Creating Suspense: Wilkie Collins’ The Woman in White

***Spoiler alert: plot details revealed for The Woman in White***

Background stuff:

The Woman in White was written by Wilkie Collins in 1860, and was the first in the so-called Sensation Novel genre.

The first thing to remember about many nineteenth century novels is that they were written primarily for a weekly or monthly readership, and only published as a complete book after their serialisation was complete.  They were also written to deadline.  As far as I’m aware, it was exceedingly rare for any author to have completed their novel before serialisation started, and they would generally be writing each instalment for imminent publication (indeed, Wilkie Collins had to correct some of the chronology in his story when it was published later in complete novel form)

An author writing in serial form had to create enough interest with each instalment to keep the reader wanting to read more. Writing like this inevitably shapes the finished novel in a particular way – there will be plenty of crescendos or cliff-hangers during the story, as these are often the endings of the separate instalments. In other words, the author is creating a page-turner.

It's all me, me, me! First person narration

A key feature of The Woman in White is in the way events are told using first person narratives – diary entries and legal documents.  Why is this effective? It means that events are always told from one person’s (subjective) point of view; from a perspective of incomplete knowledge and surmise, and without knowledge of the events to come.  To illustrate what I mean, none of the narrating characters ever writes things like ‘Little did we know then that …’ or ‘Had we known how disastrously this decision turned out, we would have done x, y or z’. 

The first person narration is effective, for instance, in describing the first appearance of the woman in white, a scene told from Walter’s point of view. He is disturbed and shaken by the encounter, and the sense of unease he feels colours the events that follow. 

It’s interesting to note which characters are ‘allowed’ to be narrators, and which are not. We read the early events in the novel from Walter’s point of view; Walter is then absent for the central part of the book (leaving the women effectively at the mercy of Sir Perceval and Count Fosco); he then reappears as narrator to describe the climax of the novel (the attempts to recover Laura’s identity and fortune).  The central part of the book is mainly narrated by Marian - never Laura - for reasons that later become apparent (Laura’s supposed demise).  My point here is that the interest in the novel is maintained by who does (and does not) describe the events that take place. There would be no mystery if events were described by Perceval or Count Fosco, as it is mainly their secret intentions and plans that form the central interest of the novel.

It helps if it's also a great story......

Of course, first person narration in itself doesn’t guarantee that a novel will be exciting. For that to happen you also need the story itself to be convincing and gripping. It’s therefore worth considering how Wilkie Collins builds and maintains the reader’s interest over the length of the novel.

Firstly, we have Walter’s stay at Limmeridge House. Interest here is created by his secret love for Laura; then by the air of mystery and unease that surrounds his enforced departure. Interest is then created by the appearance of Perceval, and our suspicion of his motives in wooing Laura; we suspect Laura is making a big mistake by marrying him – indeed, much of this part of the novel is taken up with whether she will go through with it or not. Of course, Walter’s absence ensures that the two women are in a much more vulnerable position, without a competent male friend to be their advisor – and this adds to the anxiety of the situation.

Simon Callow and Tara Fitzgerald in BBC's adapation

The couple do marry, and events now reach a crisis point, as it becomes clear Perceval is indeed a gold-digger and has only married Laura for her wealth.  Marian overhears conversations that even make her (and the reader) fear for Laura’s life.  Count Fosco then contrives events to make it appear as if Laura has died, as the purpose of the Count’s secret plans becomes fully clear – a very satisfying climax to this part of the novel. The rest of the novel is taken up with Walter’s attempts to restore Laura’s identity (and fortune) to her.

Relating the structure of the novel like this doesn’t do justice to the skill Collins applies in putting his story together.  For instance, it is quite a shock to the reader when events of Laura’s death are related in a way that appears to leave no doubt that she has actually died. The figure of the woman in white makes for a wonderfully ghostly presence in the novel – firstly by her dressing all in white, and by the fact the first time we meet her is at the witching hour. In a very dramatic climax to one of the later instalments, Walter is at Laura’s graveside when he sees Laura herself approach all dressed in white. There’s nothing like a story with hints of the supernatural to maintain interest!

PS

One final thought – The Woman in White is not unique in being narrated by different protagonists. Frankenstein employs a Chinese box structure of first-person narratives, and Dracula – another novel in the gothic vein - is written entirely using a series of first-person diary entries. It’s surely no coincedence that all three novels are attempting to excite and shock their readers.