Dangerous Liaisons

When I started reading this book I felt sympathetic towards the Marquise de Merteuil; she was acting in a way to readdress the power between genders. Society forced women to act with reserve and great virtue and 'make a good match in marriage' if they wanted to be accepted. Men, like Valmont and Prevan, could have love affairs and escape with a reputation that may be marked but they would still be accepted in society, however, the women they bed would be ruined, forced to hide themselves from the public snubs.

I read the Marquise de Merteuil's letters and thought that although she may be a touch harsh in her judgements, it was perhaps, understandable how her upbringing had caused that. As the book progressed, it becomes more apparent how cruel the Marquise can be. Not only does she have no sympathies for her fellow women, she also torments her past-lover and confident, the Vicomte de Valmont. In the end she pushes people too far and realises the consequences. I wonder if, when this happens, she remembers writing to Valmont:

If my revenge misses the mark, I agree to taking the consequences. Thus, I am quite prepared for you to try everything you can: I even invite you to do so, and promise not to be annoyed when you succeed, if you succeed. I am so easy on this score, that I shall press the point no further. Let us talk of other things.

Blogging Break

Oops! I have not been blogging for a while. Although I have been remiss in my blogging, I have still been keeping up my reading. I will work on typing up my back catalogue until I get up to speed. :)

The Rising of the Moon - Gladys Mitchell

I began to be assailed by doubts... we had no proof that [they]intended to kill us. I was still in a state of suspended panic, but the fairy-gold logic of childhood was reasserting itself, with ultimate hope of victory, in my mind.

The Rising of the Moon has become one of my favourite Mrs. Bradley novels. I had the added novelty of reading this over the Easter period, when the series of murders begins! The story is written as a first person narrative of Master Simon Innes. Mrs Bradley does not enter the story until part way through, which means that a lot of the detective work is carried out by Simon and Keith Innes (13 and 11 years old respectively), brothers who find themselves involved in a mysterious case of serial murders in their small village. The first murder takes place at the Circus, much to the dismay of the boys:

"Heared about the Ripper?" asked Fred. "There won't be any circus this afternoon."

Up to that time it was the most terrible news I had ever heard, for we were too young to have been told outright about the deaths of our parents. We had found that news out gradually, and by putting two and two together; but this was a bolt from the blue.

The Pastor of Vejlbye - Steen Steensen Blicher

Illustration by Povl Christensen (1909 - 1977)

I wanted to read this short-story as part of my mission to read more early mystery literature. The Pastor of Vejlbye was published in 1829 and subtitled 'A Crime Story'. It is often referred to as one of the first mystery novels. 


I enjoyed the story and found myself wanting to intervene to help certain characters. It was a good quick read and worth the trouble to find the book. I did not find it easy to get hold of an English translation of this short-story; I got it as part of a collection of short-stories in the end. If you don't want to struggle to get a physical copy of the book you can find a pdf version here.

The author, Steen Steensen Blicher, was one of Denmark's great Golden Age poets and short-story writers; he was much influenced by Scottish and English literature but never visited these countries.

The story is written in the form of a diary in two parts. The first part of the story is provided by Erik Sørensen, district sheriff, and the second part provided by the pastor of AAlsøe.

It is based upon (although does not follow exactly) a real event in 1626 when pastor Søren Qvist of Vejlbye (near Grenå) was sentenced to death, for the murder of his coachman in 1607, based on circumstantial evidence.

Searching for a body in the pastor's garden (Christensen)

Following the pastor's execution one of his sons investigates further into the events leading to his conviction. This leads to a new trial in 1634 when it is discovered that a number of the witnesses had committed perjury; both were then sentenced to death.

Blicher's short-story deviates from the authentic account of the case. He changes characters and adds a number of twists, including an interesting psychological aspect in respect to Søren Qvist's personality and beliefs. I won't give away the twists or the ending in order to preserve the suspense. :)

The Woman in White continued...

Harper's Weekly, 31 December 1859, Vol.III, No.157, p.841.
Illustrations by John McLenan
Weekly Part 6.

The woman in white took me so long to read that I thought it deserved two posts (it's a substantial book). 


I really enjoyed the story. I thought that the story progression in the first epoch was rather slow so it took me a while to get into the book. It sets out lots of unanswered questions. You see the questions mounting and foresee the numerous permutations of possible distasters without clue to which one will really happen, and you start to think that you might not get any answers. However, in the second epoch there is a lot more action and the final epoch does satisfy your questions (whether the outcome is to your liking is another matter).


My favourite bit is Miss Halcombe’s diary. Marian is my favourite character in the book. She’s a wonderfully strong female character, especially for the period. Here are a few of my favourite lines relating to Marian:

The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins

Harper's Weekly, 26 November 1859, Vol.III, No.152, p.753.
Illustrations by John McLenan
Weekly Part 1.

"[The Woman in White is] often singled out as the foundation text of "sensation fiction" – a genre distinguished by its electrifying, suspenseful, and sometimes horrific plots, as well as its unsavoury themes of intrigue, jealousy, murder, adultery, and the like..." The Guardian

The Woman in White was first serialised in Charles Dickens' weekly literary magazine, All the Year Round, between 1859–1860. Therefore celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2009. The story was later published as a book in 1860, first in three books, and then in one volume. The three book divisions serve as chapters (or epochs) in the single book version.

The initial format of small weekly articles can be seen to result in a long book. It is also the reason for the multitude of 'cliff-hangers' dotted throughout the narrative (carefully positioned at the end of each weekly publication), which give rise to the reputation for suspense the novel has accrued. To experience it as it's first Victorian audience did, the story can be read in its original weekly parts thanks to the 150th anniversary project. The story was published simultaneously in New York in Harper's Weekly, you can see the accompanying illustrations by John McLenan on the project site too.

The story is told in an epistolary format with testaments given by various characters, letters and other relevant text is also shared. The character narratives are given in the following order:

Epoch 1

• Walter Hartright - Drawing Master
• Vincent Gilmore - Solicitor
• Marian Halcombe - Sister to Laura Fairlie 

Epoch 2

• Continued by Marian Halcombe (Postscript by Count Fosco - Uncle by marriage to Laura Fairlie - see full title below)
• Eliza Michelson - Housekeeper at Blackwater Park
• Hester Pinhorn - Cook in the service of Count Fosco
• Alfred Goodricke - Doctor
• Jane Gould - Assistant to Mr Goodricke
• Walter Hartright 

Epoch 3

• Continued by Walter Hartright 
• Mrs Catherick
• Walter Hartright
• Isidor, Ottavio, Baldassare Fosco - Count of the Holy Roman Empire, Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Brazen Crown, Perpetual Arch-Master of the Rosicrucian Masons of Mesopotamia; Attached (in Honorary Capacities) to Societies Musical, Societies Medical, Societies Philosophical, and Societies General Benevolent, throughout Europe; etc. etc. etc. 
• Concluded by Walter Hartright 

New Books

I am excited because I have just ordered some new mystery books from my wish list. I am looking forward to their arrival.

I am interested in reading more of the early detective fiction so I have been trying to find recommendations for books to read. These are but a few from that list.

I wanted to read The Rector of Veilbye (first published 1829) by Steen Steensen Blicher but I could not find it easily available in an English translation. Instead I have got:

• The Diary of a Parish Clerk and other short stories, (DPC first published 1824), S Steensen Blicher

- One of  the short stories included is the Rector of Veilbye, and I will get to sample some of the author's other works too.

I have also acquired:

• L'Affaire Lerouge (first published 1866),  Émile Gaboriau (published in English as The Widow Lerouge)

• The Leavenworth Case (first published 1878), Anna Katherine Green

-  I noticed the author mentioned in Dickson Carr's 'The Locked-Room Lecture' in The Hollow Man. He referenced Initials Only but I decided to get The Leavenworth Case as this is an earlier work of Green.

Finally, I got:

• The Moonstone (first published 1868), Wilkie Collins

- It is taking me so long to read The Woman in White, that I think it will be a little while before I get around to reading this.