herpesma 's review for:

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

2.0

---

Starting off strong before fizzling out into a moribund final sparkle, The Woman in White is, unfortunately, a lot more interesting to think/talk about than it is in and of itself. The primary point of conversation and highest strength of the novel is its structuring, offering a proto-courtroom-drama in which the narrative is suspended by a revolving cast of witness testimonial. It's really neat! It works well for the story, seems genuinely inspired, yada yada yada. Unfortunately, this is really the only area of excellence. Outside of the structure the characterization and plotting lay horribly thin. The central trio (more aptly a central duo, as one remains infantilized and objectified throughout) lack any and all complication or personality aside from providing a picturesque model of what must have been (for the time) Radical Victorian Virtue. If I'm going to enjoy a Virtue Piece, it has to be written on a moment-to-moment level not only with an eye for the engaging but with an entwinement of insight and commentary which allows the reader to more wholly understand the application of virtue to their own life. Collins is, flat-out, not a good sentence to sentence writer. He lacks a spark of inspiration which is remarkably hard to pin down, but becomes more prominent the more dialogue there is in the book. Most is exposition, fortunately. Well, unfortunately, because the exposition leads to the second issue, a massive slow-down of pacing after the First Epoch which not only drains an enthusiasm for trudging onwards but at times strains and insults the reader's intelligence (I do not need to have the machinations of the plot explained to me over and over). This is probably a result of the novel's serialization, understandable, but nonetheless frustrating to a modern reader. All in all, worthwhile to examine from a distance for its structure, sensationalist and molasses in actual experience.