The Woman in White

"One of the rarest of all the intellectual accomplishments that a man can possess is the grand faculty of arranging his ideas. Immense priviledge!"

Count Fosco, The Woman in White


When it was suggested that I should read this novel, all 617 Victorian pages of it, I at first wondered if this were some bizarre form of torture. But since said recommendation came from Mr. David Scott, I felt I had no choice but to try. I hadn't read any Victorian lit since Edith Wharton, who, by the way, was a brilliant writer, so I wasn't sure if I could grasp the style. I'm used to reading more contemporary things, after all, and you have to concentrate hard to get Victorian lit sometimes (or maybe this is just me). This story is so intriguing and well-thought-out, though, that the possible language barriers were gone as soon as I started reading.

This novel contains some truly exceptional characters:

1) Marian Halcombe: Immediately my favorite character in the novel, Marian is strong, smart, and outspoken, which was rare for a woman in Victorian times. In short, Marian made me proud as a modern-day feminist.

2) Walter Hartright: My heart sank when the narrative left Hartright and showed up in the form of other narrators at certain points. I was so anxious to get back to him, I think I read those in-between pages faster than lighting. Hartright is a brilliant and cunning man, and an equal match for his nemesis.

3) Count Fosco: Surely one of the great villains of literature. Fosco is so sickly fake and sweet on the outside, he manages to fool the innocent people around him. In his heart, he's pure evil and avarice.

4) Percival Glyde: If he were an animal, he's be a snake, for sure. Not a 'good' snake either, like the black snakes. He'd be the worst and most violent kind.

5) Anne Catherick: I felt bad for Anne, throughout. She was abused much by all in her life, and met the most unfortunate end.

Women in white are symbolically pure, innocent, and angelic. The titular woman, who Hartright meets by accident at the beginning of the novel, is Anne Catherick, who is supposedly an escaped mental patient. There was a lot more to Anne than that, naturally, and she was falsely judged. Much of the novel is spent in trying to find out who she is, and what her relations are to Marian Halcombe and Laura Fairlie, sisters, who become students (and later close friends) of Walter Hartright's.

It all starts when Anne sends a letter of warning to Laura, who is about to enter into an arranged-marriage with Sir Percival Glyde. It turns out that Percival (who has the most sissy name on Earth!) has amassed a great debt, and with the help of his friend Count Fosco, he seeks to rob Laura of her inheritance. He can only get the inheritance if she dies...and the telling of that part of the story I leave to new readers.

This novel had everything you could possibly want from a story: suspense, intrigue, romance, people being drugged, 'crazy' people, mistaken identities, a lot of sleuth work on the part of Hartright, and strong, clear characters. The plot was so twisty, it gives new meaning to the term 'twisty.' :)

I highly recommend it. But be warned: It's a slight bit longish. But worth every page.



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In unrelated news, I watched 'Heroes' on Monday; So far, not impressed. It was ok...but I guess I'm spoiled by X Men and the like. We'll see. I'll give it another shot.



Have a great day.