellow made me take pause.
I know exactly what he meant but have never been able to phrase it:
"If not for publishers, no authors would ever reach the end. We would have all writers and no readers."
How sad for we mere mortal readers. 8)
Marcie, I highly doubt that you'd find my shorthand quite so fascinating. I made up my own shorthand in college while taking Anatomy/Physiology classes and still use it today. That's only 40 years ago. ;D
I kept waiting for Dickens son to pop up in these last few pages. Wasn't he the one that was taught shorthand by his father?
Why didn't they ask him to decipher some of this illegible scratching?
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Ella, I too think that the ending of the book is appropriate and would love to know if Matthew ever thought of ending it with more revelations about what happened to Edwin Drood.
I'm glad you picked up on Longfellow's comment (in the book it is 1870), ""The world was a holiday planet then, and things were precisely what they seemed." I agree that it could refer to how many of us see the world when we're young. Also, the Civil War took place in the first half of the 1860s. I don't know my history very well but the world must have changed greatly after the Civil War, with less socio-economic stability. I'd be interested to learn more about the view of a "holiday planet" versus things not being "precisely what they seem."
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The only thing that I had a problem with Matthew is WHY in God's name would Osgood and Fields so readily hand over Dickens last words to the likes of Fred Chapman?
I did like Molasses, the Bookaneer's narrative of Osgood's search for the ending and its publication in the Publisher's Weekly,
first published in 1872, a collective catalog for publishers to pool their resources. That listing of books enabled booksellers to learn about forthcoming titles, and eventually the publication expanded to include features and articles.
Interesting that this brought in new authors, i.e. Louisa May Alcott, Bret Harte, etc. and Osgood was making arrangements for a novel with Samuel Clemens.
I love history and stuff like this is right up my alley. I confess to finding it difficult to determine fact from fiction but extend my thanks to Matthew for his Historical Notes in the back of the book.
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Thank you for the exerp, Matthew. Interesting that it was considered improper for unmarried women to ride the elevator with a strange man, so Osgood waited for the women to go up first.
I can really relate to Dickens' personal shorthand. When I was a child, my mother was writing an article about Thornto, the first head of the American Patent Office. He had developed his own shorthand: my mother had to figure it out in order to read his notes. It seems to have been quite a job: fortunately she was able to. I gather no one has deciphered Dickens'.
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The only thing that I had a problem with Matthew is WHY in God's name would Osgood and Fields so readily hand over Dickens last words to the likes of Fred Chapman?
They didn't really have a choice. Chapman was the legal owner of the manuscript. I would have tried to photograph it first, though.
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The only thing that I had a problem with Matthew is WHY in God's name would Osgood and Fields so readily hand over Dickens last words to the likes of Fred Chapman?
They didn't really have a choice. Chapman was the legal owner of the manuscript. I would have tried to photograph it first, though.
That's exactly right--Chapman had the rights to it first. Do we think there is really an accident or foul play on Chapman's part?
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Ella, I too think that the ending of the book is appropriate and would love to know if Matthew ever thought of ending it with more revelations about what happened to Edwin Drood.
Thanks for the question, Marcie. From the beginning, I wanted to do something a bit different than the speculation of how Mystery of Edwin Drood would end--which is interesting but has been done before. In a way, I wanted The Last Dickens to rewrite a new ending for MED rather than guess its ending. That is why my book has six installments--sort of a substitute or alternate to the missing six installments of the ending. Glad you enjoyed it!
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I know I've posted so much here, so I can't remember...
Did I post this PDF file (http://www.matthewpearl.com/dickens/assets/Last_Dickens_Readinguide.pdf) from the back of the paperback, where we present a conversation between James Osgood and ... me? (for those who have been reading from the hardcover)
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For those who read the Historical Note and want more...
Here is a historical epilogue (http://www.matthewpearl.com/dickens/epilogue.html) from my site.
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Haven't had enough to read?
Who wants to read some extra chapters?
Open this PDF file (http://www.matthewpearl.com/dickens/assets/littleadmiral.pdf) to read "The Little Admiral," a series of six extra chapters for The Last Dickens, featuring Sub-Lieutenant Sydney Dickens (pictured below), another of Dickens's sons, and tax agent Simon Pennock, whom you met in the novel, in stories interlocking with the published novel.
(http://www.matthewpearl.com/dickens/assets/sydney2.gif)
This can also be found in the Extras section of my site.
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Matthew, Thanks for responding to our questions. As I said, I think you ended the book in a very satisfying way. I do think of it as a follow up to The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Well done!
I've finished reading The Last Dickens (a second time) and am so glad there is more. Thank you, Matthew, for your generosity in participating in our discussion and for all of the articles... and for writing an online story too. I'm going to check out all of your links.
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Thank you, Matthew and our wonderful discussion leaders for a great discussion. I will be thinking about it for a long, long time.
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We're on the road - have been driving all day on the way to celebrate another birthday in Memphis, TN. Why did they have to move so far away! We're in Nashville tonight - with the dog along for the ride.
Dead tired, but looking over today's posts, I feel compelled to jump into the conversation - or won't get much sleep tonight just thinking about everything I've read here just now.
First of all, don't listen to Andy! - She likes to call me such names, but I think you all know there is no more enthusiastic, energetic, or harder working DL anywhere! Thank you for everthing you have brought to this discussion, Andy - in your own inimitable style. :D
Sheila- you sound downright weary...all Drooded out. I take it you don't agree with Longfellow? ;) You've certainly learned a whole lot more than you ever did about Dickens. And you read the last novel he ever wrote - though unfortunately he didn't get to finish it. I am going to bet the story stays with you for a long time. I detect a note of disappointment in your post - that Matthew didn't reveal Dickens' ending.
Can we talk about that a bit - with Matthew still in our midst? After spending so much time and reading so much peripheral matter related to Edwin Drood - do you have a personal opinion about where Dickens might have been going with the novel, Matthew? I read somewhere in an interview, I think it was - that you thought that Dickens did not know how he would end it at the time of his death. Am I remembering that right?
From the tale you've told in the Last Dickens, I sense that you believe there might be other explanations of what happened to Edwin Drood...including the idea that he may not have been murdered at all - Eddie Trood LIVES! Do you think it is reasonable to believe that Dickens has an idea, perhaps not thought out in detail yet, but an idea of whether or not Edwin Drood had been murdered by his Uncle Jasper?
By the way - YOU ALL MUST READ THE HISTORICAL NOTE at the end! I'd like to know if something jumped off the page when you read it - the part where Matthew talks about the fictional and actual characters he has written about.
Will be back in the morning early - don't go away. We need to pick your minds a bit more!
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After spending so much time and reading so much peripheral matter related to Edwin Drood - do you have a personal opinion about where Dickens might have been going with the novel, Matthew? I read somewhere in an interview, I think it was - that you thought that Dickens did not know how he would end it at the time of his death. Am I remembering that right?
From the tale you've told in the Last Dickens, I sense that you believe there might be other explanations of what happened to Edwin Drood...including the idea that he may not have been murdered at all - Eddie Trood LIVES! Do you think it is reasonable to believe that Dickens has an idea, perhaps not thought out in detail yet, but an idea of whether or not Edwin Drood had been murdered by his Uncle Jasper?
I personally do believe Dickens would not have had a settled plan for an ending--from looking at the evidence of his writing process for his other novels and also for MED. That's not to say I think he was flying blind. I'd bet he had several paths he had ready to follow, but was taking it piece by piece as he usually did. I think that either Edwin Drood or Edwin Drood's father, who had the same name, would have come into play in the second half. There is conflicting "evidence," of course, for everything--which is part of the fun.
Here is some of what I say in my introduction to the Modern Library edition to MED:
The longstanding assumption that Dickens knew how the novel would end – and the vague suspicion that it is our own deficiency that we haven't deduced his conclusion yet – emanates from two primary sources. First, there seems to be an unspoken fantasy about Dickens, because of his great mastery and consistency as a storyteller, that the novels emerged more or less complete from his head. Second, despite some excellent scholarship on the subject, the process of writing in the serial-novel format of the nineteenth century is still not widely appreciated.
More of what I say in my introduction:
Sending along Drood's first installment to Buckingham Palace in the spring of 1870, Dickens did offer to tell the Queen of England ‘a little more of it in advance of her subjects’. The novelist was more tight-lipped in two other remembered exchanges about Drood that took place as the novel was being published. Here is an account by son Charley:
Charles Dickens, Jr.: ‘Of course, Edwin Drood was murdered?’
Charles Dickens: ‘Of course; what else do you suppose?’
And another, from a separate conversation, recounted by Georgina Hogarth, Dickens's sister-in-law and confidante:
Georgina Hogarth: ‘I hope you haven't really killed poor Edwin Drood?’
Charles Dickens: ‘I call my book the Mystery, not the History, of Edwin Drood.’
The first exchange calls to mind the phrase ‘The Loss of Edwin Drude’ one of Dickens's early scribbled title choices, and the second evokes another title in the same list, ‘Edwin Drood in Hiding’. What these flashes of reflected memories give us are not answers but important indications that, in whatever detail Dickens had worked out his story, he wanted it to be a surprise even to those close to him. That he had offered a preview to Queen Victoria – though in language suitably gradual (‘a little more of it in advance’), rather than suggesting a full revelation of the ending – should remind us what a commodity surprise was to Dickens.
As for the name Drood, Edward Trood really was the son of the innkeeper across from Gadshill. That's one possibility. Here is another, from 1930s Dickens biographer Thomas Wright (who also mentions Trood): “The title of it was most likely taken from the name of a young man, Edwin Drew ( a correspondent of the writer of this book), who at the time the story was in hand happened to be in communication with Dickens. Mr. Drew, who was later well-known in journalistic and musical circles in London, was engaged on the Hampshire Chronicle; and, recollecting Dickens's early struggles and ultimate success, he had written to Dickens to ask respecting the possibility of gaining a livelihood by the pen in London, by one without money or friends. In reply, Dickens said, 'On no account try literary life here. Such an attempt must lead to the bitterest disappointment.' Like most other advice, however, it was not taken... It has also been pointed out that the landlord of the Sir John Falstaff inn just opposite Gad's Hill Place was named Trood. It was not Edwin Trood, however, but William Stocker Trood." Wright apparently didn't know the name of Trood's son (William Trood's brother, too, was Edward Trood, I believe).
But the name also might have been a process of experimenting for Dickens. We see that in his list of titles where he plays around with Edwin Brood--although that also could have evolved from Trood--and Drude.
Here is a bit about the local legend in Rochester that may have inspired MED... from Walters “Clues to Dickens's Mystery of Edwin Drood”: “A well-to-do person, a bachelor, was the guardian and trustee of a nephew (a minor), who was the inheritor of a large property. The nephew went to the West Indies and returned unexpectedly. He suddenly disappeared, and was thought to have gone on another voyage. The uncle's house was near the site of the Savings Bank in High Street, and when excavations were made years later the skeleton of a young man was discovered. The local tradition is that the uncle murdered the nephew, and thus concealed the body. Here is the germ of the plot of 'Edwin Drood,' and the mystery is not so much the nature of the crime as its concealment and eventual detection”
And of course I latch onto that for The Last Dickens
A writer couldn't ask for material that's more fun than that!
One last quote from my introduction, more interesting perhaps to those who have read MED:
There is a surprising amount of Dickens in the shadowy Jasper, as well. Like Jasper, Dickens burned his diaries at the end of each year, along with his letters. In his final years he relied on medical opiates to ease his ailments, surely an experience he channels into Jasper's drug use. He also kept up hypnotism (or mesmerism) as a hobby, and this description from his eldest child Charles Jr. suggests a carryover to everyday life also seen in Jasper: ‘the mere intense gaze of those keen and luminous eyes, even without any of the passes and manipulations which form so much of the stock in trade of the ordinary mesmerist, had astonishing influence over many people, as you will read in all sorts of descriptions of him, and to my mind always seemed as if it could read one's inmost soul.’ Dickens's wife Catherine, before their separation, suspected that Dickens's mesmerism was wrapped up in a romantic obsession and emotional liaison with at least one woman. Whether Dickens also saw himself as the older man wedging himself into the life of young actress Ellen Ternan we cannot say, but at the very least he was obliged to keep their relationship as secret as possible, and some of his conflicted feelings about this may be on display in Jasper's destructive and clandestine pursuit of Rosa. The dark secrets of abandonment and resentment in family life—and by extension the life of an incestuously small village—are more key to an understanding of Drood than any single character in the cast.
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I am so excited that Matthew is still here. I have a question for you.
I have just reading a novel that is about a "lost" original manuscript of Herman Melvilles. It's surreal how closely this story seems entertwined with our Last Dickens that as I read I'm getting confused as to which manuscript everyone is searching for. ;D anyway-(I digress)
Matthew- #1. Did Harper & Brothers office building really burn to the ground in 1853 "six buildings were left in ruins?"
The reason I ask is this book says that these publishers origianally split the profits 50/50 with Melville, AFTER publishing costs had been recouped AND any advance money was subtracted from those anticipated half-profits. It says that the Harpers actually charged their uathors interest on these advances. Because Moby Dick was originally a commercial failure they were nervous and demanded an impossible contract for his next book. One book they rejected but never returned. Excuse me but that's larceny isn't it? I can not imagine writing my heart out and having my manuscript rejected AND stolen.
HOly smokes so publishers were thieves??? Not just a fictional enterprise but a true fact! You were kind Matthew writing about the Harpers, these guys were fraudulant.
The parallels are numerous with our Dickens story, particularly with the "chase" to find the originals. Maybe that is due to the fact that we've been living with Mr. Osgood and all of these bandits that it's difficult to move myself into another venue and BOOM, when I do, I am back to reading about literary geniuses and larcenous publishers.
I shall return. My flight was delayed last night so I am way behind schedule.
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Oh my, Matthew! I need to go get some coffee before injesting all of this new information. Hopefully we will be staying here in the motel until the rain passes through.
Just two thoughts before I go...well, no, three thoughts. Thank you! How can we ever thank you enough for all of this information you have shared with us? Beyond the insights into MED you have provided, you have shared so much of the writing process with us.
I enjoyed reading of Dickens' response to young Mr. Drew's question regarding the possibility of gaining a livelihood by the pen. 'On no account try literary life here. Such an attempt must lead to the bitterest disappointment.' I wonder what Mr. Pearl's advice would be to a similar question today?
About the Historical note - my eyes flew open when I saw that Falstaff really was named William Trood! Together with PatH's post #310 containing Dickens' musings for names for his title character...he was rhyming with Trood! Remember Pat found the name James Wakefield on the list too. When you brought back Edwin Trood as Marcus Wakefield, did research on a James Wakefield lead to your decision on using his name?
Coffee!
Andy - good morning! we were posting together! Those Harpers! Was so glad to hear that their edition of Edwin Drood gathered dust on the shelves!
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Matthew- #1. Did Harper & Brothers office building really burn to the ground in 1853 "six buildings were left in ruins?"
...HOly smokes so publishers were thieves??? Not just a fictional enterprise but a true fact! You were kind Matthew writing about the Harpers, these guys were fraudulant.
I hadn't heard of the novel you're reading Andy, but looked it up and it sounds great. The description reminds me of the novel The Archivist, which I really liked. Anyway, yes, the Harper buildings did burn down in the 1850s, and the really did rip off their authors. I know, people don't believe me about the Harpers!
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I enjoyed reading of Dickens' response to young Mr. Drew's question regarding the possibility of gaining a livelihood by the pen. 'On no account try literary life here. Such an attempt must lead to the bitterest disappointment.' I wonder what Mr. Pearl's advice would be to a similar question today?
Well, being a writer is a bit more realistic today than in the 19th century--but still a tough path to take! The great thing today is there are so many forums for sharing one's writing, from traditional publishing to emailing short stories.
About the Historical note - my eyes flew open when I saw that Falstaff really was named William Trood! Together with PatH's post #310 containing Dickens' musings for names for his title character...he was rhyming with Trood! Remember Pat found the name James Wakefield on the list too. When you brought back Edwin Trood as Marcus Wakefield, did research on a James Wakefield lead to your decision on using his name?
Dickens may have taken the name Wakefield from a Hawthorne short story about a man who reinvents himself and his identity--I thought I'd wink at that by combining Wakefield-Trood as a character.
UPDATE:
What sort of a man was Wakefield? We are free to shape out our own idea, and call it by his name.
Here is the Hawthorne story, Wakefield (http://www.readprint.com/work-766/Wakefield-Nathaniel-Hawthorne), for those who want even MORE reading.
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Wakefield - perfect - a man who reinvented himself - I'm remembering Rebecca's response to his proposal - that she could have loved an Eddie Trood - but not a fraud. I suppose the question is - if a man reinvents himself, is he a fraud? Always?
Before I forget, thank you for the page of the Gurney shorthand sample, Matthew. That reminds me of the maddening thread you left hanging in Last Dickens, Matthew! I'm seeing some of Dickens in you! Earlier you included the chapter of the bored Frank during the period when he worked as a reporter for his father's magazine. During his free time, he learned that shorthand - not only that - he would have learned his father's quirky shortcuts too. In other words, had Frank seen these last pages, he would have been able to read them fairly easily.
(Are there really notes in the margins of Dickens' diary written in this shorthand, Matthew? Were you allowed to examine the diary?)
Frank didn't even get a chance to look at these pages though - the London publisher had all the rights to them. And he, Chapman claimed they were lost at sea. Was he ever compensated for the missing six episodes? Unbelievable that Dickens would have signed such an agreement. How much of this was your fiction, Matthew? All of it, I imagine. How like Dickens you are! How long did it take you to decide to do this to us?
Time to go - hope you are still around one more day - I'm sure we'll have just a few more questions!
I'd like to know how many of our participants agree with Longfellow - that it was all for the best that the missing six episodes were not available?
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Matthew, I appreciate your sharing your research and thoughts about Dickens' writing process and emphasizing the fact that he was writing a serial. It's fun (and maddening) to speculate on his intentions.
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Matthew, what a wonderful role model of Hawthornes you had for the other "Wakefield" you invented. Two men who tried in their own evil ways to make others insignificant. Haa I have the perfect ending to that story BUT like Longfellow inferred "it is best to leave it at that."
What a great story that was, I have never read it, Matthew.
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By the way - YOU ALL MUST READ THE HISTORICAL NOTE at the end! I'd like to know if something jumped off the page when you read it - the part where Matthew talks about the fictional and actual characters he has written about.
Joan, is this the information you mean? It caught my eye in Matthew's pdf file of hiistorical notes. "Later in life, Osgood moved to England to work for Harper & Bros. as their London agent." Osgood and Harper Bros together!
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Joan, is this the information you mean? It caught my eye in Matthew's pdf file of hiistorical notes. "Later in life, Osgood moved to England to work for Harper & Bros. as their London agent." Osgood and Harper Bros together!
I think Joan was struck by the fact the innkeeper Trood was real--many people are surprised by that. But yes, Marcie, it's such a strange fate for Osgood to work for Harper (that's in the online historical epilogue)--altho' by that time Fletcher and the other Harper brothers had long since passed away. Still, it would be nice, I think, if there was still a Fields, Osgood & Co.
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I do wish that Fields, Osgood & Co had continued. Well, Osgood is now immortalized in your book as a hero :-)
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Me too, Marcie. Perhaps they would have lent a hand with this:
Approximately ten years after Dickens's death, one of Dickens's sons, Charley, co-wrote a theatrical production of The Mystery of Edwin Drood with a new ending, which he claimed was in part based on the authority of the information his father had shared with him. The play has to this day never been produced. The manuscript is at the Chalrles Dickens Museum in London. (Charley was originally depicted as a character in The Last Dickens, but eliminated in a later draft)
Your research Matthew is unbelievable. I have enjoyed that as much as the novel. I thank you over and over for the time you have so graciously lent to us and your plethora of information you have provided about Dickens, et. al. It truly makes me want to read more Dickens.
By the way, where exactly was Charley inserted into the Last Dickens story and then eliminated?
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Yes, I did get excited when I saw that there really was a William Trood in the Rochester area in the Historical notes! Even
more so when reading Matthew's notes about writing his story about him.
Marcie, I was also struck by the fact that Osgood went on to work for Harpers. Thank you, Matthew for pointing out that the Harper boys had left the business by then. (I wonder what happened to that long line of Jr. Harpers all standing in line to receive the torch?)
So Anthony Perkins is the grandson - perhaps great grandson of James Osgood? I looked in vain to see if James Osgood's wife's name was Rebecca. I'll assume that something came of the May wedding date for them.
Matthew, we can't thank you enough for opening up so many avenues for our discussion!
Andy, I've yet to read Charley Dickens' play...nor did I get anyone to pursue Dick Datchery's role in MED - and where Dickens might have been going with this character. But you see, we could continue to the end of time with these questions. Perhaps that's what Longfellow was saying. I think that Edwin Drood and his fate wil be in our minds for quite a while - whether we want him to be or not!
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Have we come to the end of the month already? Even with 31 days in October, it seems there are so many avenues left to explore. We can stay open for a few more days to be sure we've heard from everyone, but knowing that Matthew and our participants probably have November commitments, Andy and I want to make sure that you all know how much your questions, observations and links have added to this discussion. Thanks, everyone! It's been fun and a great discussion because of you!
Matthew, you have been unbelievable in your responses to our questions - over and above what we asked! Those links you shared with us will be added to the relevant links in the heading here - and the whole discussion will be preserved in our Archives - and linked to our READERS' GUIDE to The Last Dickens.
This has been such a TREAT! Matthew, your SeniorLearn friends think you are the best! As others have said, we are looking forward to your next book and hope to see you here again for another visit. How can we thank you? What can we do for you?
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E C H O! E C H O!
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Matthew, The Last Dickens has been a most delightful read, and one I’m glad I completed, although I started it somewhat reluctantly, never having had time to really get into MED. But your book stood beautifully, all by itself, filled with so many twists and turns and surprises.
Your research continually surprised me – a wonderful marriage of fiction and fact, bringing all characters to life, so that I really cared for them. But didn’t weep for Wakefield and Herman. And I’m sorry that Osgood and Rebecca were never able to unite, but do hope he eventually found a real lady love. (You see, I never knew which world I was in, but that was okay, as both were real to me.)
Last night I was looking over our library’s calendar of upcoming events, and lo and behold, in December one of our local thespians will do a monolog of Dickens’ Christmas Carol. Wow, history repeats. But unlike the author, I’m sure his performance will be gratis.
Again, many thanks for being here with us, giving up so much of your time. It was a real enhancement.
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In the middle of carving pumpkins, baking seeds and dealing with four exuberant little ones - but couldn't help myself - had to peek into the discussion.
Pedln! Tell me about what happened to James and Rebecca! I missed something! I thought they had planned a May wedding??? No? It didn't happen?
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MATTEW: I can only double everything that was said. It means so much to us to read a book with the author. And you are so generous with your time and knowledge: you have made us all fans, not only of Dickens but of his whole period. I hope you use all this research for another book. Or are you already going down other trails, searching out information about another author?
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Hi everyone!
Saturdays are my volunteer days (at an animal shelter here in Boston) so I just returned and of course want to say thank you to all of you, and thanks specifically for Joan and Andy's leadership, but also for everyone for their questions and thoughtful comments.
I love doing research. My fourth novel will be a departure for me because it won't be about literary history, but it will be 19th century and Boston, so the terrain is familiar. It's a very fun topic--I think--and I hope you'll stick with me. I plan to return to literary history, though--for those who've read The Dante Club, you might be interested to know I'm planning (just planning, you never know until you start a project) to write two sequels to it (The Dante Club created a story from Inferno and there are two other parts to Dante's poem, Purgatory and Paradise, which both deserve adventures of their own). For those who haven't read The Dante Club, if you choose to, you'll find Osgood in a small role, Fields in a pretty big one and Holmes and Longfellow as main characters, who made cameos here. I also plan to write a novel called The Bookaneer--taking place about 20 years after The Last Dickens, focused of course on the Bookaneers, and introducing a new one as the hero/anti-hero, but we'd see some of our Bookaneer scoundrels we met already, tho' they'll be older, of course.
Anthony Perkins was not directly related to Osgood--it was Osgood's close friend A. V. S. Anthony who inherited Osgood's papers and also incorporated the name Osgood into his family line. Osgood in real life never ended up marrying. I wish he had married Rebecca--but of course as Rebecca is a fictional character, I can't claim he did! In the world of my novel, though, they definitely marry!
If anyone wants to keep updated on my future projects and events, please join my email list--several of you have in the past--and can attest it won't disrupt your inbox (1 to 2 emails PER YEAR on average): you just add your info here--http://www.matthewpearl.com/newsletterform.html
You can also keep up with my blog posts in various places, including Red Room: http://www.redroom.com/author/matthew-pearl
And of course if you ever see I have an event in your area, please come say hello in person!
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Matthew, I'm extremely grateful to you for the time you spent with us. Your comments, links to background information, and insights into your thought processes while writing the book added a whole extra dimension of pleasure to reading your book.
This method of discussing a book, taking a whole month and picking apart each section in detail, is very demanding, and it takes a well-constructed book to survive. Your book sailed through with flying colors. The richness of historical detail and the complex ingenuity of the plot and the solution of the puzzle are remarkable.
I can't wait for the next one.
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PatH, you said that very well. I agree with your assessment of the richness of The Last Dickens. Many thanks to you, Matthew, and to our wonderful leaders, Joan and Andy, and to each of you participants here. I've learned a lot and am inspired to learn more.
You have me intrigued about your next books, Matthew. I'll be watching for them.
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Pedln! Tell me about what happened to James and Rebecca! I missed something! I thought they had planned a May wedding???
JoanP, sorry to be so confusing. While reading this I was in both words -- the fiction and the fact. My comment about Osgood finding his lady love was directed to his "real/factual" world.
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The Book Club Online is the oldest book club on the Internet, begun in 1996, open to everyone. We offer cordial discussions of one book a month, 24/7 and enjoy the company of readers from all over the world. Everyone is welcome to join in.
Click register at the top of the page to create a username and password so that you can post messages in the discussions here on SeniorLearn.
Welcome! Everyone is invited!
(http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/lastdickenscvr.jpg) | We are happy to announce that the author, Matthew Pearl, is joining us in the discussion of his latest novel, "The Last Dickens," as he did with his "Poe Story" and "The Dante Club.
Matthew's literary fiction picks up where Dickens left off in "The Mystery of Edwin Drood." The story of the fate of Edwin Drood is a mystery within a mystery. When young Edwin disappears after dinner on Christmas Eve and his watch and chain are later found in the nearby river, everyone suspects foul play. Could one of Edwin’s acquaintances have murdered him – and, if so, what could their motive be? Tragically, the mystery is destined never to be truly solved, as Dickens died before he could finish this novel – all that is left are the clues that can be found in the completed chapters.
Pearl sends a partner of Dickens’ American publisher, James Osgood, to the Dickens' estate in England where we meet the "fugitives" from the characters of Dickens' novel. Is Edwin Drood dead or alive? Was he killed by his uncle, John Jasper? Or did he somehow escape that fate, possibly to return later? We are anticipating more intrigue as Pearl's fictional characters search for answers in the author's well-researched fiction.
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Chapter discussion schedule
First Installment ~ Chapters 1-10 ~ June, 1870
Second Installment ~ Chapters 11-17 ~ November, 1867
Third Installment ~ Chapters 18-22 ~ June, 1870
Fourth Installment ~ Chapters 23-26
Fifth Installment ~ Chapters 27-39
Sixth Installment ~ Chapter 40/Historical note
Discussion Leaders: JoanP (jonkie@verizon.net), Andy (WFLANNERY@CFL.RR.COM )
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Some topics for discussion: Chapter 40/Historical Note ~
1. Why would Osgood confide his doubts that Chapman lost the final pages of Dickens' novel in Longfellow ? Do you agree with Longfellow, that it was for the best that the end of Dickens' story is not available?
2 .What did Longfellow mean when he said that "all proper books are unfinished"? "An unfinished Dickens novel is a mystery in itself." Do you agree?
3. If you could ask Dickens one question about his unfinished novel, what would it be?
4. Why would Chapman not come forward with the final chapters if he had been able to transcribe them?
5. Do you believe that Dickens did write the ending first and that the pages are waiting somewhere to be found? Were you expecting to hear more from Frank Dickens - who also knew the Gurney shorthand ?
6. When all is said and done, do you believe that Edwin Drood was murdered by his uncle?
7. Which bit of factual information caught you attention in the Historical Notes ?
8. Are there questions you would like us all to consider or put to Matthew while he is still in our midst?
Readers' Guide Questions from FIRST - SIXTH INSTALLMENTS (http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/readerguides/LastDickens_Pearl.html)
Related Links : SeniorLearn's Q & A with Author, Matthew Pearl (http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/pearlinterview.html); 19th century Boston publishing houses (http://www.cyberbee.com/henryhikes/ticknor.html); check out Mr. Osgood here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_R._Osgood); James R. Osgood Co. closes, May, 1885 - NY Times (http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9D0CE0DC1739E533A25756C0A9639C94649FD7CF), Listen to Matthew's Interview at the Parker House in Boston (http://www.hereandnow.org/2009/06/rundown-61#4); Dickens in America - by Matthew Pearl (http://www.moreintelligentlife.com/story/dickens-vs-america);
Conversation Between James R. Osgood and M. Pearl (http://www.matthewpearl.com/dickens/assets/Last_Dickens_Readinguide.pdf); Historical epilogue (http://www.matthewpearl.com/dickens/epilogue.html); Sears Building - elevator (http://www.matthewpearl.com/dickens/assets/earlyelevator.jpg); Dickens' shorthand sample (http://www.matthewpearl.com/dickens/assets/galleryshorthand.jpg);Harvard Medical College (http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/bldg_north_grove.2.jpg);Harpers Brothers insignia and Motto (http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/harperlogo.jpg);Dickens' Gadshill Estate, Kent (http://seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/lastdickens/dickensgadshill-446x285.jpg);
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Pedln, me too - caught between the fictional and the real world. No wonder I could find no mention of James Osgood's real wife. He never married! No little Anthony Perkins grandson/great grandson! And the fictional Rebecca - we just had a date sometime in May - but don't know if that wedding ever came off either. We'll have to make up our own ending for that romance too!
We're finally back from our Halloween stay in Memphis - what a trip! - Only to find that local grandson has come down with what his mother is certain is swine flu. Little guy - only six. Not sure yet when the doctor can see him. He has a younger brother and a two year old sister. Please keep them in your thoughts!
When I get all the links and questions and answers where they belong, I'll bring the finished link to the Readers' Guide for you to see. Will also visit Matthew's home page - and Red Room blog.
We'll stay open here another day, just in case you have some closing thoughts. I want take one more opportunity to thank you all - you've been great participants!
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Zounds! I've been going through the final pages of posts - and a light bulb just went offffff-
Matthew made this comment:
"I personally do believe Dickens would not have had a settled plan for an ending--from looking at the evidence of his writing process for his other novels and also for MED. That's not to say I think he was flying blind. I'd bet he had several paths he had ready to follow, but was taking it piece by piece as he usually did. I think that either Edwin Drood or Edwin Drood's father, who had the same name, would have come into play in the second half. There is conflicting "evidence," of course, for everything--which is part of the fun."
"I think that either Edwin Drood or Edwin Drood's father, who had the same name, would have come into play in the second half."
I've come away from Dickens' MED with a pressing question - who was Dick Datchery! Why is he back in Cloisterham - watching Jasper John so closely? We think we see him as an investigator of whatever happened to Edwin Drood on Christmas Eve. Could Dick Datchery possibly have been Edwin Drood's father? The more I think of it, the more I'm warming to the idea. Jasper John ought to have recognized his uncle - but not necessarily if they didn't get close to one another - and if Datchery's white hair is a disguise... But wasn't the father supposed to have died? But why would Matthew feel that Edwin's father "would have come into play in the second half?"
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Is this thing still on? Okay, I know we're past our date, but to answer Joan, it's just one hunch, that Edwin Drood's father would be alive. Dickens certainly has other characters in his novels who were thought to be dead and turn up alive, so that would be no sweat for him. The mention of Edwin Drood's father is pretty pointed, and there's no follow-up... maybe it's a throwaway line, but I don't think so. I think having young Drood really dead and Drood's father alive could have been one way to go. I hadn't thought of that connected with Datchery, but I like the idea!
Now you see why I got caught up in the Mystery!
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Joan, that is interesting speculation about Datchery being Edwin Drood's father.
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Matthew, you saw the lights on...I was just going through the posts, arranging things, getting ready for the Archives. I came across your post with the suggestion that Edwin Drood's father may have survived into Dickens' second six episodes - and immediately thought of Dick Datchery. Why would he come back to this town with no ties to everyone - and set up residence right next to Jasper John's place? Following him to London...He must have a great interest in solving the mystery of what happened to Edwin Drood. A fatherly interest would explain it.
It's hard to put the mystery back on the shelf, isn't it. Marcie? This is what Matthew's Longfellow was trying to tell us, I think.
Thank you all for all of your contributions to the discussions of both Dickens' Mystery of Edwin Drood and Matthew Pearl's The Last Dickens. We won't forget the experience! Both discussions can be found in the Archives.