Review: The Woman in White

Today's post is a review of one of my favourite novels, The Woman in White. It has been written by one of my dearest friends Nicole a.k.a. the nutella of my soul. Not only am I delighted because she is a wonderful writer but it's the first guest post here on s.o.d. Yay!

Women in white drink red wine           

Nicole Esbach

If you have ever read Dickens, Eliot, Austen, Gaskell and the literary dream team, The Brontë Sisters, then you are assuredly aware of how limited Victorian society was for a woman. The quintessential corset that outwardly looks fetching, yet to the captive is nothing more than scheduled incarceration for the female form. First, she belongs to her father and then she belongs to her husband. Appraised for her appearance, ability to entertain (social class withstanding –not every woman was an accessory, others were cogs in the economic machine) as femininely(meaning as demurely and non-threatening as possible), in short she is to have no self but be the sum of what is socially expected of her. To be pretty, to be quiet and most importantly to be the receptacle for furthering her husband’s lineage.As most eras go, this one included, we grow accustomed to certain practices. Some may irk us, while others may go unnoticed as they leave relatively no harm and are deemed acceptable like calling your bestie a bad ass bitch because nothing says respect like a derogatory statement. Thus the female plight may be passed over in various literary works, and that is okay because not every work should be a portrayal of ghastly suffering. Alternatively, if it can be at the apex of sensation novels, or be a purveyor for the detective novel then William Wilkie Collins is your guy. Known as Wilkie Collins, as not to be confused with his father, also named William; Wilkie wrote what is largely considered to be his greatest work, The Woman in White.

The Woman in White is a novel that reads like a courtroom testimony and is composed of multiple narratives. Each narrative serving to elucidate and move the story forward. In a nutshell, the story is about identity theft as well as the great 19^th century concern: social class. The first narrator, Walter Hartright, an art teacher in need of employment and just all-round nice guy takes up a post at Limmeridge House. Where his only pupils are two young ladies: Marion Halcombe and Laura Fairlie. En route to Limmeridge House, he meets a mentally unhinged woman, Anne Catherick: asylum escapee, believed keeper of pertinent secret, and steadfast devotee to the colour white; who bears an uncanny resemblance to Laura Fairlie. Naturally, she is an attractive blue-eyed, blonde and the legitimate daughter of a large inheritance. As custom would have it, she has been promised to wed, Sir Percival Glyde. A friend of her late father and unbeknownst to all, heavily entrenched in debt. However,she falters in maintaining her promise, when she falls in love with her art teacher. Familial obligation steps in and she ends up becoming Lady Glyde. Life as Sir Percival Glyde’s wife, though, proves to be quite difficult for both parties. The scheming Glyde with help from his devious friends, manages to switch his wife’s identity with that of the unhinged Anne Catherick. What ensues is a heavy bag of obligation, suppressed feeling, indefatigable tenacity and downright treachery that is lugged around until human folly and the strict code of an Italian secret society disposes of it.The supporting characters range from the hypochondriac Mr Frederick Fairlie; who is essentially a tyrannical shut-in and Count Fosco; a man whose enormous girth is only surpassed by his grandiose sense of himself. The undoubted heroine of Woman in White, is Marian Halcombe, half-sister of Laura Fairlie and confidant to Walter Hartright. She is presented as the model spinster. Her lack of physical charms (she has a marriage-blocking mustache), is remedied by her sharp mind and depth of will commonly only seen in men.Marion is unerring in her devotion to her sister and in her pursuit to reinstate sister’s identity. All in all, The Woman in White is engrossing from beginning to end. A work of classic literature that reads like the literary equivalent of a fine, red wine. After all, a full-bodied pinotage is an excellent accompaniment to a full-bodied novel.

Here's some more about Nicole:

Apparently nobody is perfect, yet here I am….living proof that that sentiment holds true. Champion of all things grey, voracious eater of the humble peanut (well pulverised into a delectable paste that is) and one existential crisis away from never speaking without using air quotes. Pet peeve: people who send me photographs of food. Instead of actual food. They should be phased out.

Check out her blog GrrrlGazette! It's funny!