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 THE WOMAN IN WHITE BY WILKIE COLLINS.

AUTHOR: Wilkie Collins. He was born in London in 1824. As a schoolboy, he was always inventing stories. When he was an adult, he worked in the tea trade and then studied law. After that, he wrote his first book, a biography of his father, what made him begin to write for a living. He wrote plays and books with Charles Dickens.

Later, he started to write novels and shorts stories, until he began to use the ‘sensation novel’.

Collins’ best-known works are The Woman in White (1860), No Name (1862), Armadale (1866) and The Moonstone (1868)

Wilkie Collins died in 1889. He was buried in London, and on his grave are written that words: ‘Author of The Woman in White and other works of fiction’.

MAIN CHARACTERS:

-LAURA FAIRLIE: one of Mr Frederick Fairlie nieces, and Marian Halcombe’s sister. She is rich, young, blonde and beautiful. She is a fair and delicate girl, and she has got kind, honest and innocent blue eyes.

-MARIAN HALCOMBE:  the poor sister of Laura Fairlie. She is young, tall, dark and ugly, but she has got a beautiful figure. She is honest and intelligent and she is full of strength and courage.

-WALTER HARTRIGHT:  the drawing teacher of Laura and Marian.

-ANNE CATHERICK: a young woman who looks like Laura Fairlie. She is always dressed in white. She wants to help Laura. But people think she’s crazy because she was put in an asylum.

OTHER CHARACTERS:

-SIR PERCIVAL GLYDE: Laura Fairlie’s husband.

-COUNT FOSCO:  a friend of Sr Percival Glyde. He is bossy and enormously fat, and his face looks like Napoleon’s. He has grey, cold eyes. He is Italian, but he speaks English perfectly. He saved Sr Percival life once, because of this, they are close friends.

-MR PESCA: a friend of Walter Hartright. He had to left Italy for political reasons, as Count Fosco. He found Walter a job in Cumberland.

-ELEANOR FAIRLIE (MRS FOSCO): Count Fosco’s wife and Laura’s aunt. At first, she was irritating, but she changed. Then, she was silent and simply.

-MR PHILIP FAIRLIE: Laura’s father. He is dead.

-VINCENT GILMORE: Laura’s lawyer. She loved Laura as a daughter.

-MR FREDERICK FAIRLIE: Marian and Laura’s uncle.

-DOCTOR GOODRICKE: the doctor who registered Laura’s death.

-JANE CATHERICK: Anne Catherick’s mother. She is cold and aggressive.

-MR KYRLE: Mr Gilmore’s partner.

-ELIZA MICHELSON: Sir Percival’s housekeeper.

STORY SETTING:

The story started in Hampstead Head in July 1849. Days later, in Cumberland, when Walter moved to Laura and Marian’s home. Then, in June 1850, the story took place in Hampshire, when Laura married Sr Percival. Later, in London, since July 1850. The story ended in Limmeridge House, in 1852.

WHAT HAPPENED :

Walter Hartright went to say goodbye to his mum and sister, because he moved to Cumberland to work, and then he went to his home in London. On the way, a woman dressed completely in white, stopped and asked him to go to London and if he knew any aristocrats, because there was one who was very bad.

After that, Anne got into a carriage and left. One moment later, a man told the police that the woman in white had run away from his asylum.

The next day Walter arrived to the house of Frederick Fairlie and met Marian Halcombe. They talked about the woman in white and the differences between Laura and herself.

After that, Walter went to see Mr Frederick Fairlie, who though he was ill. Then he met Laura, and they fall in love.

Marian and Walter talked again about the woman dressed in white, and found out that she was called Anne Catherick and she was Mrs Fairlie’s student.

Days passed, and Marian and Walter became good friends. Because of this, Marian talked to Walter and told him that his love for Laura was impossible, because she was going to marry Sr Percival Glyde.

In November, Sr Percival arrived and Walter left.

That morning, Laura received an anonymous letter, telling her that Sr Percival was an evil man, and asking her to not marry him. Vincent Gilmore, Laura’s lawyer, sent a copy to Sr Percival’s lawyer. When Percival arrived, he tried to explain himself, telling that he helped Anne’s mother, offering  Anne’s asylum, because her mother didn’t have enough money. Marian wrote a letter to Jane Catherick to confirm that explanation and she answered that it was true.

Days later, Vincent Gilmore told Laura the details of her father’s will, and Laura said that she wanted to leave that money to her sister when she died. When Sr Percival heard it, he sent a letter from Vincent telling him that she would inherit the money. Mr Frederick Fairlie agreed.

Laura and Sr Percival got married on the 22th of December. Six months later, after being in Italy, they came back, with Count and Madame Fosco. Laura went to live with them.

Laura had changed a lot, and Sr Percival too. He became cold and aggressive.

The next day, Sr Percival wanted Laura to sign some documents without reading them, but she refused. He got angry and left the house some days to go away on bussines.

Laura met Anne Catherick, who told her that Sr Percival hid a secret, and she would tell her the following day. But when Laura went to the lake only found a letter from Anne. When Laura was reading it, Sr Percival arrived, he got angry, and shut her in her room. Count Fosco made Sr Percival open the door, and Laura told Marian that the count was a spy.

Marian kept watching on Count Fosco and sr Percival while they were talking about the debts of Percival and the plain for inherit the money of Laura. After that, Marian got ill, and Eliza Michelson took care of her. Laura was so worried about her sister that she became ill too.

Sr Percival told Laura that Marian had gone to London, and she would went there too the next morning. The housekeeper went with her to the station. When Eliza arrived home, could see that Marian was there.

In 1850, in London, Laura died due to a heart disease.

Walter returned to London and his mother told him that Laura was dead. He went to the cemetery. There, he met Marian and Laura. Immediately, they went to London. On the way, Marian told Walter that she had gone to the asylum to see Anne, but when she saw her, she realised that she was Laura! She paid the nurse to help Laura escape.

They wanted to give Laura’s identity back, so Walter went to the church to see the register of marriages. He discovered Sr Percival secret: his father had never married Percival’s mother! Suddenly, the vestry was on fire and Sr Percival was inside, so Walter tried to save him,but Sr Percival died.

Marian and Laura returned to London and wrote a letter to Walter asking him to return too. And he did it.

Mrs Jane Catherick wrote a letter to Walter telling that she had given the key to Sr Percival because he had blackmailed her.

Walter arrived and Marian told him that she had talked to Count Fosco. Laura got better, and Walter discovered that Laura’s father was Anne’s too.

In April Laura and Walter got married. One day Walter met Pesca and they went to the Opera House. There, they saw Count Fosco. Then, Walter and Pesca went to Pesca’s house, where he told Walter that Fosco and himself were in a political association called the “Brotherhood”, where they had to stay for their lifetime. Fosco had run away, and could be killed for that.

Walter threatened Fosco to tell Pesca, another member of the Brotherhood, that he betrayed. So the Count and the Countess left London after writing a letter with his confession and giving Walter a proof.

With the confession and the proof, Mr Kyrle could prove Laura’s identity.

Count Fosco was killed. Laura and Walter had a son, and they, with Marian, lived in Limmeridge house happily.

VOCABULARY I’VE LEARNT:

-Nearby: cercano.

-Beyond: más allá.

-Behaved: comportarse.

-Charming: encantador.

-Tenderness: ternura.

-Inherit: adquirir.

-Sleeve: manga o funda.

-Sin: pecado.

-Rather: más bien, bastante.

-Cheek: mejilla.