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The Woman in White (1859)

by Wilkie Collins

Other authors: See the other authors section.

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12,199328475 (4.06)7 / 1332
Classic Literature. Fiction. HTML:

The Woman in White is credited with being the first of the sensation novels, and one of the finest examples of the genre. A young woman's husband defrauds her of her fortune, her identity and eventually her sanity. She is saved by her sister and a loyal man who loves her, and her two rescuers attempt to expose her husband. They meet a woman dressed all in white whose fate seems curiously intertwined with that of the young woman. In the tradition of the sensation novel, the story contravenes boundaries of class, identity and the private and public spheres.

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English (314)  Italian (4)  Dutch (2)  French (2)  Spanish (2)  Portuguese (1)  Swedish (1)  Catalan (1)  All languages (327)
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When Charles Dickens founded the journal All Year Round, he led the first issue with A Tale of Two Cities. The magazine was a two-column, unillustrated affair designed for those who read a magazine from cover to cover like a book. When A Tale of Two Cities ended on Nov. 26, 1859, the first installment of A Woman in White by Wilkie Collins began without minimal fanfare on the same page. The Collins novel ran in 40 weekly installments and was published in book form just before the last installment—for a reader anxious to read the end. The first edition sold out in one day. It does not have as many memorable lines as A Tale of Two Cities, but it provoked as much discussion around Victorian dinner tables.
It is a defining example of the Sensation Novel—a genre that combines elements of Gothic fiction, melodrama, sentimental domestic drama, and topical crime narrative. The plotting is complex, employing multiple narrative points of view. Its structure reminded me of the House of Representatives presentation in the January 6 Capitol riot investigation. The Woman in White has some notable characters—especially Marian Halcombe, who received marriage proposals from readers hoping she was drawn from life.
Collins tells the story clearly, without many literary flourishes, but it still chills. It has inspired a surprising number of movies, TV series, radio dramas, and even a musical by Andrew Lloyd Weber. Its themes involving gender performance, identity theft, and social class still resonate. Victorian England was what W. H. Auden called the twentieth century--an “age of anxiety.” Nothing was as stable as it seemed. In Collins’ novel, every household has secrets that would shock its neighbors. Everyone’s nerves are frayed. Incurable illnesses threaten. Everyone lies.
No wonder we still read it—still a strong four stars. ( )
  Tom-e | May 23, 2023 |
This one's been on my TBR for years, and it did not disappoint. Mysterious, possibly bananas, women walking around at night and just in the out-of-doors in general saying enigmatic and quirky things, drawing tutors falling for their students, possibly-evil-but-maybe-not? men, shady pasts filled with secrets, and strong women with strong sisterhoods. Excellently written and paced, and nicely twisty. I loved it. ( )
  electrascaife | Apr 30, 2023 |
Really enjoyed this classic that was a pick of my RLBG. My I read it on our camping trip and since there was NO internet at the cabin, I was able to sink into the story the way a contemporary reader of the book would have. Collins wove together the various perspectives of the characters including police-style witness statements and created a suspenseful story of intrigue and deceit. The prose was old-fashioned but didn't really get into the way of the plot. ( )
  witchyrichy | Apr 30, 2023 |
DNF. I really tried to finish the Woman in white because it is supposedly a classic of the genre. The writing is so dated, overwrought, and tiresome I slogged halfway through and gave up. Life is too short.
  varielle | Apr 12, 2023 |
There was a lot to enjoy about this mystery written in 1859. Collins tells the tale of two sisters, Marian and Laura. Laura is engaged to be married to a baronet, but shortly before the wedding, she is warned that marrying him would be a terrible idea. On this premise, hinges a very complex plot. In my mind, the plot collapses a bit under its own convoluted weight, but the characters themselves are very entertaining, and on that lies the strength of the book.

Collins also uses a method to tell the story that was interesting. It is told in a strictly linear fashion, but using the voices and perspectives of different characters. I've certainly read tons of books that use first person narratives from the different characters, but I can't recall one adhering to linear timeline in quite the same way.

All in all, I found this book to use a level of detail that creates a feeling that it all could have really happened, but also causes the book to drag on a bit at points. Fortunately, Collins is pretty skilled at using suspense, such that the book begs to be finished despite the length. ( )
  Anita_Pomerantz | Mar 23, 2023 |
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» Add other authors (69 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Wilkie Collinsprimary authorall editionscalculated
Bailey, JosephineNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Cauti, CamilleIntroductionsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Dei, FedoraTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Geeson, JudyNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Giordani, AndreaNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Holm, IanNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Judge, PhoebeNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Lamb, LyntonIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Landor, RosalynNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Lee, JohnNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Lorac, E. C. R.Introductionsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
McLenan, JohnIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Pendle, AlexyIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Prebble, SimonNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Rees, RogerNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Ruffilli, PaoloIntroductionsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Shipkovenska, MarianaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Sutherland, JohnEditorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Sweet, MatthewEditorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Symons, JulianIntroductionsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Tillotson, KathleenEditorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Trodd, AntheaEditorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Tummolini, StefanoTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Willis, ChristineEditorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Woolf, GabrielNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed

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First words
This is the story of what a Woman's patience can endure, and what a Man's resolution can achieve.
T. S. Eliot, in seeking to express his admiration for Wilkie Collins's The Woman in White, together with Armadale and The Moonstone, regretted that there was no aesthetic of melodrama, a genuine art form. (Introduction)
An experiment is attempted in this novel, which has not (so far as I know) been hitherto tried in fiction. (Preface 1860)
'The Woman in White' has been received with such marked favour by a very large circle of readers, that this volume scarcely stands in need of any prefatory introduction on my part. (Preface 1861)
Quotations
The soft hazy twilight was just shading leaf and blossom alike into harmony with its own sober hues as we entered the room, and the sweet evening scent of the flowers met us with its fragrant welcome through the open glass doors.
There are three things that none of the young men of the present generation can do. They can't sit over their wine, they can't play at whist, and they can't pay a lady a compliment.
Any woman who is sure of her own wits, is a match, at any time, for a man who is not sure of his own temper.
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Wikipedia in English (1)

Classic Literature. Fiction. HTML:

The Woman in White is credited with being the first of the sensation novels, and one of the finest examples of the genre. A young woman's husband defrauds her of her fortune, her identity and eventually her sanity. She is saved by her sister and a loyal man who loves her, and her two rescuers attempt to expose her husband. They meet a woman dressed all in white whose fate seems curiously intertwined with that of the young woman. In the tradition of the sensation novel, the story contravenes boundaries of class, identity and the private and public spheres.

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Book description
When Walter Hartwright encounters a solitary, terrified, beautiful woman dressed in white on a moonlit night in London, he feels impelled to solve the mystery of her distress. The story, full of secrets, locked rooms, lost memories, and surprise revelations, features heroine Marian Halcombe and drawing-master Walter Hartright as sleuthing partners pitted against the diabolical Count Fosco and Sir Percival Glyde. This gothic psychological thriller, a mesmerizing tale of murder, intrigue, madness, and mistaken identity, has gripped the imagination of readers since its first publication in 1860. The breathtaking tension of Collins's narrative created a new literary genre of suspense fiction, which profoundly shaped the course of English popular writing.
Haiku summary
Identity theft,
money, madness, hidden crimes –
a Collins classic.
(passion4reading)
The Woman in White.
Count Fosco controls it all,
but Marian wins!
(rretzler)

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Penguin Australia

2 editions of this book were published by Penguin Australia.

Editions: 0141439610, 0141389435

Tantor Media

An edition of this book was published by Tantor Media.

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