Mystery of Edwin Drood, The, is an unfinished novel by the English author Charles Dickens that tells of a broken engagement and a mysterious disappearance. Dickens died before he could complete the novel. Only 6 of the 12 planned parts of the novel were completed. The Mystery of Edwin Drood was first published in 1870, the year of Dickens’s death. See Dickens, Charles.
Edwin Drood and Rosa Bud were engaged to be married to each other by their fathers, who have since died. Their fathers agreed that the two would marry as soon as Edwin came of age. However, Edwin and Rosa do not love each other. Rosa was brought up in a provincial school run by Miss Twinkleton. Edwin’s uncle, John Jasper, is precentor (leader of the choir) of the cathedral in the same town and gives Rosa music lessons. He is deeply in love with her, but his sinister character repels her. Another pair of orphans, Helena and Neville Landless, then arrive on the scene. Neville admires Rosa and is critical of Edwin’s lack of appreciation for her. Jasper quietly encourages their hostility, and the two young men quarrel violently.
On the eve of their marriage, Edwin and Rosa agree to end their engagement. Edwin disappears the same night in circumstances that indicate foul play. Jasper helps to spread the idea that Edwin was killed by Neville, who is arrested. Neville is freed because there is no physical evidence of a murder. After his release, he is shunned by society and disguises himself as a student in London. Jasper continues to pursue Rosa, who runs away to Mr. Grewgious, her benevolent guardian in London, for protection. The rest of the novel is concerned with Jasper’s pursuit of Rosa and his plots against Neville. Grewgious attempts to foil Jasper with the assistance of Crisparkle, a minor church official, and Tartar, a retired naval officer. The other significant aspect of the plot concerns the mysterious Datchery, who plots against Jasper.
Dickens left no clues regarding his planned outcome of the novel, though his biographer and his illustrator both claim he told them in conversation that Jasper was the murderer. Many people have suggested possible endings for the story, including the idea that Datchery was in fact Drood, who had survived and returned in disguise. Others have suggested that Datchery was one of several other characters in disguise, including Grewgious and Helena Landless. There have been several attempts to complete The Mystery of Edwin Drood since its publication.
