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!

<passes the plate of buttered toast to Piggy while waiting for others to call by>

hello!!! was attempting far too much Xmas admin today.

I love this section. Fosco is such a good baddy (not badass but I love that). It’s an odd process reading in this segmented way, I know that’s how the original reader enjoyed it but sometimes it feels like reading a different book entirely each section and I love the Italian intrigue of this bit.

I do feel a little strange when Walter mentions his travels - surely this is actually the least adventurous section of his life. I don’t think I’ve read a book before where a main character has such a big, exciting part of their life ‘off camera’.

also, it sits a bit heavy on me that two of the main ‘baddies’ Mrs C and Sir Glyde’s perceived negative traits are being a ‘bastard’ and infidelity. Obviously they have more odious characteristics but the emphasis placed on reputation at the time of writing just seems so weird to me.

im loving the language and characters more than the plot I think.

Also I’m not quite at the end of this section but is it ever properly acknowledged and am I right in thinking the Count beats his wife into submission? I found their unsaid moments in the Blackwater Park scenes hideous.

I never thought of it, Palegreenstars. I took it that Mrs Fosco was in thrall to the Count and was happy to be his willing slave. Perhaps there was more going on that I didn't* *pick up on. He definitely had her under his thumb, I guess, but I always thought that it would have been through sheer force of his personality and by emotional manipulation.

I agree about the illegitimacy thing. And I think this is where Dickens genuinely does better. He was an awful husband but, in total, he was a compassionate , charitable and good man who showed compassion to people from backgrounds many Victorians would damn. It's the same paradox with Hardy. Awful husband but called out Victorian hypocrisy with courage and goodness. I don't know as much about Collins. I know eh and Dickens were pals, but he appears to be a little more -to put it bluntly- stereotyping and sneering and less sentimental and kind hearted than Dickens. However, he does get a tick for seeming to understand the plights of women in forced marriages and the abuse of the asylums to incarcerate perfectly sane women.

Sorry to be late to the discussion! Were we meant to finish it? I don’t want to let anything slip that I shouldn’t.

I have to be honest, I didn't enjoy this section quite as much as the previous one, largely because Collins had to show his nuts and bolts workings to explain things properly and tie up his loose ends. But Mrs Catherick was a peach! She reminded me of Mrs Sparsit in Hard Times, actually…. a similar feeling of puffed-up self-importance.

I think Collins vs Dickens is an interesting one when it came to women. He (Collins) liked them (he maintained two relationships simultaneously, after all!) and didn’t put them on an impossible pedestal, as Dickens so often did. But Marian is such a great, convincing, realistic character….I can’t imagine Dickens writing her.

That's true, Terpsichore. I felt my eyes glaze over reading about the great switcheroo between* *Laura and Anne and it wasn't as riveting as usual, although I suppose we had to have it all explained!

I have been keeping up with the readalong (and actually read ahead to the end this month), but work and life busyness have been getting in the way of posting a bit.

Anyway, I don't think I enjoyed this bit quite as much as the previous sections as it spent a lot of time spelling out the nuts and bolts of what we basically already know. And the fact that Pesca just happened to be some sort of high-up in the Italian nationalist brotherhood that Fosco had betrayed was a bit... convenient! Still love the language and feel of being in the book though, will definitely read more Collins (this was my first).

I have finished the whole book so don’t want to say too much in case I inadvertently reveal spoilers. I’ve really enjoyed it though!

I meant to add, I saw something on Twitter that made me laugh but also immediately think of this thread - someone who read a lot of Victorian fiction was wishing they could have a book full of samples of all the material that gets mentioned, things like bombazine and crepe and spotted Swiss muslin, just so they could properly visualise what the characters are wearing.

(I don’t think Collins mentions any of those, actually, but 'silk' does crop up quite a lot)

I saw that too @Terpsichore - would be excellent and I can hear the publishers getting excited about a new way to release the classics already.

Haha yes, it’s a great idea @Palegreenstars - I’d buy it!

It seems quite a lot of you have finished. I'm happy to bring the December instalment forward to before Christmas.

I have Covid (again...) but am not too ill so have a few days ahead of moping and self pity. Unlike last time, I can actually see to read (hopefully I won't get worse) .

How about reconvening December 17th? It's a Saturday.

Yes, I'd be on for that. It would be nice to tidy up before Christmas.

Get well soon, Piggy. I'm just over a bout of Covid. It felt like a mild flu. You will be better well in time for Christmas, hopefully.

Oh no, Piggy, it’s not that long since you last had it, iirc? I hope you don’t feel too rough.

I’m afraid I did finish it, as I wasn’t sure how far we were supposed to go, so definitely up for the 17th.

I had it about 16 months ago and was really ill, so I was overdue another bout especially since where I work is a coughing pit!

DS had it in September and DH maybe six weeks before that.

December 17th it is then!

See you on 17th!

Poor you Piggy, hope you feel better soon.

Yep, I'm all set for 17th!

Ugh get better soon Piggy. I’ve had it 3 times now and it feels very unfair.

Looking forward to 17th.

Someone on the W&P thread asked if we have thought about what we might do next (if anything) so just raising it. I have no preference at all really.

Three times for me too :(

That's very meta discussing this thread on the W and P thread! I haven't really given it much thought yet...open to suggestions!

😁

Get well soon ☕

I'm personally planning to read North and South soon, would that be good for a readalong? I know Dickens published it in serialised form. It might be good for a compare and contrast to Hard Times too.

I've read that really quite recently, unfortunately.

That's ok, I will read it without the benefit of the collective readalong wisdom