The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens Very good even without a finale

 The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens


Very good even without a finale

 

I had no idea that this is the last work of Charles Dickens and the reason for what I thought a weird ending is that the author died before finishing the novel.

Charles Dickens is a famous and appreciated author, who’s Great Expectations is included among the best novels.

The list of these 100 masterpieces is available at the Guardian site and in other places, including my blog realini.blogspot.com

Dickens was a fascinating character on top of being a great writer.

I have read a long time ago about one of his quotes, which have stayed with me ever since:

-          If you have 20 pounds and spend 19 and 59 penny you are all right

-          But if you spend 20 pounds and one penny then you go to jail

I do not recall the exact number of pennies, but that is beside the point, which is that prison awaits those who spend too much.

Back then, I thought this is a figure of speech, but I later learned that it was accurate- even the father of Charles Dickens went to jail for his debts.

And young Dickens has learned about the hard life early on, when he was forced to make do in quite serious poverty.

-          Revenons a nos moutons-

Edwin Drood is supposed to marry Rosa Bud, but because he was supposed to do that even before he knew more about her, he gets cold feet.

Enters the stage John Jasper, who plays a sort of villain and an opium addict, infatuated with the same Rosa.

I am not sure about the real nature of Jasper’s obsession with Rosa Bud but it gets ugly from one point on.

The trouble with Edwin is that he does not know the first principle of positive psychology, which was not there to help in the 19th century.

-          Gratitude is that first rule which, if you obey it you are satisfied with your life and what you have

-          When one is not pleased with the wonderful relationships, things that one has- then one can end up on a hedonic treadmill

Instead of appreciating fully his great friend and companion, a woman he greatly appreciates and cares for- Edwin finds shadows in paradise.

-          There are people who make heaven out of hell and others who make hell out of heaven

Now guess what Edwin does.

It is in a way natural, as Proust brilliantly wrote-

-          we want what we do not have, and what we can easily get, we cease to desire  

Rosa and Edwin agree on a manner of separation, before consuming a marriage planned and agreed upon by their respective parents.

But it gets complicated with the interference of Jasper, who is somehow determined to get his hands on Rosa.

In this, he reminded me of Richard III…

Not

-          Now is the winter of our discontent

-          Turned into glorious summer by this son of York

-          And all the clouds that lured upon our sky

-          In the deep bosom of the ocean buried

But the part where Richard III talks the window of the man he just killed into having a relationship with…him

Outrageous and in another I envied this man who has such good communication, negotiation, PR and leadership skills that he could convince the queen of…whatever he wanted.

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