'She had put on the dress which I used to admire more than any other she possessed': Reading Dress and Making Meaning in The Woman in White

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The Woman in White’s first narrator Walter Hartright takes great care to be meticulous in his description of female characters’ dress, drawing conclusions about their character based on what he reads through their sartorial choices. Drawing upon scholarship that explores fashion in Victorian and sensation fiction, as well as John Berger and Laura Mulvey’s work on visual cultures, this article explores the ways in which Hartright constructs identities for the women he encounters – in particular, Laura Fairlie and Anne Catherick – and ultimately concludes that Hartright uses his position as the curator of the narrative to present the women has he wishes them to be seen, rather than how they present themselves.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)73-89
JournalWilkie Collins Journal
Volume4th Series Vol. 1
Publication statusPublished - 13 Dec 2024

Keywords

  • Wilkie Collins
  • Fashion
  • Dress
  • meaning
  • sartorial reading
  • writing

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