The Woman in White
Wilkie Collins
Contains spoilers for the entire book.
Discussion topics
Topic 01 of 08
The woman on the road
What did you make of Walter Hartright's meeting with the woman in white on the moonlit road?
Keep the conversation going
- Why does he help her?
- How does that meeting set the whole story in motion?
There is no single right answer. Bring your own reading.
Discussion topics
What did you make of Walter Hartright's meeting with the woman in white on the moonlit road?
Keep the conversation going
- Why does he help her?
- How does that meeting set the whole story in motion?
Why do you think Collins tells the story through many witnesses' accounts?
Keep the conversation going
- Which narrator's voice did you enjoy most?
- Which did you trust least?
What makes Marian Halcombe so memorable?
Keep the conversation going
- How does she fight back against Sir Percival and the Count?
- What did you make of her friendship with Laura?
Why does Laura go through with marrying Sir Percival Glyde?
Keep the conversation going
- What does it say about the rights of married women at the time?
- What could anyone have done to stop it?
What makes Count Fosco such a fascinating villain?
Keep the conversation going
- How did you feel about his admiration for Marian?
- Is he more dangerous than Sir Percival?
How are Laura and Anne Catherick's fates bound together, and what does the plot to switch them reveal?
Keep the conversation going
- How did you feel when Laura's own tombstone was found?
- How does one prove who one is?
What is Sir Percival's secret, and why does he go to such lengths to hide it?
Keep the conversation going
- What did you make of the scene at the church vestry?
- Did the secret surprise you?
Is the ending just, given what happens to Sir Percival and the Count?
Keep the conversation going
- Why does Walter not take revenge himself?
- Who has really been restored by the end?
There is no single right answer. Bring your own reading.