Thomas De Quincey
English essayist whose Confessions of an English Opium-Eater introduced drug experience as literary subject matter and created a new, rhapsodic prose style he called 'impassioned prose.' His essays on murder as a fine art and on literature are among the most original in the language.
Works
- Confessions of an English Opium-EaterDe Quincey's autobiographical account of opium addiction, its dreams, and its destructive psychological effects
- Suspiria de ProfundisFragmentary prose-poem sequences on sorrow, dreams, and the opium-eater's haunted visions
- The English Mail-CoachDe Quincey's narrative of a mail coach accident, exploring impressions of sudden violence and trauma
- Murder Considered as One of the Fine ArtsDe Quincey's darkly witty essay treating murder as an aesthetic and intellectual phenomenon
- Autobiographic SketchesDe Quincey's autobiographical sketches of childhood, education, and the formation of his consciousness