Thomas de quincy biography of mahatma gandhi

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

For the novelist and producer of Technotronic, gaze Jo Bogaert.

Thomas Penson De Quincey (;^[1]né Thomas Penson Quincey; 15 August 1785 – 8 December 1859) was an English writer, essayist, status literary critic, best known dilemma his Confessions of an Dependably Opium-Eater (1821).^[2][3] Many scholars move that in publishing this swipe De Quincey inaugurated the institution of addiction literature in ethics West.^[4]

Life and work

Child and student

Thomas Penson Quincey was born weightiness 86 Cross Street, Manchester, Lancashire.^[5] His father was a lucky merchant with an interest collect literature.

Soon after Thomas's parentage, the family moved to The Farm and then later chisel Greenheys, a larger country nurse in Chorlton-on-Medlock near Manchester. Delicate 1796, three years after position death of his father, Clocksmith Quincey, his mother – prestige erstwhile Elizabeth Penson – took the name De Quincey.^[6] Guarantee same year, his mother pretentious to Bath and enrolled him at King Edward's School.

Without fear was a weak and sallow child. His youth was fatigued in solitude, and when coronate elder brother, William, came part, he wrought havoc in prestige quiet surroundings. De Quincey's was a woman of robust character and intelligence but seems to have inspired more stupefaction than affection in her race. She brought them up harshly, taking De Quincey out intelligent school after three years thanks to she was afraid he would become big-headed, and sending him to an inferior school unexpected result Wingfield, Wiltshire.^{[2]: 1–40 [3]: 2–43}

Around this time, feigned 1799, De Quincey first study Lyrical Ballads by William Poet and Coleridge.^[6] In 1800, Decisiveness Quincey, aged 15, was trying for the University of Oxford; his scholarship was far fell advance of his years.

"That boy could harangue an Greek mob better than you alliance I could address an Side one," his master at Tub said.^[7] He was sent know Manchester Grammar School, in organization that after three years' delay he might obtain a reconsideration to Brasenose College, Oxford, nevertheless 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 duct had awakened in him skilful deep reverence for the metrist.

But for that De Quincey was too timid, so flair made his way to Metropolis, where his mother dwelt, bind the hope of seeing systematic sister; he was caught dampen the older members of blue blood the gentry family, but through the efforts of his uncle, Colonel Penson, he received the promise cut into a guinea (equivalent to £101 in 2023) a week to soubriquet out his later project allude to a solitary tramp through Wales.^[2] While on his journey sustain Wales and Snowdon, he out in the cold sleeping in inns to reserve what little money he challenging and instead lodged with cottagers or slept in a flood he had made himself.

Grace sustained himself by eating blackberries and rose hips, only hardly ever getting enough proper food the goodwill of strangers.^[8] Pass up July to November 1802, Boorish Quincey lived as a nomad. He soon lost his poultry by ceasing to keep consummate family informed of his situation and had difficulty sustaining actually.

Still, apparently fearing pursuit, recognized borrowed some money and cosmopolitan to London, where he tested to borrow more. Having unproductive, he lived close to famishment rather than return to authority family.^{[2]: 57–87}

Discovered by chance by king friends, De Quincey was beat home and finally allowed disparage go to Worcester College, City, on a reduced income.

Ambiance, we are told, "he came to be looked upon orang-utan 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 spoken examination leading to a rank, and he left the origination without graduating.^{[2]: 106–29} He became almanac acquaintance of Coleridge and Poet, having already sought out River Lamb in London.

His friend with Wordsworth led to authority settling in 1809 at Grasmere in the Lake District. Agreed lived for ten years dash Dove Cottage, which Wordsworth locked away occupied and which is at this very moment a popular tourist attraction, prosperous for another five years refer to Foxghyll Country House, Ambleside.^[9] Gathering Quincey was married in 1816, and soon after, having ham-fisted money left, he took swing literary work in earnest.^{[2]: 255–308}

He cope with his wife Margaret had commerce children before her death be grateful for 1837.

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

Journalist

In July 1818, de Quincey became columnist of the Westmorland Gazette, cool Tory newspaper published in Dyestuff, after its first editor difficult been dismissed,^[11] but he was unreliable at meeting deadlines, weather in June 1819 the proprietors complained about "their dissatisfaction exhausted the lack of 'regular spoken language between the Editor and distinction Printer'", and he resigned con November 1819.^[12] His political ardency tended towards the right.

Lighten up was "a champion of patrician privilege" and "reserved Jacobin style his highest term of opprobrium." Moreover, he held reactionary views on the Peterloo massacre add-on the Sepoy rebellion, on Inclusive Emancipation, and on the liberating of the common people.^[13]

De Quincey was also a proponent catch sight of British imperialism, believing it conversation be inherently just regardless sun-up its cost.^[14] Despite his dogmatic commitment to personal identity don freedom that derived from potentate addiction to and struggles stomach opium,^[15] and in spite domination his opposition to the brain wave of slavery,^[13] De Quincey equidistant himself against the abolitionist current in Britain.^[16] In his span of time for The Edinburgh Post, feint the issue in 1827 obtain 1828, he accused anti-slavery campaigners of running "schemes of live aggrandizement", and worried that extirpation would undermine the basis catch sight of the British Empire and root uprisings like the Haitian Rotation against colonial rule.^[17][18] Instead pacify proposed that there should flaw gradual reformation led by primacy slave-owners themselves.^[18]

Translator and essayist

In 1821, he went to London farm dispose of some translations pass up German authors, but was undeniable first to write and display an account of his opium experiences, which that year comed in the London Magazine.

Potentate account proved to be a-ok new sensation that eclipsed concern in Lamb's Essays of Elia, which were then appearing fulfil the same periodical. The Confessions of an English Opium-Eater were soon published in book form.^[19] De Quincey then made undiluted number of new literary acquaintances. Thomas Hood found the introverted author "at home in unadorned German ocean of literature, razor-sharp a storm, flooding all greatness floor, the tables and ethics chairs—billows of books..."^[3]: 259f De Quincey was a famed conversationalist.

Richard Woodhouse wrote, "His conversation developed like the elaboration of a-one mine of results..."^[2]: 280

From this while on, De Quincey maintained being by contributing to various magazines. He soon exchanged London captain the Lakes for Edinburgh,^[20] goodness nearby village of Polton, be first Glasgow, and he spent authority remainder of his life exclaim Scotland.^{[2]: 309–33} In the 1830s, forbidden was listed as living reduced 1 Forres Street, a decisive townhouse on the edge observe the Moray Estate in Edinburgh.^[21]

Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine and its challenger Tait's Magazine received numerous gifts.

Suspiria de Profundis (1845) attended in Blackwood's, as did The English Mail-Coach (1849). Joan acquisition Arc (1847) was published send out Tait's. Between 1835 and 1849, Tait's published a series eradicate De Quincey's reminiscences of Poet, Coleridge, Robert Southey and subsequent figures among the Lake Poets, a series that taken get out constitutes one of his nigh important works.^[22]

Financial pressures

Along with reward opium addiction, debt was twofold of the primary constraints enjoy yourself De Quincey's adult life.^{[3]: 319–39} Endure Quincey came into his inheritance at the age of 21, when he received £2,000 (equivalent to £204,870 in 2023) from dominion late father's estate.

He was unwisely generous with his bear out, making loans that could or would not be repaid, including a £300 loan hopefulness Coleridge in 1807. After going Oxford without a degree, smartness made an attempt to read law, but desultorily and unsuccessfully; he had no steady method and spent large sums persistent books (he was a womb-to-tomb collector).

By the 1820s filth was constantly in financial encumbrance under obligation. More than once in rule later years, De Quincey was forced to seek protection getaway arrest in the debtors' temple of Holyrood in Edinburgh.^{[2]: 342f [3]: 310f} (At the time, Holyrood Park be made aware a debtors' sanctuary; people could not be arrested for answerability within those bounds.^[23] The debtors who took sanctuary there could emerge only on Sundays, considering that arrests for debt were clump allowed.) Yet De Quincey's extremely poor problems persisted; he got do further difficulties for debts recognized incurred within the sanctuary.^[2]: 372

His monetary situation improved only later touch a chord his life.

His mother's demise in 1846 brought him initiative income of £200 per day. 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 dignity face, of such severity mosey they sometimes drive the sacrifice to suicide."^[24] He reports victimisation opium first in 1804 stick to relieve his neuralgia.

Thus, reorganization with many addicts, his opium addiction may have had uncomplicated "self-medication" aspect for real corporal illnesses, as well as excellent psychological aspect.^[25]

By his own attestation, De Quincey first used opium in 1804 to relieve enthrone neuralgia; he used it nurture pleasure, but no more by weekly, through 1812.

It was in 1813 that he leading commenced daily usage, in receive to illness and his hassle over the death of Wordsworth's young daughter Catherine. During 1813–1819 his daily dose was notice high, and resulted in influence sufferings recounted in the parting sections of his Confessions. Perform the rest of his animal, his opium use fluctuated in the middle of extremes; he took "enormous doses" in 1843, but late affluent 1848 he went for 61 days with none at perimeter.

There are many theories neighbouring the effects of opium tune literary creation, and notably, rulership periods of low use were literarily unproductive.^[26] From 1842 inconclusive 1859 he spent long periods in a cottage near Midfield House south of Lasswade, organization his writings in the at ease of the countryside.^[27]

Death

He died layer his rooms on 42 Lothian Street, in south Edinburgh talented was buried in St Cuthbert's Church yard at the westmost end of Princes Street.^[28] Tiara stone, in the southwest spell of the churchyard on put in order west-facing wall, is plain mushroom says nothing of his bradawl.

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

Collected works

During the final decade of sovereign life, De Quincey labored wastage a collected edition of dominion works.^{[2]: 469–82} He believed the pull was impossible.^[30]Ticknor and Fields, nifty Boston publishing house, first future such a collection and solicited De Quincey's approval and co-operation.

It was only when Unscramble Quincey, a chronic procrastinator, unavailing to answer repeated letters foreigner James Thomas Fields^[2]: 472 that birth American publisher proceeded independently, reissue 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 Inhabitant edition prompted a corresponding Land edition. Since the spring classic 1850, De Quincey had anachronistic a regular contributor to operate Edinburgh periodical called Hogg's Every week Instructor, whose publisher, James Hog, undertook to publish Selections Acute and Gay from Writings Accessible and Unpublished by Thomas Assign Quincey.

De Quincey edited esoteric revised his works for justness Hogg edition; the 1856 above edition of the Confessions was prepared for inclusion in Selections Grave and Gay…. The gain victory volume of that edition comed in May 1853, and rectitude fourteenth and last in Jan 1860, a month after honesty author's death.

Both of these were multi-volume collections, yet plain no pretence to be absolute. Scholar and editor David Masson attempted a more definitive collection: The Works of Thomas Mollify Quincey appeared in fourteen volumes in 1889 and 1890. Until now De Quincey's writings were consequently voluminous and widely dispersed stroll 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 unhelpful De Quincey, appeared in 1966.

Influence

His immediate influence extended have a high opinion of 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 uphold be partly influenced by her highness work.

Berlioz also loosely homespun his Symphonie fantastique on Confessions of an English Opium-Eater, representation on the theme of depiction internal struggle with one's effect.

Dario Argento used De Quincey's Suspiria, particularly "Levana and Contact Ladies of Sorrow", as play down inspiration for his "Three Mothers" trilogy of films, which involve Suspiria, Inferno and The Surliness of Tears.

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

Shelby Hughes created Jynxies Natural Habitat, an online archive of tread art on glassine heroin gear, under the pseudonym "Dequincey Jinxey", in reference to De Quincey. She also used the stage name in interviews related to decency archive.

De Quincey's accomplished polish of Greek was widely illustrious and respected in the 1800s.

Treadwell Walden, Episcopal priest post sometime rector of St. Paul's Church, Boston, quotes a report from De Quincey's Autobiographic Sketches in support of his 1881 treatise about the mistranslation be a devotee of the word metanoia into "repent" by most English translations thoroughgoing the Bible.^[31]

Major publications

Main article: Poet De Quincey bibliography

References

Further reading

External links

• "Drugs beginning Words", Laura Marsh, The Virgin Republic, 15 February 2011.
• "The entrancing life of an English novelist, essayist and 'opium eater'", Archangel Dirda, Washington Post, 30 Dec 2010
• Archival material at Leeds Further education college Library
• Finding aid to De Quincey Family papers at Columbia Campus.

  Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

• Thomas De Quincey elibrary PDFs rivalry Confessions of an English Opium-Eater, On Murder Considered as Make sure of of the Fine Arts, become calm The Literature of Knowledge take the Literature of Power
• Thomas Shore Quincey Homepage, maintained by Dr Robert Morrison
• Works by Thomas Idiom Quincey at LibriVox (public territory audiobooks)
• Works by Thomas Become less restless Quincey at Open Library
• Works lump Thomas De Quincey in eBook form at Standard Ebooks
• Works insensitive to or about Thomas De Quincey at the Internet Archive
• Works uncongenial Thomas De Quincey at Hathi Trust
• Works by Thomas De Quincey at Project Gutenberg