No Name ~ Wilkie Collins

I’ve long been a fan of the novels of the Victorian writer Wilkie Collins, a younger contemporary of Charles Dickens. He wrote what critics of the time dismissively called “sensation fiction” because of their colourful, dramatic plots and what was seen as the “scandalous” behaviour of some of the characters. By today’s standards, of course, they are very tame, but still very readable and full of interest.

No Name is probably my favourite Collins’ novel. I recently re-read it as part of producing an edition for the Standard Ebooks project.

No Name is set in England during the 1840s. It follows the fortunes of two sisters, Magdalen Vanstone and her older sister Norah. Their comfortable upper-middle-class lives are shockingly disrupted when, after the sudden deaths of their parents, they discover that they are disinherited and left without either name or fortune. The headstrong Magdalen vows to recover their inheritance, by fair means or foul. Her increasing desperation makes her vulnerable to a wily confidence trickster, Captain Wragge, who promises to assist her in return for a cut of the profits.

There are some delightful touches of humour in the story, particularly those to do with Captain Wragge. Here is how he describes himself to the desperate Magdalen:

“Don’t be shocked,” proceeded the captain; “don’t be astonished. Swindler is nothing but a word of two syllables. S, W, I, N, D — swind; L, E, R — ler; Swindler. Definition: A moral agriculturist; a man who cultivates the field of human sympathy. I am that moral agriculturist, that cultivating man. Narrow-minded mediocrity, envious of my success in my profession, calls me a Swindler. What of that? The same low tone of mind assails men in other professions in a similar manner–calls great writers scribblers–great generals, butchers–and so on. It entirely depends on the point of view.”

Magdalen, though, is by no means Wragge’s pawn. She is an intelligent, independent young woman who is determined to achieve her aims in recovering her fortune, by whatever means come to hand. In many ways Wragge is her tool rather than she his. They find themselves pitted against another strong-minded woman in the form of Mrs Lecount, the Swiss-born housekeeper of the man who has inherited the money, and who is equally determined that Magdalen will fail in her aims.

No Name was published in serial form like many of Wilkie Collins’ other works. They were tremendously popular in their time, with long queues forming awaiting the publication of each episode. Though not as well known as his The Woman in White and The Moonstone, No Name is their equal in boasting a gripping plot and strong women characters (a rarity in the Victorian era). Collins’ mentor Charles Dickens is on record as considering it to be far the superior of The Woman in White.

Great book. You can get the free, beautifully formatted ebook edition I worked on from Standard Ebooks here.