Collins, William Wilkie

William Wilkie (1824-1889), a London novelist. His father was a landscape painter of good repute. The son studied law, but wrote stories. The Moonstone is perhaps the best. Armadale, A New Magdalen, The Woman in White, and The Dead Secret, are others which have been very popular. Several of these were published in American magazines before appearing in book form, and it is said brought their author immense sums of money. Few novelists have enjoyed a wider popularity in their own day than did Collins. His novels can never be regarded as great, however. He lacks the power of making fiction appear as reality. His characters are often unnatural and seem more like actors playing their parts on a stage than like live men and women. For skill in inventing and elaborating intricate plots, Collins is unequalled.