The Woman in White. Update, the second

Classics Club Spin #9, second update on progress

Book: The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

Pages read: 215 of 609.

Weekly goal: I'm feeling pretty confident and accomplished. I met my goal of reading at least 17 pages per day on average. Surprisingly, it is a very manageable number of pages to read and I never felt like I had to read them but I did think, "Oh good, I get to read The Woman in White right now."

What I have learned so far:

• I mentioned this last week but It was very evident in the sections I read this week, because the book was serialized each chapter ends on a bit of a cliffhanger or something that made me want to keep reading. Very clever.
• Wilkie Collins was most proud of this book and directed that the epitaph on his tombstone read: "In memory of Wilkie Collins, author of 'The Woman in White' and other novels." He was most proud of this novel, though he wrote many others.
• His novels are very atmospheric and he uses nature as symbols and signs for upcoming troubles. I am just at the part where the character talks about the suffocating effect of trees. I like trees but not if they are portents of death.

What pleases me:
The book is surprisingly readable and I'm enjoying my time with it.

The action (no spoilers):
The plot just keeps getting thicker and the plot more and more sinister. Nothing terrifying has happened yet but I keep getting the feeling that it will at any minute. I am struck anew about the powerlessness of women in the 1850s. Decisions that are made that dramatically affect them yet their opinion is not considered. Collins writes as if this is normal. 

Comments: I'm starting to sound like a disciple but let me say this---the hardest part of reading classics in getting started. Just pick up one you've been wanting to read, set yourself smallish daily goals, and go!