Black Secrets Cloak Wilkie Collins's Woman in White
Although some of the issues that spur the mystery may seem antiquated or trivial today (the discovery of an unwed mother, for example), the novel is not merely a "quaint" Jessica Fletcher whodunit. Insinuations of a menage a trois and of incestuous relationships subtly weave throughout the text, undoubtedly contributing to its appeal and its sensationalism. No less scandalous is Uncle Fairlie's sadistic behavior toward his strangely obedient servant.
As I was jostled, some might say sadistically, around Boston and annoyed by less than sensational Realtors, I found myself yearning for certain simplicities and the slower pace seemingly inherent in the pre-modern world as depicted in the novel: travel by horse and buggy rather than by car, entertainment by piano rather than by television, and corresponding by letter rather by phone or e-mail. Yet despite the simplicities of the age and of the pastoral landscape, Collins reveals human natures as complex as Boston's confusing intersections, one way streets, and rotaries. It's this complexity of character that adds depth and richness to a captivating mystery.
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More information on Wilkie Collins may be found at this address.
The site is replete with biographical data and links to other useful sites and includes sample correspondence from Dickens to Collins.
And, don't forget the many resources available at the Voice of the Shuttle, which offers scholarly information and links to Victorian authors and works, as well as to authors and works from other time periods and cultures.
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