- Born:
- Aug. 15, 1785, Manchester, Lancashire, Eng.
- Died:
- Dec. 8, 1859, Edinburgh, Scot. (aged 74)
Thomas De Quincey
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Who was Thomas De Quincey?
Thomas De Quincey (1785â1859) was an English essayist and critic, famous for his Confessions of an English Opium-Eater. The book combines a journalistic exposĂ© of social evils with a contradictory picture of the pleasures of drug addiction.
De Quincey became an opium addict while at Oxford, and he remained an addict for the rest of his life. In 1807, he became a close associate of William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. After his Confessions made him famous in 1821, De Quincey took the opportunity to rewrite the book in 1856, adding descriptions of opium-inspired dreams.
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What is Thomas De Quincey best known for writing?
Thomas De Quincey (1785-1859) was an English essayist and critic. He is best known for his autobiographical narrative, Confessions of an English Opium-Eater, first published in 1821.
In this work, De Quincey warns readers of opium's dangers whileJournalistically exposing a social evil from an addictâs viewpoint. He also somewhat contradicts this with a seductive picture of the subjective pleasures of drug addiction. The book recounts his addiction, the euphoric reveries he experienced, and the nightmares that followed. His highly poetic and imaginative prose has made Confessions one of the enduring stylistic masterpieces of English literature.
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What is the main subject of De Quincey's famous book, 'Confessions of an English Opium-Eater'?
Confessions of an English Opium-Eater by Thomas De Quincey is an autobiographical narrative that warns readers about opium's dangers. De Quincey recounts his addiction, the euphoric reveries, and the nightmares caused by the drug. The book combines a journalistic exposé of a social evil with a contradictory picture of the pleasures of addiction. De Quincey's imaginative prose has made Confessions one of English literature's enduring masterpieces.
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How did De Quincey's life influence his writing?
Thomas De Quincey's life significantly shaped his writing. His challenging childhood, marked by alienation from his family, his experiences as a runaway at age 17, and his friendship with a prostitute named Ann, deeply impacted him.
His opium addiction, which began in college to relieve facial neuralgia, heavily influenced his most famous work, Confessions of an English Opium-Eater (1821). This book blends a journalistic exposé of opium's dangers with a contradictory picture of the drug's pleasures, detailing his euphoric, symbolic reveries and subsequent nightmares.
Later, De Quincey expanded Confessions, adding autobiographical material about his childhood and London experiences. His "Lake Reminiscences," though subjective and unreliable, offer insights into his relationships with the Lake poets. Despite his eccentricity and opium-induced solitude, his personal experiences remained central to his literary expression.
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What writing style did De Quincey often use in his essays and books?
Thomas De Quincey was known for his highly poetic and imaginative prose, particularly evident in the first version of Confessions of an English Opium-Eater, which is considered one of the enduring stylistic masterpieces of English literature. His style combines a journalistic exposé of social issues with a contradictory depiction of the pleasures of drug addiction. In his rewritten version of Confessions, his literary style became more difficult, involved, and verbose, with additions and digressions that diluted the artistic impact of the original.
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How has Thomas De Quincey influenced other authors and literature after his time?
Thomas De Quincey, known for Confessions of an English Opium-Eater, has had a notable influence on literature and authors after him. His autobiographical work combines a warning about opium's dangers with a portrayal of the subjective pleasures of addiction.
De Quincey's influence stems from his highly poetic and imaginative prose, making Confessions an enduring stylistic masterpiece. The work includes descriptions of euphoric reveries and nightmares, contributing to its impact.
His literary criticism, exemplified by "On the Knocking at the Gate in Macbeth," also showcases his psychological insight and remains a classic of Shakespearean criticism.
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Thomas De Quincey (born Aug. 15, 1785, Manchester, Lancashire, Eng.âdied Dec. 8, 1859, Edinburgh, Scot.) was an English essayist and critic, best known for his Confessions of an English Opium-Eater.
As a child De Quincey was alienated from his solid, prosperous mercantile family by his sensitivity and precocity. At the age of 17 he ran away to Wales and then lived incognito in London (1802â03). There he formed a friendship with a young prostitute named Ann, who made a lasting impression on him. Reconciled to his family in 1803, he entered Worcester College, Oxford, where he conceived the ambition of becoming âthe intellectual benefactor of mankind.â He became widely read in many subjects and eventually would write essays on such subjects as history, biography, economics, psychology, and German metaphysics. While still at college in 1804, he took his first opium to relieve the pain of facial neuralgia. By 1813 he had become âa regular and confirmed opium-eaterâ (i.e., an opium addict), keeping a decanter of laudanum (tincture of opium) by his elbow and steadily increasing the dose; he remained an addict for the rest of his life.
De Quincey was an early admirer of Lyrical Ballads, and in 1807 he became a close associate of its authors, William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. He rented Wordsworthâs former home, Dove Cottage at Grasmere, on and off from 1809 to 1833. In 1817 De Quincey married Margaret Simpson, who had already borne him a son. Though he wrote voluminously, he published almost nothing. His financial position as head of a large family went from bad to worse until the appearance of Confessions (1821) in London Magazine made him famous. It was reprinted as a book in 1822.
The avowed purpose of the first version of the Confessions is to warn the reader of the dangers of opium, and it combines the interest of a journalistic exposĂ© of a social evil, told from an insiderâs point of view, with a somewhat contradictory picture of the subjective pleasures of drug addiction. The book begins with an autobiographical account of the authorâs addiction, describes in detail the euphoric and highly symbolic reveries that he experienced under the drugâs influence, and recounts the horrible nightmares that continued use of the drug eventually produced. The highly poetic and imaginative prose of the Confessions makes it one of the enduring stylistic masterpieces of English literature.
In 1856 he seized the opportunity provided by the publication of his collected works to rewrite the book that had made him famous. He added some descriptions of opium-inspired dreams that had appeared about 1845 in Blackwoodâs Magazine under the title Suspiria de Profundis (âSighs from the Depthsâ). But by this time he had lost most of the accounts he had kept of his early opium visions, so he expanded the rather short original version of the Confessions in other ways, adding much autobiographical material on his childhood and his experiences as a youth in London. His literary style in the revised version of the Confessions, however, tends to be difficult, involved, and even verbose.
Among De Quinceyâs other autobiographical writings, the so-called Lake Reminiscences (first printed in Taitâs Magazine, 1834â40), which deeply offended Wordsworth and the other Lake poets, remains of great interest, although it is highly subjective, not without malice, and unreliable in matters of detail. As a literary critic De Quincey is best known for his essay âOn the Knocking at the Gate in Macbethâ (first printed in the London Magazine, October 1823), a brilliant piece of psychological insight and a classic of Shakespearean criticism.
De Quincey became increasingly solitary and eccentric, especially after his wifeâs death in 1837, and he often retreated for long periods into opium dreams. Of the more than 14 volumes of his work, only the original Confessions is a definitive literary expression.
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