The Book of Jasper

Robert Tracy's brilliant essay Plot: Investing The Mystery of Edwin (Dickens Quarterly 23: 2006) is source of this essay. Tracy's argument about John Jasper's book--the book about murder which Jasper calls of his life, and a Diary of Ned's too--has made me re-think my reading of The Mystery of Edwin Drood, and enlarged my understanding of work relation to fourteen novels which precede it. Only two of Dickens's fifteen novels--David Copperfield and Great Expectations--are full-blown first-person narratives. But The Posthumous Papers of Pickwick Club is based on transactions of Club, and our narrator is their editor (ch. 1). Mr. Pickwick fancies himself scholar, and is an author; Augustus Snodgrass, supposedly poet, frequently takes notes. In Oliver Twist, Mr. Brownlow suggests, facetiously, that Oliver might grow up a clever man, and write (ch. 14). Nicholas Nickleby writes plays for Mr. Crummles' acting troupe. The Old Curiosity Shop begins as first-person narrative. Martin Chuzzlewit is not first-person narrative at all, except for Dickens's ubiquitous editorial intrusions. Dombey and Son has two brief Wade-like confessions, but nothing more. Then David sets out to discover for himself whether he will be the hero of [his] life (ch. 1). Esther narrates half of Bleak House, and Miss Wade contributes her written History of Self-Tormentor Little Dorrit (bk. 2, ch. 21). Charles Darnay is translator A Tale of Two Cities. Pip tells his Great Expectations. In Our Mutual Friend, not only is Mortimer Lightwood famous for his story of man from somewhere (bk. 1. ch. 2)--he has a reputation for his manner of relating story, and [has] made quite his own (bk. 2, ch. 14)--Lizzie (who must learn to read letters) tells stories from what she sees fire, Silas Wegg reads history books to Noddy Boffin, who hears their stories as current events; and Mr. Sloppy reads court reports to Mrs. Higden, do[ing] police different voices (bk. 1, ch. 16). In end, as Tracy proposes, John Jasper's first-person diary is also a detailed biography of his nephew and in part work of fiction, about an uncle's devotion to his nephew. For Tracy, Jasper writes a diary of Ned's death, and fiction about identity of his alleged murderer--which Jasper proposes as evidence against Neville. Dickens had natural inclination to first-person narrative because of way he created his characters: from inside. We should have been thinking about Jasper as The Mystery of Edwin Drood's first-person narrator all along. Doing so helps us to understand novel better. The man who stood front of mirror creating characters, actor who performed his novels on stage, was always engaged great first-person narrative as he spoke to world. Charles Mathews' monopologues were nothing compared to Dickens's performance. He played all parts--dozens of them, each novel--presenting his experience and observation of world through his characters. Dickens was at his best with obsessed characters. In Edwin Drood he plays Jasper, as Tracy points out, just as he played Bill Sikes and Jonas Chuzzlewit. He plays other parts Edwin Drood as well, but Jasper's is central role; he is focus of narrator's attention, and almost everybody else's, and must be focus of ours. We won't have proof of his crime at end of novel, proof of what he has done; but we will--must--know who he is. Jasper is an observer from first paragraph of novel on. As he comes to consciousness he starts to question what he sees. He around, and about him. He looks and notices, muses and stands looking. The watcher makes watchful pause (37-9; ch. 1). He watches Neville, as though his eye were at trigger (152; ch. …