Wilkie Collins: Overblown Emotions & Lost Supernatural Potential

In this 'spoiler free' REJECT #bookreview, I analyze a collection of short stories by the Victorian mystery writer Wilkie Collins. While Collins has a strong reputation, I found most of these tales quite dull and emblematic of the era's cultural attitudes. The stories present a contradictory portrayal of women as either overly emotional/powerless or manipulative/domineering. However, I did enjoy the creative crime scheme in 'A Terribly Strange Bed' and the moral themes of 'The Devil's Spectacles'. Overall, the stories exemplify the exaggerated treatment of women's emotions and social status that was prevalent in Victorian literature while also dismissing the core supernatural elements that could have worked great if it wasn’t tainted by the scientism of the day, shutting down every possible consideration of either a spiritual or a horrifyingly unexplainable possibility.

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**SHOW NOTES**

1. Wilkie Collins (1824–1889) was an English novelist and playwright, best known for pioneering the mystery and detective genres. His works, including The Woman in White (1859) and The Moonstone (1868), introduced elements like psychological suspense, intricate plotting, and multiple perspectives. The Moonstone is often regarded as the first modern detective novel, setting the stage for authors like Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie.
2. While they were contemporaries for a short period, Collins was an established literary figure by the time Doyle began his career. Doyle would have likely been influenced by Collins’ innovations in the mystery genre.
3. The Victorian era marked a cultural shift in which women were elevated to an almost sacrosanct status, idealized as paragons of virtue, purity, and emotional sensitivity. This romanticized view fostered an exaggerated concern for their feelings and social standing, shaping an era of over-pampering and meticulous regard for feminine propriety. Far from being a time of oppression, it was a period where femininity was overrepresented in art, literature, and moral discourse, placing women on a pedestal that demanded reverence and deference.
4. H.P. Lovecraft (1890–1937) was an American author renowned for his pioneering works in cosmic horror and weird fiction, emphasizing humanity’s insignificance in a vast, indifferent universe. While often associated with the Gothic sensibilities of the Victorian era, Lovecraft expressed a distinct affinity for the earlier Gregorian era, admiring its 18th-century Enlightenment values, architecture, and classical restraint. He viewed the Gregorian period as embodying a sense of order and rationality that contrasted with what he saw as the excesses and sentimental romanticism of the Victorian age.
5. A “simp” is a slang term for someone who excessively pleases or shows devotion to someone they’re romantically interested in, often without reciprocation. Originating from “simpleton” to mean a foolish person, it gained popularity in 1980s hip-hop culture and later evolved on social media to criticize perceived subservience in romantic pursuits.
6. Read HP Lovecraft’s ‘Supernatural Horror in Literature’ here: https://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks06/0601181h.html