I read this book for my Wilkie Collins seminar (there will be seven or so more reviews by December). And it felt very long. I appreciated the experiment that Collins tried in building the novel on expectation instead of surprise, but I did figure the end out early. The figuring out of the end made it very hard to read the stretched out suspense of the text because I knew what was coming. I felt myself wishing over and over that he would just get on with it. However, I have to say that his two female characters (Sarah and Rosamond) are quite interesting in both the ways that they conform to Victorian Stereotypes and the ways that they break them. I also think that the relationship between Leonard and Rosamond (husband and wife) is a unique one that ought to be returned to. Perhaps that is where I will draw my paper idea for class.
In thinking about my concurrent class (playwrighting) I am tempted to explore the characters in terms of their action and their stakes. While reflecting on the character of Sarah (once I found out her true secret, which ironically was the one thing I didn't figure out until the end), I found her to be far more interesting, complex and compelling *after* I knew the secret. From the revelation, her action and her inner conflict became much more clear. Until then I saw her through Rosamond's eyes. Collins told me (literally) to feel drawn to her but until I understood her inner conflict it was hard to feel like there was a reason. In this case, Collin's experiment was right on. We needed to see more of that, I think, for it to have been a full success. But the last end of the book is full of Rosamond and Leonard, who lose appeal very quickly. They do have an event when they discover the letter, but I was never afraid of Leonard actually leaving Rosamond. This meant that the stakes of discovery were actually fairly low. Sarah's stakes on the other hand were somewhat higher, even though she seemed to have made them higher in her own mind.
The stakes may be (discovery!) where this novel is flawed. I was never truly worried that the terrors that Sarah was imagining were anything more than her over-agitated imagination. I didn't buy the stakes.
Otherwise, however, I did like the book. Collins is a master of imagery and his descriptions are quite lovely. He also uses Leonard's blindness to create a unique husband and wife relationship that seems to stand out compared to others of the time both in equality and in shared world. Rather than leading mostly separate lives, the Franklands are forced by Lenny's blindness to live a single life. They are together constantly and Rosamond is able to--required to--partake in a predominantly male world because Lenny will not have anyone else. However, at the same time, she submits to him wholly. So the two are then at once wholly dependent on each other. The scene in the myrtle room is an interesting one as well. Rosamond spends the chapter describing the room to Lenny and when she finally finds the letter, an aching moment of pain occurs. Lenny believes she has left him. Both characters encounter a moment of utter helplessness, alone. But their shared helplessness is what allows them to be strong together. They are really an astonishing pair, even if their stakes are low.
Finally, the side characters of this novel stand out and sparkle. Uncle Joseph, Andrew Treverton, Shrowl, Mr. Pheppin, Besty, Mr. Munder, and the Housekeeper are all distinctive and delightful characters.
If you can get through the Victorian melodrama and length, it's a novel well worth examining. However, the story can be a hit or miss as a page-turner.
In thinking about my concurrent class (playwrighting) I am tempted to explore the characters in terms of their action and their stakes. While reflecting on the character of Sarah (once I found out her true secret, which ironically was the one thing I didn't figure out until the end), I found her to be far more interesting, complex and compelling *after* I knew the secret. From the revelation, her action and her inner conflict became much more clear. Until then I saw her through Rosamond's eyes. Collins told me (literally) to feel drawn to her but until I understood her inner conflict it was hard to feel like there was a reason. In this case, Collin's experiment was right on. We needed to see more of that, I think, for it to have been a full success. But the last end of the book is full of Rosamond and Leonard, who lose appeal very quickly. They do have an event when they discover the letter, but I was never afraid of Leonard actually leaving Rosamond. This meant that the stakes of discovery were actually fairly low. Sarah's stakes on the other hand were somewhat higher, even though she seemed to have made them higher in her own mind.
The stakes may be (discovery!) where this novel is flawed. I was never truly worried that the terrors that Sarah was imagining were anything more than her over-agitated imagination. I didn't buy the stakes.
Otherwise, however, I did like the book. Collins is a master of imagery and his descriptions are quite lovely. He also uses Leonard's blindness to create a unique husband and wife relationship that seems to stand out compared to others of the time both in equality and in shared world. Rather than leading mostly separate lives, the Franklands are forced by Lenny's blindness to live a single life. They are together constantly and Rosamond is able to--required to--partake in a predominantly male world because Lenny will not have anyone else. However, at the same time, she submits to him wholly. So the two are then at once wholly dependent on each other. The scene in the myrtle room is an interesting one as well. Rosamond spends the chapter describing the room to Lenny and when she finally finds the letter, an aching moment of pain occurs. Lenny believes she has left him. Both characters encounter a moment of utter helplessness, alone. But their shared helplessness is what allows them to be strong together. They are really an astonishing pair, even if their stakes are low.
Finally, the side characters of this novel stand out and sparkle. Uncle Joseph, Andrew Treverton, Shrowl, Mr. Pheppin, Besty, Mr. Munder, and the Housekeeper are all distinctive and delightful characters.
If you can get through the Victorian melodrama and length, it's a novel well worth examining. However, the story can be a hit or miss as a page-turner.
