The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins was widely referred to as a “sensation novel” as it sparked excitement and desire within the reader through crime, mystery, and romantic triangles. The dramatic tales were scandalous for the era, and particularly worrisome as they appealed to female reader. In William Greg’s essay discussing the Victorian woman, he focuses particularly on the despair and disappointment of single women. He deems them unaware of their ambitions, and accuses them of setting goals too high to be met, which would leave them in “a dreary void of unshared existence.” In The Woman in White, this idea and the belittling of women is made clear through the male characters. However, Marian Halcombe contrasts the typical female character in her often blunt expressions and her “rational” thoughts.
In Vincent Gilmore’s narration, he has a particularly interesting series of conversations with Marian. His descriptions of Marian often include adjectives that would be used to describe males. He uses hard words, like sharp and dark. On page 146, Marian stands up to Gilmore, in a conversation about Laura. Upon calling Laura “weak and nervous,” Marian says to Vincent Gilmore, “you are altering your opinion about Laura, you are readier to make allowances for her than you were yesterday.” He writes, “No sensible man ever engages, unprepared, in a fencing match of words with a woman.” This not only shows Marian’s ability and confidence to stand up to men, but also her fierce loyalty to Laura, which becomes more and more evident as the book continues. Gilmore, in his narration, is almost submissive, but alludes to the “irrationality” that women were believed to express through their hysteria. I did not interpret his thought as respectful, but rather a mockery of Marian’s provoking statement. Rather than continuing the conversation, he replies to her, “Let me know what happens. I will do nothing till I hear from you.” His avoidance of the argument, or potential conversation, was, in my opinion to avoid Marian getting “hysterical” by some means.
When talking about hysteria, I think it is particularly interesting to think about asylums, and how they present themselves in the novel. We first are presented with Anne Catherick, the original woman in white, who escapes institutionalization at an asylum. Her mental faculties are clearly questionable as we learn more about her character and it seems that she possesses common symptoms of hysteria: obsession, emotional outbursts, faintness, and nervousness. It is apparent that the asylum in the Victorian Era may have been a way to avoid hysteria, or at least to hide it away. Later in the novel though, asylum is introduced in a different context. Marian appeals for Laura’s asylum at Limmeridge House. Asylum, here, meaning protection granted to someone considered a refugee. I find this dual use of asylum particularly interesting considering the parallels we have already seen between Anne Catherick and Laura Fairlie and it makes me question Laura’s present and future mental capabilities and whether or not Marian is the one trying to avoid hysteria.
Yes, I totally agree with your reading of this moment with Mr. Gilmore. Perhaps Mr. Gilmore submits to Miss Halcombe because he rationalizes that her actions are based on her despair of being single. He, therefore, will not contradict her because she does not have anyone to answer to but her lonely self, in his eyes. This idea is conflicting for me because I do genuinely believe that Mr. Gilmore values Marian’s opinion and views her a rational woman. Although, from this passage he seems to only define her as rational when it benefits himself and his opinions.
I really like this idea you bring up about Marian being described with adjectives traditionally reserved for men. I immediately thought of Count Fosco’s description of Marian, when he calls her a “grand creature” and “firm as a rock,” especially in contrast to Laura, whom he describes as “that poor flimsy pretty blonde wife of yours” (324). He even goes so far as to say Marian “has the foresight and resolution of a man” (324). However, I don’t think Marian’s character is that straightforward. Especially as the narrative progresses, she more and more comes to typify the stereotypes associated with her sex; the end of her journal, written in a feverish state, could be interpreted as a woman’s hysterics.
I also found this to be a very interesting passage and topic presented in the novel. I think this idea is reflected in many of the characters. For example, Anne is initially seen as very hysterical. She seems to be characterized as many Victorian women were during the time. However, she later becomes ‘more rational’ and very important in the development of the plot. The note of wanting to avoid Marion’s hysterics intrigued me. I had not initially thought of it in that way.