The Readers Review: Literature from 1714 to 1910 discussion

My schedule has changed a bit so I will be posting on Saturdays, the last chapter for this week is entitled Miss Jethro.

Mrs. Rook continues to be an odd character. She has a distain for all men, and seems to drink. She is attracted to Emily’s locket because of the diamonds. Mrs. Rook reacts strangely to the inscription on the locket. Alban, while Leary of women, is in love with Emily. He even offers to travel with her to her new post. Here we are briefly told this would ruin Emily’s reputation.
It ends up not to matter; as Emily is requesting to go to her Aunt. Her aunt is seriously ill. Ellmother, the aunt’s servant, tries to prevent Emily from seeing the invalid. The aunt is raving in her thoughts due to fever. The ravings seem to revolve around the mysterious murder and include reference to Miss Jethro. Ellmother immediately leaves the house never to return. After the aunt’s death, Emily is left alone. Miss Jethro goes to the doctor for her heart. While there she admits she knew Emily’s father. Emily has become curious about the aunt’s ravings.


What have you enjoyed about the story? What is unbelievable?

What do you think are the details of the murder?

Do you think Collins’ writing would be popular today?

Well, even though Emily’s sights turned away from the north towards the south, two things at least seem to be converging. They are the murder at the inn and the death of Emily’s father. Like Alban, I was surprised when it was revealed that her father died of a heart problem at his own home. Even so, the reaction of Mrs. Rook when seeing the locket revealed that the two events are definitely connected.

And who is the mysterious man with the traits of a woman who was in the same room as the murder victim at the time of his death. Was it a man at all, or is that sort of thinking too scandalous even for Wilkie Collins?

I was pleased that Alban showed himself to be honest and trustworthy in his dealings with Emily. In admitting his love for her, any thoughts I had of him abusing his power over her were dismissed. Emily’s reaction to Alban’s declaration of love only emphasised how young and naive she was, especially when dealing with men. Nevertheless, it was very sensible of her to send him away, more for his sake than hers. However, Alban has become an important ally in solving the mystery. Already, he has helped to expose Mrs. Rook and Emily might need to call on his help again (if she can) after the revelations of her aunt.

Miss Jethro soon reappeared although it seemed too much of a coincidence that she consulted the same doctor as Emily’s aunt. We are probably about to find out whether Miss Jethro will also become an ally of Emily’s or could she turn out to be exactly the opposite?

I am enjoying the slowly-emerging set-up-the possible interrelationships, the dispersal of the girls after school finishes and wondering which of the characters will remain important. I like the suggestion that the presumably upright old aunt may have a secret. I couldn't believe that Mrs Ellmother would abandon her mistress like that and yet stay in the neighbourhood and even attend the funeral-if she went because of guilty feelings she would have gone away completely.

What is Emily's financial position now? Does she inherit from her Aunt and can therefore remain in the home on whatever her Aunt was living on? I was surprised there was no mention of the job she was meant to take on.

Would Collins be popular today? The novels are pretty fast-paced and sensational, and he would probably add more overt sexual intrigue so I think so.

Frances wrote: " Would Collins be popular today? The novels are pretty fast-paced and sensational, and he would probably add more overt sexual intrigue so I think so."

Yes I agree. The Woman in White and The Moonstone have already been successful as TV series. I think that there are many more that even a modern audience would enjoy watching as well as reading. A couple of my favourites for that treatment would be No Name: By Wilkie Collins - Illustrated and Blind Love by Wilkie Collins.

I too enjoyed No Name. I have not yet read Blind Love.

Yes, I definitely think Collins could be popular if updated to modern times. A good mystery is a good mystery in any age. There are so many things intertwined in this section, and all of them seem,to revolve around the mysterious death of Emily’s father and the murder at the inn. I agree that having Miss Jethro visit Emily’s family doctor was a bit of a stretch, but it also nicely set up the surprise that he has some knowledge of the mystery and of Miss Jethro’s involvement in it. As for Emily inheriting anything from her aunt, I believe it was mentioned earlier in the story that the aunt had lost all her money. Emily will probably have to accept the job as originally planned, which will put her in close proximity to the scene of the murder.

Nancy, you are correct. The aunt had fallen on hard times financially.

Trev wrote: "Was it a man at all, or is that sort of thinking too scandalous even for Wilkie Collins?"

I was wondering the same, and I think Collins was capable of going there. Wigs were available. I suppose the person had to have blue eyes, since contact lenses didn't exist, so that would probably rule out Miss Jethro. Her eye color isn't explicitly mentioned, but she doesn't have a light complexion like the supposed murderer - by the way, are they sure that other sleeper was actually the murderer; couldn't that person have had their own reasons for running away even if they didn't do it?

The doctor confiding so much in Miss Jethro seemed strange to me.

I also have a decent opinion of Alban so far. Overly misogynist, but not problematic or anything since Emily is of age and no longer his student (he didn't actively pursue her until school had finished, anyway). Given that this is a mystery, of course, there might be something "off" about him.