The Problem of 'Edwin Drood': A Study in the Methods of Dickens — John Shaqi
The Problem of 'Edwin Drood': A Study in the Methods of DickensNicoll, W. Robertson (William Robertson), Sir
General
The Problem of 'Edwin Drood': A Study in the Methods of Dickens
Nicoll, W. Robertson (William Robertson), Sir
Cathedrals in literature; Dickens, Charles, 1812-1870. Mystery of Edwin Drood; Murder in literature
Now in a drawing it would be difficult to make a distinction between
the fair hair of Edwin and the slightly darker hair of Tartar; and in
the picture, where we see a girl—Rosa we imagine her to be—seated in
a garden, the young man at her feet is, I feel pretty sure, intended
for Tartar. Edwin it cannot be, nor Neville, as has been supposed,
for he was decidedly dark. Besides this, Neville would not have told
his affection to Rosa, for Helena was far too quick-witted not to
understand from Rosa’s first mention of Tartar that she is already in
love with him, and she would have warned and saved the brother to
whom she was so ardently attached from making any such confession.
The figure is not intended for Jasper, because we know that Jasper
did not move from the sun-dial in the scene where he declares his mad
passion for Rosa, and Jasper had black hair and whiskers. And,
again, the drawing cannot be meant to represent Helena and
Crisparkle, for the young man is not in clerical dress. The figures
going up the stairs are still more difficult to make out; but there
can be little doubt that the active higher one is the same young man
we see at Rosa’s feet, and must therefore be Tartar. Of the
remaining two, one may be Crisparkle, although there is still no
clerical attire, and the other either Grewgious or Neville, though
the drawing certainly bears but little resemblance to either of those
characters.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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