The Woman in White is a mystery novel written by Wilkie Collins is considered one of the earliest examples of the mystery genre. The story begins with a young art teacher named Walter Hartright, who meets a mysterious woman dressed entirely in white on a lonely road at night. This encounter leads him into a complicated web of secrets, lies, and hidden identities. The novel is known for its suspenseful plot, strong female characters, and themes of justice and deception. Through its twists and turns, The Woman in White keeps readers guessing until the very end.
The Woman in White: A Shocking Critical Analysis with Q&A
Table of Contents
Background:
Wilkie Collins got the idea for his novel The Woman in White from a French book called Recueil des causes célèbres. In this book, there’s a story about a French widow whose brother drugs her and locks her in a mental asylum using a fake name. The brother does this so he can take over her estate.
Collins found this story so interesting that he decided to write a similar one. Originally, he planned to start his story in Cumberland, but after reading a news article about a patient escaping from an asylum, he changed his mind. This led to the creation of the scene where Anne Catherick escapes from the mental asylum at the beginning of The Woman in White.
The Woman in White was first published as a series in a magazine called All the Year Round, which was owned by Collins’ best friend, Charles Dickens. The story came out in 40 weekly parts between November 26, 1859, and August 25, 1860. At the same time, it was also serialized in the United States in Harper’s Magazine. The weekly format made readers excited and eager to find out what would happen next.
The novel’s popularity helped boost the magazine’s sales, and people were very interested in the story. Before the final part of the serial came out, the entire novel was published as a three-volume book in the summer of 1860. This was done to encourage readers to buy the book so they could quickly find out how the story ended.
The Woman in White was one of the first sensation novels of the Victorian era. Wilkie Collins is considered a key author in this genre. Sensation novels are known for revealing that seemingly respectable people may have hidden secrets. These stories often involve themes like adultery, bigamy (being married to more than one person at the same time), and illegitimacy.
The plots are usually filled with suspense and drama. Sensation novels became more popular in the 1860s, especially after the Matrimonial Causes Act of 1857 made it easier to get a divorce. This law led to more public discussion about the hidden troubles in domestic and family life. By the 1860s, changes in technology, like the expansion of railroads, also made it easier for characters in these stories to travel quickly and secretly, adding to the suspense.
The success of The Woman in White led to a craze for all things related to the novel. Businesses sold “Woman in White” hats, perfume, dresses, and cloaks. The dramatic story also made it a popular choice for adaptations. By 1860, there was already a successful play based on the novel.
Over the years, there have been many stage adaptations, including a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber in 2004. The story was also made into films as early as 1912, with more Hollywood adaptations and a BBC mini-series following later. Modern writers have also been inspired by Collins’ themes. For example, Sarah Waters explored similar ideas in her 2002 novel Fingersmith, which is set in a similar time period but with a contemporary twist.
The Woman in White: A Shocking Critical Analysis
About the Author:
Wilkie Collins was born in London in 1824. Wilkie published his first novel, Antonia, in 1850. A year later, he became close friends with the famous writer Charles Dickens, who supported and collaborated with him. Wilkie wrote stories and serialized novels for Dickens’ literary magazine, Household Words.
In the 1860s, Wilkie wrote his most famous novels, including The Woman in White and The Moonstone. However, his health started to decline in the 1870s, and he became addicted to a drug called laudanum, which affected his writing. Wilkie Collins passed away in 1889 and was buried in London. His tombstone honors him as “the author of The Woman in White.”
