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Description edit
Walter Hartright's mysterious midnight encounter with the woman in white draws him into a vortex of crime, poison, kidnapping and international intrigue.
Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit
Summary edit
En route to a new teaching position, an artist (Walter) encounters a woman dressed in white and aids her in finding her way to London. His new students, half sisters, capture his interest - one (Marian) by her common sense and plainspokenness, the other (Laura) by love. Although Laura loves... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)
Characters edit
- Mr. Walter Hartright: A young drawing master from London.
- Laura Fairlie: A beautiful heiress of Limmeridge House, Cumberland. Passive and naive.
- Marian Halcombe: Laura's half-sister and companion, not attractive but intelligent and resourceful.
- Sir Percival Glyde: Husband of Laura Fairlie
- Anne Catherick: The woman in white. Bears remarkable resemblance to Laura.
- Isidor Ottavio Baldassare Fosco aka Count Fosco: An Italian married to Laura's aunt and friend of Sir Percival Glyde. Corpulent but moves with surprising grace, piercing eyes which miss nothing,
- Mrs. Clements: An elderly woman who cares for Anne Catherick.
- Mr. Gilmore: The Fairlies' family solicitor.
- Mr. Dawson: An elderly doctor who looks after Laura.
- Mrs. Vesey: Laura Fairlie's former governess.
- Mr. Kyrle: A solicitor, Mr. Gilmore's partner.
- Madame Fosco: Born Eleanor Fairlie. Count Fosco's wife and sister to Philip Fairlie. Laura's aunt,
- Mrs. Michelson: Eliza Michelson, housekeeper at Blackwater Park.
- Madame Rubelle: A nurse sent from London by Count Fosco.
- Mr. Merriman: Sir Percival's solicitor.
- Mrs. Todd: Of 'Todd's Farm', near Limmeridge House.
- Mr. Goodricke: A doctor who looks after Laura.
- Mr. Garth: A doctor, Mr. Goodricke's partner.
- Mr. Wansborough: Add a description of this character.
- Margaret Porcher: An incredibly stupid housemaid at Blackwater Park.
- Mr. Dempster
- Sarah Hartwright: Walter Hartwright's sister.
- Mr. Frederick Fairlie: Brother of Philip Fairlie and Laura's uncle and guardian. A hypochondriac.
- Mr. Philip Fairlie: Laura Fairlie's deceased father.
- Monsieur Rubelle: Madame Rubelle's husband.
- Professor Pesca: Italian friend of Walter Hartwright.
- Hester Pinhorn: Count Fosco's cook.
- John Owen: The man who drove the fly to pick Laura up at the station.
- Mrs. Hartwright: Walter's mother.
- Louis: Frederick Fairlie's valet.
- Mrs. Catherick: The mother of Anne Catherick.
- Fanny: A loyal maid of Laura's at Blackwater Park that is dismissed.
- Jane Gould
- Mr. Catherick: A clerk and Mrs. Catherick's husband.
- Major Donthorne: Of Varneck Hall, where Mrs. Catherick used to be in service.
- Mrs. Rubelle
- Napoleon
- Felix Glyde
- Magdalen
- Mr. Todd
- Dante
- Lizzie
- Baxter
- Mrs. Kempe
- Mr. Arthur Fairlie
- Raphael
- Papa
- Brown Molly
- Mouse
- Mozart
- Rembrandt
- Mrs. Markland
- Jacob Postlethwaite
- Mrs. Philip Fairlie
- Mr. Fairlie
Quotes edit
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“I am a bundle of nerves dressed up to look like a man!”
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“Such is the World; such Man; such Love. What are we (I ask) but puppets in a show-box? Oh, omnipotent Destiny, pull our strings gently! Dance us mercifully off our miserable little stage.”
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“Any woman who is sure of her own wits, is a match, at any time, for a man who is not sure of his own temper.”
Setting & Locations edit
London
- London
- Limmeridge House: Residence of the Fairlies.
- England
- Blackwater Park: Residence of Sir Percival Glyde.
- Cumberland: County where Limmeridge House is.
- Paris: Percival Glyde, Walter Hartwright, Professor Pesca and Count Fosco all go here at different points in the novel.
- Forest Road: A road in St. Johns Wood.
- Italy
- Opera
- St. John's Wood: An area where Count Fosco rents a house. Oxford World's Classics quotes it as 'an affluent area with a shady reputation'.
- Pesca
- Rome
- Count Fosco
- Hampstead
- Varneck Hall: Mrs. Catherick used to be in service here.
- Heaven
- Torquay: Sir Percival and Count Fosco talk of sending Laura and Marian here for the 'genial climate'.
- Central America: Walter Hartwright goes there to work.
- Grimsby: A town in Lincolnshire where Mrs. Clements and Anne Catherick stay.
- Europe
- Welmingham: Where Mrs. Catherick lives.
- Old Welmingham: Where the Cathericks' used to live before the new "Welmingham' was built.
First Sentence edit
This is the story of what a Woman's patience can endure, and what a Man's resolution can achieve.
Series & Lists edit
This is book 45 of 95 in Telegraph Top 100 Books, 2008. (authoritative list)
This is book 77 of 200 in BBC 'Big Read' Top 200 Novels, 2003. (authoritative list)
This is book 95 of 91 in The Novel 100: A Ranking of the Greatest Novels of All Time, 2004. (authoritative list)
This is book 880 of 1286 in 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. (authoritative list)
This is book 28 of 98 in The Top 100 Crime Novels of All Time (Crime Writers' Association, 1990). (authoritative list)
This is book 9 of 11 in The Bibliophile Club - Selected Reads of 2010. (community list)
This is book 201010 of 31 in The Bibliophile Club - Monthly Selected Reads. (community list)
This book is in Big Fat Books. (community list)
This book is in Penguin's Top 100 Classics. (authoritative list)
This book is in Penguin Classics. (publisher edition list)
This book is in Cover to Cover Classics. (publisher edition list)
This book is in Random Synapses: 100 Book Reading Challenge (2011). (community list)
This book is in Guardian 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read. (authoritative list)
This is book 56 of 99 in NPR's Top 100 Killer Thriller. (community list)
This is book 51 of 101 in Penguin English Library. (publisher series)
This is book 32 of 100 in Top 100 Mysteries of All Time (Mystery Writers of America, 1995). (authoritative list)
Authors & Contributors edit
- Wilkie Collins (Author)
Other Contributors:
- Elizabeth M. Williams (Author)
- Hilary Shuard
First Edition edit
Original Language: English
Publisher: Sampson Low, Son, & Co
Country: England
Publication Date: August 15, 1860
ISBN: Add the ISBN.
Page Count: 693
Publisher: Sampson Low, Son, & Co
Country: England
Publication Date: August 15, 1860
ISBN: Add the ISBN.
Page Count: 693
Awards edit
- BBC's Big Read (April 2003, #77)
Classification edit
- Library of Congress: PZ3.C697 PR4494.W5
- Dewey: 823.8
Notes for Parents edit
Reading Level: Young AdultsVery mysterious, almost ghostly gothic novel - lots of twists and turns. No foul language, sexual content or violence, although there are some adult themes and a death by fire.
Subjects edit
- Books › Literature & Fiction › World Literature › British › Classics › Collins, Wilkie
- Books › Literature & Fiction › Authors, A-Z › ( C ) › Collins, Wilkie
- Books › Literature & Fiction › History & Criticism › Criticism & Theory
- Books › Literature & Fiction › Classics
- Books › Literature & Fiction › Classics
- Books › Literature & Fiction › Literary
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