BACKGROUND
The last great novel, a mystery never finished! Sadly, Dickens died before we could ever know
WHO KILLED EDWIN DROOD???
CHARACTERS
John Jasper- Drood's uncle and guardian; musician; capable of mesmerism?; has an opium habit (well known) and fits
Edwin Drood- the title character, had the world handed to him on a platter as soon as he came of age (that is, money and a wife) by his dead father.
Rosa Bud (a.k.a Rosebud or Pussy)- the affianced, said to marry Drood but had other ideas....
Durdles- tombstone artist. Pays Deputy (a young street urchin) to throw rocks at him if he's out after midnight.
Thomas Sapsea (Jackass by definition)- an auctioneer who hires Durdles to engrave his wife's tombstone
Neville Landless- a murderous (?) young man with gypsy blood who had his eye on Rosa but found Drood in the way; mistreated as a youth and terribly jealous.
Helena Landless- Neville's twin sister; the twins have a psychic connection
Canon Crisparkle- a kind and holy man who teaches and advises Neville and others; Neville lives with him when he first comes to Cloisterham.
Hiram Grewgious- lawyer, Rosa's guardian. He tells her that a betrothal has no legal ground.
Miss Twinkleton- The woman with double lives who runs the girl's school.
Dick Datchery- traveler who arrives after Drood's disappearance
SETTING
Opium den- somewhere in London
Cloisterham (probably Rochester)- an ancient cathedral city
Nun's House (C)- Miss Twinkleton's academy is there
Cathedral and cemetery
Staple Inn in London (Grewgious)
PLOT
(This is, of course, unfinished....)
The Beginning
Jasper is a customer at an opium den. He returns to Cloisterham and sings at the service. He is a musician and teacher. His nephew, Edwin Drood, comes to visit and stay awhile to see his uncle and his fiancé, Rosa Bud (Rosebud) currently residing at Miss Twinkleton's academy for girls. Jasper visits Sapsea, the auctioneer, and there meets Durdles the tombstone expert. He asks Durdles about his art and asks to see the keys to the crypt, which he clinks together. He later asks to be a protégé, claiming his own existence is dull and Durdles's is exciting. Soon two twins, Helena and Neville Landless, come to Cloisterham. Neville lives with and makes himself a student of Canon Crisparkle and Helena joins Miss Twinkleton's array and befriends and learns from Rosa. Neville meets Drood and Rosa at a dinner at Crisparkle's and falls in love with Rosa.
Insanely jealous of Drood he lets his murderous temper be evoked and has an altercation with Drood over wine; Jasper intervenes. Crisparkle convinces Helena to suggest Neville make amends. Neville agrees to do so if Drood makes the first move; Drood does so in a letter at Jasper's behest. They agree to meet at Christmas. Grewgious visits Rosa and tells her that a betrothal cannot occur legally without the consent of both parties; he agrees to return at Christmas for news.
The Middle
On a visit to Grewgious, Drood is warned that if he does not love Rosa he will be doing her a great disservice in marrying her. When the boy makes it known that he may consider ending the engagement, the lawyer gives him a ring that belonged to Rosa's mother and tells him to bring it back or give it to Rosa and marry her. Jasper has an outing with Durdles, who takes him to the cathedral to have a look at the city. Durdles tells Jasper of hearing the ghost of cries and screams last Christmas Eve. Then Jasper drugs him and takes his key but returns it, saying Durdles fell asleep and dropped it.
On Christmas Eve all of the ladies have gone home from Miss Twinkleton's except Rosa and Helena. Rosa meets Edwin in the garden and they walk. They agree that they have no obligation to marry each other and that they should break off the marriage by mutual consent. They agree to tell their guardians before the townspeople know. Edwin fears that it will greatly sadden his uncle, and Rosa wishes he knew the truth about Jasper. They notice the uncle watching them from a distance. The opium woman warns Edwin that someone named Ned is in danger. Neville meets with Helena and says the air is unsettling and he wishes the meeting was not taking place. He is going away on a walking expedition so as not to be near Drood while he is in Cloisterham. When the three (Jasper, Drood and Neville) meet at the Cathedral all goes well. The next morning Drood is missing.
Jasper has Neville arrested by a large group of townspeople. Neville does not understand and gets in a tussle with the stagecoach operator Joe that results in blood. Jasper, seeing the blood and his heavy walking stick, speculates that the blood is his nephew's. Many are questioned but there is no evidence. Jasper hears of the end of the engagement and wonders if Edwin left out of grief. Later Crisparkle finds Edwin's shirt pin and watch and the speculation that Drood is dead becomes hardened. Neville leaves town and holes up in an inn where Crisparkle, who believes him innocent, still teaches him occasionally- he is studying to be a lawyer.
Time passes and summer has come. Helena joins Neville. Jasper has returned to music but devoted himself to finding the killer. Dick Datchery, a traveler, arrives and takes residence with the Topes. Jasper proposes to Rosa and claims that he will damage Neville and Helena's reputation further if Rosa marries Neville. Rosa, terrified, flees to Grewgious at Staple Inn in London.
The End
At Christmas the fated meeting occurs. From hearsay thereafter, it seems to go well. But Edwin Drood walks away afterward toward a river after talking alone with Neville and is never seen from again. Neville Landless heads out on the long walk, and is apprehended when not far. He is returned to town and questioned, as is everyone else. But Landless remains to be the last person who saw Neville alive. Jasper vows to find the person who killed his nephew, after giving up all hope that it was not a disappearance.
LINKS
Synopsis in Parts
Anonymous essay from 1884
(Also collected by Gaslight)
Searchable e-text
An extremely useful web page. Quotes!!!
FURTHER READING
"The D Case" The book that supposedly solves the mystery. Fiction and fun, famous detectives from Sherlock Holmes to Nero Wolfe gather and solve Dickens unfinished crime.
Cite this page in MLA!
Tracy, Trinity. "Notes on The Mystery of Edwin Drood." Dickens Made Simple. 2002. http://www.dickensmadesimple.com (date of access).
