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!

Because Marian's father was Mr. Halcombe. She is financially dependent on Laura.

Marian is marvellous. Marvellous Marian. Everyone should have a Marian in their lives.

I also loved the door-slamming moment. Frederick Fairlie is the problem. If he had stood up for Laura, he could have put an end to Percival Glyde's cunning plan. I'm looking forward to Count Fosco in the next section. There aren't enough words to describe Count Fosco. All superlative adjectives apply.

I feel very annoyed that Laura persists in being guided by her dead father's wishes to marry Glyde and for feeling guilty over her attachment to Walter. Marrying Glyde seems like a self-inflicted punishment and it's hard to understand why she needs to go through with it as she is such a wealthy, independent woman.

I suppose it's about honouring and obeying her father and it would seem to be a betrayal of her love and regard for him if she broke it off, but it seems mad to sacrifice herself like this, but that's a modern view of it. As Piggy says, women didn't have control over their affairs in those times, but still. Did she have to go through with it? Why did she have to refer to him to release her from the engagement? Annoying!

Very glad to have reached Marian's section, I (obviously!) agree she's marvellous. Collins was so good at writing intelligent fearless women (see also Magdalen Vanstone in No Name and Lydia Gwilt in Armadale), in comparison Laura and her pathetic capitulation to her fate feels like a Dickensian 'heroine'. She's almost as irritating as Frederick Fairlie. I'm very glad both Gilmore and Marian shouted at him and I hope his nerves never recover!

Agree with the previous discussion that Marian reads like she might have some Anglo Indian blood, at one point Gilmore describes her as having brown skin. Wonder if that is why Walter falls in love with the very blond Laura instead of the vastly more engaging Marian? There's nothing in his description of her that sounds particularly ugly to us as modern readers so I wonder if a TV version will ever cast a beautiful mixed race actress in the role.

Oh, someone asked about Armadale, I love all the Collins books I've read and Armadale is one of his 'big four' from the 1960s but probably more rambling than Woman in White or The Moonstone. I don't have a problem with this! And Lydia Gwilt is one of my favourite characters ever, a beautiful intelligent red haired villainess.

I think I asked about Armadale, Count Fosco. Thanks! I'll put it on my wishlist.

I'm really enjoying this and raced through the section. I like the way Collins is clearly aware of the way Victorian society was stacked against women, whereas Dickens sticks to his rosy-tinted view of domestic angels. I was particularly struck by this speech of Marian's: "Men! They are enemies of our innocence and our peace - they drag us away from our parents' love and our sisters' friendship - they take us body and soul to themselves, and fasten our helpless lives to theirs as they chain up a dog to his kennel. And what does the best of them give us in return?..." Marian is a very real, 360-degree human with agency, intelligence, opinions and righteous anger.

Also looking forward to Count Fosco in the next section - I've never read it before so it's quite hard to stop at the monthly boundaries.

Off-topic, but No Name is hilariously bonkers and I agree, Magdalen Vanstone is another fantastic strong and indomitable woman!

I highlight that passage too, LadyBirdDaphne. It's* *the voice of an independent woman.

*highlighted

No Name had such an influence on Victorian society that the laws of inheritance were changed partly because of it. Agree it's completely bonkers but great fun.

Eek! Enjoying this a lot…are they set for an Italian adventure next? I presume Walter will turn up painting in Italy or something.

everyone’s got their eye on the prize (Laura) haven’t they. I do hate the self sacrifice of the women in these books. I’m worried Laura will be actually sacrificed / killed off at some point to make the will topic more interesting. She’s definitely looking a bit too flushed for my liking.

also, why does everyone in grand houses in Victorian novels have to make appointments to see each other…so weird just knock.

I am behind due to work/moving house so haven’t read July’s chapters yet - I hope to catch up and be back with you all at the beginning of September!

We will certainly chat then!

Talking of Italian adventures , our next section is reasonably long because Marian has a lot to report on in the second Epoch , excitingly. Go on, lass!

Looking forward to Count Fosco.

I love Marian's narrative.

Best of luck with the house move, Chessie! Chat in September!

I’ve been away with no internet for 3 weeks so couldn’t remember where to read to, but am very delighted with myself that I have only Frederick Fairlie to go.

I concur with all the Marian love, but have to confess to enjoying every single moment of Count Fosco. He is a fabulously well
drawn character and I can feel Marian’s compulsion towards him and her revulsion.

I think Frederick Fairlie is part of September’s chapters StColumbo

Ah yes, even better!

Yes, you are somewhat ahead!

I have just started August but will have to go back as I fell asleep reading a chapter. No reflection on Marian's diary, just old age!!

Looking forward to our next discussion!

Bump for tomorrow!

Just 20 pages to go for me.

Annoyingly, I am back at work tomorrow. Boo.

I’m behind but my daughter has a sleep over tonight so hoping to catch up. Can I do an early shout out to ‘that highly overrated woman, Queen Elizabeth’ - made me chuckle.

I'm rereading the section again. Chapters 6-10 later.

Boo indeed, Piggy.

Yes, Palegreenstars 😁

Morning!

This was fun section with all the simmering nastiness of Glyde and, of course, nasty Fosco.

I loved Marian clambering across rooftops (what a memory she has to record exactly what people said and how, hey?! How helpful!) and eavesdropping everywhere.

I missed the bit about Elizabeth. The casual - or perhaps entirely mannered and deliberate- misogyny of creepy Fosco and the more brutal Glyde version do make the book seem very feminist for its time as we root so much for the women and the ever constricting trap they find themselves in.

I am putting a word in for Laura : although she has none of the intelligence, wit or fighting spirit of Marian (and has no voice thus far in the novel) I did admire her tenacity and courage in refusing to sign the document. She isn't the moping wallflower of the early stages of the book. In fact, to me, she is more fanciable now than when Hartright was mooning all over her.

I neglected to mark the quotations I liked this month but did enjoy all the descriptions of Fosco and of the setting of the house and the clunking Victorian pathetic fallacy throughout this phase.

The next section comes from Frederick Fairlie and apparently it is later to be explained how this was obtained sounds intriguing...

The book moves apace despite its length, I find. I am wondering if Collins will keep that up.

I might tinker with our next section . otherwise we have quite along one for September followed by a ridiculously short October one so those could be combined to get us to the end of the second Epoch by end September. TBC!

Hello all!

Yes, I was unfair to Laura. She has grit and determination, even if she does do her share of languishing and swooning, but I suspect Collins felt he had to put a certain amount of that in, to satisfy the proprieties.

Actually, the more I read, the more I feel that Collins really did like - and admire - women, in a way that Dickens didn’t, for example. Marian would never appear in a Dickens novel, would she?