WomanInWhitealong readalong 2022/3

[Piggywaspushed]

After several years of Dickensalongs, we have decided to ring the changes and read The Woman in White together. All welcome - old faithfuls and newcomers!

This was published in 40 instalments which is a bit much!

So I have tried to split it via the various voices as follows -

The First Epoch :
June - The Story begun by Walter Hartright
July - Vincent Gilmore
Marian Halcombe
The Second Epoch:
August - Marian
September - Frederick Fairlie
Eliza Michelson
October - The Story continued in several narratives : Hester - Walter (takes us up to end of second epoch)
The Third Epoch :
November - Walter
December - Mrs Catherick ; Walter
January 2023 - Fosco ; Walter

Eight months in total.

I hope all the editions match this. The Collins has these parts clearly marked at the beginning - in amongst all this are chapters so it is touch confusing and the Penguin edition is less clear. I tried to do something with original instalments but some of them ended mis chapter (as Collins changed his chronology in 1861!) . My instalments do vary quite wildly in length.

We begin this month so grab a copy and join me!

[ChessieFL]

Thanks Piggy! I need to get a copy so I’ll try and find one that matches this.

[LadybirdDaphne]

I'm in! I found a copy in the library this afternoon - but thinking about it, I might have an ancient inherited copy somewhere too.

[Palegreenstars]

Oh hello I would like to join please, I’ve dropped off a few of these threads but keen to read this!

[IsFuzzyBeagMise]

I'm delighted to read this one again. It's a really good read (in my opinion!)

Thank you Piggy for setting this up.

[InTheCludgie]

Thanks for setting us up for the readalong Piggy, looking forward to a reread of this one.

[Terpsichore]

Thanks for organising this, Piggy.

I found my ancient copy and remembered all over again how this cover made me excited to start reading it. A great choice of artwork.

[InTheCludgie]

I love that cover Terpsichore, very spooky and gothic

[RomainingCalm]

I'd like to join you if I may, I've stumbled across this thread by accident and have never read The Woman in White.

I've just downloaded it and it seems to be split into the instalments above.

[ArabeI]

I'd like to join, please! I last read this around 20 years ago, so I'm ready for a reread.

I don't think I still have that copy, so will have to check, but otherwise I'll look for a kindle copy.

[Palegreenstars]

I have found the Oxford World Classics edition on my shelves - there is very little in the way of contents but June takes me to page 127.

[StColumbofNavron]

Thanks @Piggywaspushed I keep falling off Dickens. I think he just perhaps isn’t for me, because I am managing to stick to the W&P one so will rejoin for this as WiW is on my list.

I’ll download a sample or pop to the Oxfam
bookshop to see what I can find.

[FiveShelties]

I would love to join you please.

[IsFuzzyBeagMise]

@FiveShelties

I would love to join you please.

Welcome :)

[FiveShelties]

Thank you @IsFuzzyBeagMise

How does the readalong work, will there be another thread?

[IsFuzzyBeagMise]

Hi @FiveShelties ! We will stay on this thread and start talking about the book from the 1st of July, so just keep an eye on this thread. Piggy uusually reactivates the thread before we start, so keep an eye out. Chat soon :)

[Piggywaspushed]

Yes, Piggy is lurking !

[IsFuzzyBeagMise]

@Piggywaspushed

Yes, Piggy is lurking !

😂👋

[Piggywaspushed]

Just a reminder everyone!

I just finished the first instalment so all ready for tomorrow!

[Piggywaspushed]

Just as a taster, I rather like this from Shmoop

Weird coincidence. (Except not, because Collins went to the Dickens school of novel writing, where coincidences are actually the norm.)

[IsFuzzyBeagMise]

Thanks Piggy! See you tomorrow!

[ChessieFL]

I am afraid I’ve only read about a quarter of June’s instalment (work has been very busy the last week or so). I am aiming to catch up over the next few days and will come back to the thread then. I have enjoyed what I’ve read so far.

[Piggywaspushed]

Although they were firm friends , this did make a change from Dickens. More sensationalist, perhaps, and definitely a bit less chock a block with characters and convolutions!

I enjoyed this opening, in particular the atmospheric description of London at the beginning and the awful hypochondriac, Mr Fairlie. I guess it is of its time to describe Marian in quite such a male gazey fashion! Poor Marian -With her lovely figure and plain face. Not sure I warmed to our (unreliable?) narrator there! I googled images of Marian and various adaptations have had fun with this...

I have seen TWIW about 4 times on the telly but reassuringly the details are remaining vague to me thus far.

The context of (alleged) madness and incarceration in institutions is something I am very interested in and have read lots of books (including one recently that I cannot for the life of me remember the name of!) which were both revealing and absorbing. Victorian women of all classes were terribly treated.

[Piggywaspushed]

This Guardian article in interesting , suggesting Marian may , in fact , not be white :-

www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2018/may/09/screened-out-why-tv-and-film-glam-up-plain-women-in-books

Scroll past a few minor spoilers! Especially first paragraph, which I have not read!!

[CamFlan]

Talking of Dickens / Collins as mystery writers - has anyone listened to the audio adaptation of The Mystery of Edwin Drood available on BBC Sounds. It came out in 2020 but I for one missed it with everything else going on. I was gripped - and I think they did a reasonable job of the ending. Not exactly the ending Dickens would have written (Collins might have got much closer to giving the women so much agency), but they wrapped it up sensibly.

[Terpsichore]

I’m absolutely gripped by it all over again. In fact I’ve read halfway into the next section

It’s really interesting that Marian is a character who’s very appealing to modern readers - active, no-nonsense, logical, go-ahead and intelligent. Laura is insipid and annoying imho, always winding her arms round Marian and laying her pretty head on her shoulder and weeping. Wet and a weed, as the great Molesworth would say. But to 19thc audiences, Laura was the model of femininity, and the one Walter falls for. If he had an ounce of sense he’d snap Marian up. She’s a keeper. (Actually I have a sneaking feeling that Marian was the one Wilkie Collins enjoyed writing - her and Count Fosco, but that’s for later!)