Learn about The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens. Explore the plot summary and examine John Jasper, Edwin Drood, Rosa, and other characters in the novel.
Updated: 11/21/2023
The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Dickens | Summary & Characters
Table of Contents
- The Mystery of Edwin Drood
- The Mystery of Edwin Drood Summary
- Characters in The Mystery of Edwin Drood
- Lesson Summary
Frequently Asked Questions
What is unusual about ''The Mystery of Edwin Drood''?
The Mystery of Edwin Drood is unusual because it is unfinished. Charles Dickens originally intended to write the novel in twelve parts, but he only wrote six before passing away.
Was ''The Mystery of Edwin Drood ever finished''?
The Mystery of Edwin Drood was never finished. Charles Dickens passed away from a stroke before he could finish this novel.
Table of Contents
- The Mystery of Edwin Drood
- The Mystery of Edwin Drood Summary
- Characters in The Mystery of Edwin Drood
- Lesson Summary
The Mystery of Edwin Drood is a novel by Charles Dickens, a famous English writer who penned many popular works, including A Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations, and Oliver Twist. The Mystery of Edwin Drood was written in six parts and published serially in 1870. It was also published posthumously, meaning those who published it did so after Dickens' death. Because Dickens was in the middle of writing The Mystery of Edwin Drood when he passed away, it is an unfinished novel.
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The Mystery of Edwin Drood is set in a fictional town called Cloisterham during the 1870s. Cloisterham is meant to represent the real-life city of Rochester. A man called John Jasper is a choirmaster at a cathedral. The novel opens with him leaving an opium den, revealing to readers that he is an opium addict. His nephew, Edwin Drood, approaches him to air some concerns. Edwin's late father has arranged for him to be engaged to marry a girl named Rosa Bud, but he is feeling doubtful about the engagement. John Jasper is secretly in love with Rosa, and this news excites him. Edwin goes to visit Rosa at the Nuns' house, which is a boarding school where she resides.
A few days later, a pair of twins named Helena and Neville Landless arrive in Cloisterham. Helena goes to live at the Nuns' house, and Rosa entrusts Helena with the secret that she is terrified of her music teacher, who is none other than John Jasper. Neville falls in love with Rosa at first sight, and he is infuriated that Edwin is unsure about wanting to marry her. He and Edwin fight, and John Jasper uses this fight to spread rumors among the townspeople that Neville is a violent individual.
Eventually, Edwin and Rosa agree to break off their engagement. On Christmas Eve, Edwin is trying to get his watch repaired, and he encounters a woman who is an opium user and runs in the same circles as John Jasper. She asks Edwin his name, and when he tells her it is Edwin, she says he should be relieved it isn't "Ned" because "Ned" is in a lot of danger. The implication is that John Jasper, who calls Edwin by the nickname "Ned," has been talking behind Edwin's back with other opium users about how he has it out for Edwin. Later that night, Edwin and Neville have dinner together and reconcile.
The day after Neville and Edwin reconcile, Edwin goes missing. John Jasper tries to make it appear as if Neville murdered Edwin. When Neville tries to go hiking, the people of Cloisterham form an angry mob and prevent him from leaving town. The next day, some of Edwin's belongings are found by a river. A few months later, a man called Dick Datchery comes to Cloisterham. He starts asking questions about Edwin's disappearance, but he is unsuccessful in finding answers.
John Jasper accosts Rosa at the Nuns' house and reveals his love for her. When Rosa does not return that love, John Jasper threatens to kill Neville unless she loves him back. This is significant because not only is Neville Helena's brother, Rosa is also in love with Neville. Frightened, Rosa flees town and goes to London to stay with her guardian. Back in Cloisterham, John Jasper attends an opium den. After he leaves the den, the owner of the den follows him home. Dick Datchery is outside John Jasper's home, and the owner decides to tell him John Jasper's name and occupation. The owner of the den shows up the next day to a service at the cathedral where John Jasper works and shakes her fists at him. The story ends here, incomplete because of Dickens' death.
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The following is a list of the main characters in The Mystery of Edwin Drood.
John Jasper
John Jasper is the choirmaster of a cathedral in Cloisterham. He is Edwin Drood's uncle, and he is presumed to be the reason for Edwin's disappearance. He is in love with Rosa Bud, who is his music student and Edwin's fiancee. John Jasper is also a secret opium addict, and he talks to his fellow opium users about how he has it out for "Ned," which is his nickname for Edwin. When John Jasper professes his love to Rosa, she rejects him, so he threatens to kill Neville.
Edwin Drood
Edwin Drood is the nephew of John Jasper. At the beginning of this novel, he is engaged to Rosa. However, he expresses doubts about their engagement. This gets him in trouble with Neville Landless, who falls in love with Rosa at first sight. In the end, Edwin and Rosa decide that since the marriage was arranged by both of their late fathers, they should call the engagement off.
Rosa
Rosa is an orphan who is initially engaged to Edwin Drood. She is the music student of John Jasper, who is secretly in love with her. However, she finds John Jasper off-putting and terrifying, and she tells her friend Helena Landless about these feelings. She is in love with Neville Landless, and when John Jasper threatens to kill Neville if Rosa rejects Jasper, she flees to London to seek shelter with a guardian.
Neville Landless
Neville Landless is the twin brother of Helena Landless. They move to Cloisterham near the beginning of the novel, and Neville falls in love with Rosa Bud at first sight. This causes conflict for him; he doesn't understand why Edwin is on the fence about marrying Rosa, and this causes him to get violent. John Jasper uses Neville's violent outburst to frame him as a violent, dangerous person so that when Edwin disappears, Jasper can hold Neville responsible.
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The Mystery of Edwin Drood is a novel written by Charles Dickens. It is an unfinished novel because Dickens passed away in the middle of writing it. This novel is set in the fictional town of Cloisterham. John Jasper is the choirmaster of a local cathedral, but he is also secretly an opium addict. He is in love with one of his music students, Rosa Bud. However, Rosa is engaged to be married to Jasper's nephew, Edwin Drood. Twins Helena and Neville Landless move to Cloisterham, and Neville falls in love with Rosa at first sight. Rosa loves Neville back, and she and Edwin break their engagement. One day, Edwin disappears, and John Jasper sets Neville up to take responsibility. A few months later, a strange man called Dick Datchery comes to Cloisterham to investigate Edwin's disappearance. One of John Jasper's fellow opium users gives Jasper's personal information to Datchery. The novel ends here due the Charles Dickens's passing.
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Additional Info
A Double Mystery
Charles Dickens, a famous author during the 1800s, penned many iconic stories during his prolific writing career, but perhaps his most mysterious book is the one he died before finishing, The Mystery of Edwin Drood. One of his most famous books was A Christmas Carol, but he also wrote Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, and many other well-known novels. During a difficult period of his childhood, Dickens was forced to work in a factory to help support his impoverished family. However, one of his subsequent jobs helped propel him to a writing career, first as a journalist and eventually as a celebrated author. Let's take a look at his final work, The Mystery of Edwin Drood.
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The Beginning for Edwin Drood
The Mystery of Edwin Drood is the story of Edwin Drood, a young man who was apprenticing and being cared for by his uncle, John Jasper. Although his uncle was not much older than he was, they were friends and had a close relationship. Edwin, a good man by all accounts, was engaged to Rosa, a young woman whose father knew Drood's father years before. However, both Drood and Rosa realized they were mostly friends with no romantic feelings for each other, so they called off their engagement.
Jasper, an opium addict, was obsessed with Rosa. Scared by his advances, Rosa did not return his affections. By this point in the novel, two new people came into the lives of Edwin, Jasper, and Rosa: siblings Helena and Neville Landless. Helena started at the finishing school with Rosa and they became fast friends. Neville started work under another friend of Drood's and Jasper's, Mr. Crisparkle. Crisparkle introduced Neville to Drood and his uncle in hopes they would all get along; however, Neville and Drood did not.
However, Neville and Rosa fell in love, spelling danger for everyone involved. Neville started to take offense to the closeness of Edwin and Rosa, and Jasper was jealous of Neville's attentions altogether. He also realized that Rosa felt the same for Neville, which made him angrier.
Edwin Drood Vanishes
Edwin Drood turned up missing shortly thereafter, and no one knew what happened to him. The authorities thought perhaps it was Neville, since he had issues with Drood, but they could not find any evidence to charge him, so he was allowed to leave. However, his reputation was ruined, so he moved away. Jasper swore vengeance upon Neville for killing his nephew and started to follow him, but his intentions were unclear.
During this portion of the story, a new and unknown man came into town, Dick Datchery. With white hair and an odd manner, he seemed to be looking into Drood's disappearance as well. However, this is where the story ends. Charles Dickens unfortunately died of a stroke before he could conclude his tale. Although there was speculation that Jasper was going to be identified as the killer, no one knows for sure.
Lesson Summary
The Mystery of Edwin Drood tells of a young man, Edwin Drood, who is set to be married to Rosa. They call it off in a cordial fashion; however, Drood's uncle Jasper is obsessed with Rosa and has his own designs on winning her affection, making her very scared of his intentions. Then Dickens throws more kindling on the fire and introduces a new love interest for Rosa, Neville. By this point, everyone is tense with one another; and then, Drood goes missing. When Dickens suddenly dies of a stroke, the story is left unfinished. The fates of Edwin Drood, Rosa, Jasper, Neville, and Helena remain forever a mystery.
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The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Dickens | Summary & Characters
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