The Woman in White is often credited as being the first novel of the sensation genre to be published. The sensation genre is defined (on the back cover of our edition of The Woman in White) as a “Victorian genre that combine[s] Gothic horror with psychological realism”, which can evoke intense physical and emotional responses from readers. This is why sensational novels tend to focus on stories that involve matters like murder, secrecy, and scandal, making The Woman in White a prime example of the genre.
The tone in the novel is thus unsurprisingly suspenseful with topics such as the mystery of Anne Catherick, the terrifying power of Count Fosco, and the Secret of Sir Percival Glyde being prominent drives for the plot. After reading the conversation between Walter and Professor Pesca, a big reveal scene of Professor Pesca’s secret, I noticed a reoccurring speech pattern of Professor Pesca. I found it curious how Pesca kept using body parts to express himself. For instance, he uses the phrases “you have shaken me from head to toe”, “on your heart and soul”, and “put my life into your hands” (pg. 573) within the span of a few paragraphs.
After reading this section of the novel, I realized that scenes that involved cases of suspense or other powerful emotions, such as grief and fear, have generally been depicted in a descriptive style that uses the expression of physical body parts rather than a frank statement of the character’s feelings. For example, Pesca could have stated “The information that I am about to reveal is extremely dangerous so I am trusting you completely, Walter” instead of saying “My next words, as true as the good God is above us, will put my life into your hands” (pg. 573). Another example is from the First Epoch when Marian tells Walter about Laura’s engagement to Sir Percival. Walter’s reaction is described as thus: “The last word went like a bullet to my heart. My arm lost all sensation of the hand that grasped it” (pg. 72). This is an impressive way of expressing Walter’s shock especially when compared to my plainer version: “Marian’s words left me speechless. The news had made me numb to all my surroundings.” The similes and metaphors of Wilkie Collins are preferable (of course) since they emphasize the gravity of a character’s thoughts and words.
I believe that using such language is definitely the writing style of Wilkie Collins. By doing so, it is possible for readers to truly feel the pressure of a scene or be able to make a connection with a character, hence fulfilling the purpose of the sensation genre.
Your point that the characters in the novel often express themselves using body parts is intriguing. This is also seen in the way characters in the novel, especially women, get portrayed. When introducing new characters, the readers really only get a description of their appearance. For example, when first meeting Marian, Walter goes on and on about her mustache. Even when Walter is discussing how much he loves Laura, he really only talks about how much he loves her body. The women in this novel get reduced to their physical body parts. Their level of attractiveness correlates to their status in life, as seen in the article “The Obsessive Importance of Beauty”. Also, perhaps the constant usage of body parts in the novel is another way of subtly putting sex into the novel.