# De Quincey — The Hashish Eater character guide

> De Quincey in The Hashish Eater by Fitz Hugh Ludlow.

**Role:** minor

**First appearance:** 0004-i-the-night-entrance

## Who they are

The opium-eater author, referenced as a precursor to the hashish experience.

## Relationships

### [The Narrator](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_hashish_eater_se/characters/narrator)

_psychological_

De Quincey is a literary and philosophical influence, representing the tradition of drug-inspired writing that the Narrator engages with.

## In the story

### [VIII: Vos Non Vobis—Wherein the Pythagorean Is a Bystander](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_hashish_eater_se/chapters/viii-vos-non-vobis-wherein-the-pythagorean-is-a-bystander)

Referenced for his comparison of memory to palimpsest manuscripts.

### [Cave Succedanea](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_hashish_eater_se/chapters/xxv-cave-succedanea)

Referenced for his 'Confessions' and the terrors of opium addiction; the narrator feels De Quincey withheld the full extent of his suffering.

### [Ideal Men and Their Stimulants](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_hashish_eater_se/chapters/ideal-men-and-their-stimulants)

Mentioned as a rare example of someone who could free himself from opium slavery through unaided struggle, contrasted with the majority who need external help.

### [Endnotes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_hashish_eater_se/chapters/endnotes)

Referenced metaphorically as 'De Quinceys' in the context of romanticized hashish narratives.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_hashish_eater_se/characters/de_quincey
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_hashish_eater_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_hashish_eater_se/characters