Basil - Week 4

[Deborah, Moderator]

Margaret contracts typhus and in her delirium calls for Basil. He goes to her, forgives her, and stays with her as she dies. He sees Mannion, once again, at Margaret’s grave during burial. Basil chooses to move to Cornwall to keep his family safe from Mannion. Mannion follows Basil and sets the town against him. Basil decides to leave town. Mannion follows only to fall to his death.

1. Was Basil’s account reliable?

2. What did you think about the book, characters, plot overall?

[Robin P, Moderator]

I finished this and I STILL don't understand what Mannion and Margaret (or Margaret's family ) were getting out of the scam, except she got a few fashionable items as gifts.

The hatred between the two men reminds me of a faux-Victorian novel, The Meaning of Night. There's a sort of doppelgänger theme between them.

I really liked the middle part with the mystery and the creepy tone but most of the rest of the book dragged.

[Brian E]

Before the concluding letters, I thought Collins had chosen to end the novel with Basil’s death. The Editors note saying there were a few illegible lines left gave me that impression. For a brief moment, I was acclaiming Collins for having the audacity to kill his hero, a result I thought he had been cleverly foreshadowing by having Basil suffer self-inflicted wounds as a result of his incredibly poor decision making. I briefly thought, well-done Wilkie.
But then came the disappointment of that not being the ending. Instead, Basil ends up living a tranquil life with his sister, basically in an unconsummated marriage, as all his marriages appear to be.
Collins is a good storyteller and, as Robin points out, he is good at developing suspense and building a tone of mystery. His writing is page-turningly easy, but I really feel like this book would be considered overdramatic popular fluff today but is worthy of being read now since it's ‘historical’ overdramatic popular fluff. I kept visualizing this story as a Dudley do-Right melodrama, with Clara as a ’fair maiden Nell’ and Mannion as a Snidely Whiplash.
Despite Collins’ skills, I grew weary of Basil‘s overwrought narration. This is a 2.5-star novel rounded down to a 2 due to the ending. I would have rounded up to 3 if Wilkie had killed him off.

[Deborah, Moderator]

Robin P wrote: "I finished this and I STILL don't understand what Mannion and Margaret (or Margaret's family ) were getting out of the scam, except she got a few fashionable items as gifts.

The hatred between th..."

I enjoyed The Meaning of Night.

My understanding is Margaret wanted all the shallow things in life - status, a carriage, good clothes. She was a pawn of Mannion in order for him to enact his revenge. But prior to Basil, she was a way for him to gain social status,

Why her father insisted on such strange restrictions, one can only guess. He was driven my money and status too and saw the marriage as a way to increase social standing. He, too, was a pawn of Mannion.

It’s a bit to coincidental that Mannion just happened to be involved with the family with the daughter that Basil just happens to fall in love at first sight. That may be why you feel the Sherwin’s were part of the scam.

[Lori, Moderator]

I usually read on my Kindle while I’m lying next to my daughter, waiting for her to go to sleep at night. I read until the end of the chapter where Margaret died and Mannion is hiding in the next room, and then I got up to go back out to the living room and fully expected to see Mannion hiding around the corner until I remembered it was just a book.

In contrast, Mannion’s appearance to Basil was fairly non-dramatic, with him walking slowly across the graveyard instead of suddenly appearing out of a dark alley or corner, as I had expected. His death scene (good riddance) was pretty dramatic, though. I've been watching some travel videos with Rick Steves, and I thought of Basil during the video on Cornwall, since it showed some of the landscape and winding seaside.

I enjoyed the book. It was a good escape. I wonder if the allusion to Clara in Basil's letter to the doctor was Collins's way of telling us Clara will marry soon (I hope it was. She deserves her own story apart from her brother).

[Deborah, Moderator]

Brian wrote: "Before the concluding letters, I thought Collins had chosen to end the novel with Basil’s death. The Editors note saying there were a few illegible lines left gave me that impression. For a brief m..."

I too was a bit disappointed with the ending

[Deborah, Moderator]

In the beginning I asked about parallels with Collins life. Here’s a few I noticed.

Basil and Ralph both struggled to find their career, as did Collins
Basil becomes a writer
Ralph lives with a woman without the benefit of marriage. Collins had two such relationships.
Collins was an opium user which may have influenced his descriptions of strange dreams and delirium

Collins is one of my favorite authors. Background research seemed to indicate this is his best book. I’d have to disagree with that statement. While an enjoyable read, the ending seemed flat to me.
I did love his creepy descriptions - Mannion during the thunderstorm, the odd dreams, and Mannion hiding in the next room,

[Lori, Moderator]

Deborah wrote: "Collins is one of my favorite authors. Background research seemed to indicate this is his best book. I’d have to disagree with that statement."

I liked the Moonstone better than this one, though I liked both. Looking forward to reading more books by Collins, since I've only read these two!

[Robin P, Moderator]

I liked The Woman in White best but I've enjoyed several others.

Back to my question, what was the point of the year? Did they assume that if Basil married Margaret publicly, his father would cut them off, so no money to scrounge? And they figured he would accept a year, based on the idea that Margaret was too young?

[Lori, Moderator]

Well, Sherwin wanted Basil to marry Margaret right away, because otherwise he might change his mind because of parental disapproval or his own changing preferences.

As to whether she needed to stay at home for a year rather than going with her husband, it could have really been due to her age. Or it could have given Basil time to slowly break the news to his father (if they were living together, the odds would be higher that word would get out before anyone is ready, leading to Basil's father finding out suddenly and cutting them off - which he pretty much did).

[Brian E]

On Goodreads, out of the 10 Collins novels with the most ratings, Basil, with its 3.72 rating, ranks ahead of only The Haunted Hotel. Woman in White was highest with a 3.99 rating.
When I pictured Cornwall, I thought of scenes from Poldark.

[Robin P, Moderator]

I also thought of Poldark.

[Deborah, Moderator]

Brian wrote: "On Goodreads, out of the 10 Collins novels with the most ratings, Basil, with its 3.72 rating, ranks ahead of only The Haunted Hotel. Woman in White was highest with a 3.99 rating.
When I pictured ..."

I’ve read the Haunted Hotel and actually enjoyed it more than Basil. I no longer look at ratings, nor rate. Too many times I’ve seen high ratings on books that were poorly written and just not very good in general.

I’ve read The Woman in White, Armadale, The Haunted Hotel, No Name, and now Basil. While I still enjoyed Basil, I enjoyed the others more

[Robin P, Moderator]

Another one we read in this group is The Law and the Lady. I expected more mystery in The Moonstone.

[Deborah, Moderator]

Robin P wrote: "Another one we read in this group is The Law and the Lady. I expected more mystery in The Moonstone."

I have that one but haven’t read it, I actually have a beautiful hard cover set of Collins’ works. A previous inscribed her name and the year 186* I can’t read the last number,

[Rosemarie, Moderator]

This was certainly dramatic, but not my favourite book by Collins, in fact my least favourite of the four I've read- The Moonstone and The Woman in White are my top choices, then The Haunted Hotel.
My issue with the book Basil is Basil himself. He had no idea of how thw real world functions.

I liked the letters at the end-the writing was a lot calmer, more like the Collins style that I enjoy.

[Robin P, Moderator]

I found the letters at the end rather dull after the excitement in the middle of the book!

[Frances, Moderator]

I agree-this was very melodramatic and often overwrought writing which doesn't particularly appeal to me, although the gothic horror bits-the storms, the mist, the candle going out in the dark room-were fun. The idolatry that Basil appears to express towards Clara just seemed strange-I'm sure she was a good and kind and caring young woman, but I just wanted to tell Basil and Clara to get a grip on themselves. I did hope that Basil was suggesting at the end that the Doctor might like to come and court Clara and I do hope she finds herself some happiness with a solid and kind man (was he the one that gave up a life of leisure to become a Doctor?) and perhaps Basil might like to try again to find himself a suitable wife-presumably he remains an eligible bachelor, particularly if Ralph shows no sign of producing progeny.

I've also read and much preferred The Moonstone and The Woman in White, but still enjoyed this read. Thanks for the suggestion and for leading the discussion, Deborah!

[Detlef]

I agree with most of you that the ending was rather flat. After the excitement of the death of Mannion it was a letdown. The scene reminded me of the encounter between Sherlock Holmes and Professor Moriarty at the Reichenbach Falls. There both men fell to their death.
I also expected more development in the case of the rather strange restrictions of Basil‘s marriage. This whole storyline remains a bit unclear. A few too many lose ends here. Certainly not Collin‘s best work.
I also enjoyed „The Woman in White“ and „The Moonstone“ better. Overall it was fun to read this, with some reservations.