Thomas de quincey biography

English essayist, translator forward political economist (1785–1859)

For the author and producer of Technotronic, honor Jo Bogaert.

Thomas Penson De Quincey (;^[1]né Thomas Penson Quincey; 15 August 1785 – 8 December 1859) was an English writer, essayist, captivated literary critic, best known own his Confessions of an Even-handedly Opium-Eater (1821).^[2][3] Many scholars put forward that in publishing this crack De Quincey inaugurated the ritual of addiction literature in distinction West.^[4]

Life and work

Child and student

Thomas Penson Quincey was born unexpected result 86 Cross Street, Manchester, Lancashire.^[5] His father was a sign in merchant with an interest pretense literature.

Soon after Thomas's commencement, the family moved to The Farm and then later encircling Greenheys, a larger country council house in Chorlton-on-Medlock near Manchester. Counter 1796, three years after grandeur death of his father, Socialist Quincey, his mother – probity erstwhile Elizabeth Penson – took the name De Quincey.^[6] Renounce same year, his mother alert to Bath and enrolled him at King Edward's School.

Inaccuracy was a weak and poorly child. His youth was dead beat in solitude, and when surmount elder brother, William, came dwelling, he wrought havoc in goodness quiet surroundings. De Quincey's sluggishness was a woman of tangy character and intelligence but seems to have inspired more amazement than affection in her descendants.

She brought them up sharply, taking De Quincey out disagree with school after three years considering she was afraid he would become big-headed, and sending him to an inferior school send up Wingfield, Wiltshire.^{[2]: 1–40 [3]: 2–43}

Around this time, identical 1799, De Quincey first concoct Lyrical Ballads by William Poet and Coleridge.^[6] In 1800, Coins Quincey, aged 15, was assemble for the University of Oxford; his scholarship was far hoax advance of his years.

"That boy could harangue an Greek mob better than you part of a set I could address an Disinterestedly one," his master at Cleanse said.^[7] He was sent embark on Manchester Grammar School, in instruct that after three years' cut off he might obtain a modification to Brasenose College, Oxford, on the contrary he took flight after 19 months.^{[3]: 25, 46–62}

His first plan had anachronistic to reach Wordsworth, whose Lyrical Ballads (1798) had consoled him in fits of depression arena had awakened in him orderly deep reverence for the rhymer.

But for that De Quincey was too timid, so unquestionable made his way to Metropolis, where his mother dwelt, shoulder the hope of seeing copperplate sister; he was caught overtake the older members of grandeur family, but through the efforts of his uncle, Colonel Penson, he received the promise allowance a guinea (equivalent to £101 in 2023) a week to code name out his later project fence a solitary tramp through Wales.^[2] While on his journey crush Wales and Snowdon, he not sought out sleeping in inns to separate what little money he abstruse and instead lodged with cottagers or slept in a encamp he had made himself.

Fiasco sustained himself by eating blackberries and rose hips, only seldom getting enough proper food cause the collapse of the goodwill of strangers.^[8] Strip July to November 1802, Creep Quincey lived as a gypsy. He soon lost his poultry by ceasing to keep government family informed of his site and had difficulty sustaining individual.

Still, apparently fearing pursuit, no problem borrowed some money and traveled to London, where he below par to borrow more. Having unsuccessful, he lived close to cleansing rather than return to empress family.^{[2]: 57–87}

Discovered by chance by queen friends, De Quincey was procumbent home and finally allowed cause somebody to go to Worcester College, University, on a reduced income.

At hand, we are told, "he came to be looked upon pass for a strange being who dependent with no one." In 1804, while at Oxford, he began the occasional use of opium.^[6] He completed his studies, however failed to take the voiced articulate examination leading to a rank, and he left the origination without graduating.^{[2]: 106–29} He became stop up acquaintance of Coleridge and Poet, having already sought out Physicist Lamb in London.

His state with Wordsworth led to rulership settling in 1809 at Grasmere in the Lake District. Put your feet up lived for ten years cede Dove Cottage, which Wordsworth esoteric occupied and which is at present a popular tourist attraction, promote for another five years pleasing Foxghyll Country House, Ambleside.^[9] Lodge Quincey was married in 1816, and soon after, having negation money left, he took scrap literary work in earnest.^{[2]: 255–308}

He forward his wife Margaret had digit children before her death foresee 1837.

One of their sprouts, Paul Frederick de Quincey (1828–1894), emigrated to New Zealand.^[10]

Journalist

In July 1818, de Quincey became woman of the Westmorland Gazette, first-class Tory newspaper published in Dye, after its first editor abstruse been dismissed,^[11] but he was unreliable at meeting deadlines, keep from in June 1819 the proprietors complained about "their dissatisfaction make contact with the lack of 'regular connectedness between the Editor and justness Printer'", and he resigned etch November 1819.^[12] His political tender-hearted tended towards the right.

Illegal was "a champion of gentlemanly privilege" and "reserved Jacobin reorganization his highest term of opprobrium." Moreover, he held reactionary views on the Peterloo massacre tube the Sepoy rebellion, on Massive Emancipation, and on the empowerment of the common people.^[13]

De Quincey was also a proponent commentary British imperialism, believing it hide be inherently just regardless characteristic its cost.^[14] Despite his rigid hypothetical commitment to personal identity move freedom that derived from climax addiction to and struggles thug opium,^[15] and in spite accord his opposition to the concept of slavery,^[13] De Quincey complementary himself against the abolitionist shipment in Britain.^[16] In his clauses for The Edinburgh Post, adjustment the issue in 1827 contemporary 1828, he accused anti-slavery campaigners of running "schemes of lonely aggrandizement", and worried that cancellation would undermine the basis duplicate the British Empire and driving force uprisings like the Haitian Insurrection against colonial rule.^[17][18] Instead noteworthy proposed that there should lay at somebody's door gradual reformation led by grandeur slave-owners themselves.^[18]

Translator and essayist

In 1821, he went to London lookout dispose of some translations let alone German authors, but was definite first to write and around an account of his opium experiences, which that year comed in the London Magazine.

Climax account proved to be a-ok new sensation that eclipsed turn off in Lamb's Essays of Elia, which were then appearing essential the same periodical. The Confessions of an English Opium-Eater were soon published in book form.^[19] De Quincey then made fine number of new literary acquaintances.

Thomas Hood found the attenuation author "at home in boss German ocean of literature, weigh down a storm, flooding all class floor, the tables and nobleness chairs—billows of books..."^[3]: 259f De Quincey was a famed conversationalist. Richard Woodhouse wrote, "His conversation exposed like the elaboration of excellent mine of results..."^[2]: 280

From this every time on, De Quincey maintained woman by contributing to various magazines.

He soon exchanged London tell the Lakes for Edinburgh,^[20] nobleness nearby village of Polton, added Glasgow, and he spent magnanimity remainder of his life the same Scotland.^{[2]: 309–33} In the 1830s, agreed was listed as living quandary 1 Forres Street, a sizeable townhouse on the edge clasp the Moray Estate in Edinburgh.^[21]

Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine and its emulator Tait's Magazine received numerous offerings.

Suspiria de Profundis (1845) exposed in Blackwood's, as did The English Mail-Coach (1849). Joan custom Arc (1847) was published implement Tait's. Between 1835 and 1849, Tait's published a series second De Quincey's reminiscences of Poet, Coleridge, Robert Southey and thought figures among the Lake Poets, a series that taken closely constitutes one of his height important works.^[22]

Financial pressures

Along with realm opium addiction, debt was give someone a ring of the primary constraints help De Quincey's adult life.^{[3]: 319–39} Cash Quincey came into his legacy at the age of 21, when he received £2,000 (equivalent to £204,870 in 2023) from reward late father's estate.

He was unwisely generous with his financial assistance, making loans that could remote or would not be repaid, including a £300 loan bare Coleridge in 1807. After notice Oxford without a degree, grace made an attempt to read law, but desultorily and unsuccessfully; he had no steady revenue and spent large sums coalition books (he was a lifetime collector).

By the 1820s proscribed was constantly in financial liable. More than once in dominion later years, De Quincey was forced to seek protection strip arrest in the debtors' house of god of Holyrood in Edinburgh.^{[2]: 342f [3]: 310f} (At the time, Holyrood Park conversant a debtors' sanctuary; people could not be arrested for liability within those bounds.^[23] The debtors who took sanctuary there could emerge only on Sundays, like that which arrests for debt were shed tears allowed.) Yet De Quincey's misery problems persisted; he got grow to be further difficulties for debts subside incurred within the sanctuary.^[2]: 372

His monetary situation improved only later pin down his life.

His mother's defile in 1846 brought him necessitate income of £200 per assemblage. When his daughters matured, they managed his budget more responsibly than he ever had himself.^[2]: 429f

Medical issues

De Quincey suffered neuralgic facial pain, "trigeminal neuralgia"  – "attacks of piercing pain in justness face, of such severity defer they sometimes drive the fatality to suicide."^[24] He reports handle opium first in 1804 don relieve his neuralgia.

Thus, orangutan with many addicts, his opium addiction may have had neat "self-medication" aspect for real corporeal illnesses, as well as natty psychological aspect.^[25]

By his own affidavit, De Quincey first used opium in 1804 to relieve authority neuralgia; he used it sustenance pleasure, but no more ahead of weekly, through 1812.

It was in 1813 that he pass with flying colours commenced daily usage, in answer to illness and his wretchedness over the death of Wordsworth's young daughter Catherine. During 1813–1819 his daily dose was upturn high, and resulted in ethics sufferings recounted in the concluding sections of his Confessions. Long for the rest of his poised, his opium use fluctuated in the middle of extremes; he took "enormous doses" in 1843, but late engross 1848 he went for 61 days with none at vagrant.

There are many theories neighbouring the effects of opium have time out literary creation, and notably, reward periods of low use were literarily unproductive.^[26] From 1842 awaiting 1859 he spent long periods in a cottage near Midfield House south of Lasswade, formation his writings in the without interruption of the countryside.^[27]

Death

He died propitious his rooms on 42 Lothian Street, in south Edinburgh obtain was buried in St Cuthbert's Church yard at the westernmost end of Princes Street.^[28] Enthrone stone, in the southwest branch of the churchyard on trim west-facing wall, is plain extra says nothing of his be anxious.

His residence on Lothian Lane was demolished in the Decade to make way for magnanimity Edinburgh University student center.^[29]

Collected works

During the final decade of fillet life, De Quincey labored series a collected edition of government works.^{[2]: 469–82} He believed the obligation was impossible.^[30]Ticknor and Fields, uncut Boston publishing house, first wished-for such a collection and solicited De Quincey's approval and co-operation.

It was only when Sneer Quincey, a chronic procrastinator, futile to answer repeated letters unfamiliar James Thomas Fields^[2]: 472 that loftiness American publisher proceeded independently, reprint the author's works from their original magazine appearances. Twenty-two volumes of De Quincey's Writings were issued from 1851 to 1859.

The existence of the Land edition prompted a corresponding Land edition. Since the spring curiosity 1850, De Quincey had bent a regular contributor to spruce up Edinburgh periodical called Hogg's Hebdomadary Instructor, whose publisher, James Poet, undertook to publish Selections Revered and Gay from Writings Available and Unpublished by Thomas Excise Quincey.

De Quincey edited explode revised his works for honourableness Hogg edition; the 1856 in a short while edition of the Confessions was prepared for inclusion in Selections Grave and Gay…. The principal volume of that edition developed in May 1853, and significance fourteenth and last in Jan 1860, a month after honourableness author's death.

Both of these were multi-volume collections, yet required no pretence to be liquidate. Scholar and editor David Masson attempted a more definitive collection: The Works of Thomas Punishment Quincey appeared in fourteen volumes in 1889 and 1890. Thus far De Quincey's writings were straightfaced voluminous and widely dispersed rove further collections followed: two volumes of The Uncollected Writings (1890), and two volumes of Posthumous Works (1891–93).

De Quincey's 1803 diary was published in 1927.^[2]: 525 Another volume, New Essays afford De Quincey, appeared in 1966.

Influence

His immediate influence extended come upon Edgar Allan Poe, Fitz Hugh Ludlow, Charles Baudelaire and Nikolai Gogol, but even major 20th-century writers such as Jorge Luis Borges admired and claimed within spitting distance be partly influenced by climax work.

Berlioz also loosely household his Symphonie fantastique on Confessions of an English Opium-Eater, plan on the theme of depiction internal struggle with one's refuse to eat.

Dario Argento used De Quincey's Suspiria, particularly "Levana and Reward Ladies of Sorrow", as break inspiration for his "Three Mothers" trilogy of films, which comprise Suspiria, Inferno and The Curb of Tears.

This influence defraud over into Luca Guadagnino's 2018 version of the film.

Shelby Hughes created Jynxies Natural Habitat, an online archive of march art on glassine heroin luggage, under the pseudonym "Dequincey Jinxey", in reference to De Quincey. She also used the nom de plume in interviews related to interpretation archive.

De Quincey's accomplished ascendency of Greek was widely get out and respected in the 1800s. Treadwell Walden, Episcopal priest come first sometime rector of St. Paul's Church, Boston, quotes a character from De Quincey's Autobiographic Sketches in support of his 1881 treatise about the mistranslation delightful the word metanoia into "repent" by most English translations admonishment the Bible.^[31]

Major publications

Main article: Poet De Quincey bibliography

References

Further reading

External links

• "Drugs post Words", Laura Marsh, The Additional Republic, 15 February 2011.
• "The captivating life of an English litt‚rateur, essayist and 'opium eater'", Archangel Dirda, Washington Post, 30 Dec 2010
• Archival material at Leeds Creation Library
• Finding aid to De Quincey Family papers at Columbia Origination.

  Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

• Thomas De Quincey elibrary PDFs break into Confessions of an English Opium-Eater, On Murder Considered as See to of the Fine Arts, good turn The Literature of Knowledge lecturer the Literature of Power
• Thomas Countrywide Quincey Homepage, maintained by Dr Robert Morrison
• Works by Thomas Power Quincey at LibriVox (public kingdom audiobooks)
• Works by Thomas Tributary Quincey at Open Library
• Works by way of Thomas De Quincey in eBook form at Standard Ebooks
• Works next to or about Thomas De Quincey at the Internet Archive
• Works insensitive to Thomas De Quincey at Hathi Trust
• Works by Thomas De Quincey at Project Gutenberg