This is Chapter 11 of Dickens' The Pickwick Club, and, fictionally, it is exactly that.
A man who, unbeknowst to anyone, becomes convinced he is insane, relates how he goes about the business of life keeping his dark secret.
I found it more gripping than Edgar Allen Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart and really liked when the narrator screams: "'Damn you,' said I, starting up, and rushing upon him; 'I killed her. I am a madman. Down with you. Blood, blood! I will have it!'
You can read A Madman's Manuscript by Charles Dickens online.
The official blog of Denise M. Baran-Unland, author. Discover her books for all ages at bryonyseries.com.
1 comment:
Hello
I have read a lot of blog posts in which people talk of their love of Pickwick, but yours is the first I have encountered which mentions The Madman’s Manuscript. That story is a gripping piece of writing indeed! I remember reading that the story was actually cited as evidence for unreasonable behaviour in a divorce case because a husband insisted on reading it to his wife on their honeymoon!
Anyway, I have been searching for Pickwick Papers-related blog posts, because I have a piece of news which I hope will be of interest to Pickwick enthusiasts: I have actually written a novel about the origins and afterlife of The Pickwick Papers. It’s called Death and Mr Pickwick, and it will be published in May by Random House (in the UK) and in June by Farrar, Straus & Giroux (in the USA). My novel parallels Pickwick in various ways, and so there is quite a lot of madness.
Further information can be found on the website:
www.deathandmrpickwick.com
Best wishes
Stephen Jarvis
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