Sex and Suspense in The Moonstone
In The History of Sexuality, Michel Foucault writes that in the Victorian era, “[s]exuality was carefully confined. […] On the subject of sex, silence became the rule. […P]roper demeanor avoided contact with other bodies, and verbal decency sanitized one's speech" (3). He indicates that this repression of sex went hand-in-hand with a heightened awareness of sex (Foucault). It is for this reason that the character of Rosanna Spearman in The Moonstone, by Wilkie Collins, is significant. Along with the suspense created by the reader’s attempt to unravel the mystery in the novel, Rosanna’s associations with the Shivering Sands, and her unrequited passion for Franklin Blake make her a sexual character, which causes the reader to feel uncomfortable and even paranoid, in her presence, intensifying the suspense in the novel.
When first mentioned, The Shivering Sands is described as “the most horrible quicksand” because “something goes in the unknown deeps below, which sets the whole face of the quicksand shivering and trembling” (Collins, 22). The mystery and sexual connotation surrounding the sands cause the characters in the novel, as well as the reader, to feel uneasy. Rosanna Spearman says that “[s]omething draws [her] to it” and that she can’t keep away from it (Collins, 24). She says she “dream[s] of it night after night” and even thinks of it while doing her chores (Collins, 25). Considering she is talking about sand, her reaction is bizarre and suggests a kind of sexual relationship with it. Betteredge is dumbfounded by her passion toward the Sands and exclaims that her speeches are “unwholesome talk” (Collins, 25).
When Rosanna falls in love with Franklin Blake and does not receive his love in return, she is tormented by her passion. She constantly obsesses over him and spends nights crying in misery (Collins, 311). Her frustration at never receiving his attention, and at never being able to fulfill her erotic desires continues to build until she can bear it no longer and finally, in a passionate climax, she takes her life at the Shivering Sands – the only means of satisfying her sexual urge that she is aware of. This is further suggested when Franklin Blake goes to the Sands to uncover the hidden nightgown. This scene is so sexual in nature it is as if Rosanna’s ghost is finally experiencing the sexual fulfillment she craved during her life. The Sands are described as “heaving,” with an “awful shiver that crept over its surface – as if some spirit of terror lived and moved and shuddered in the fathomless deeps beneath” (Collins, 305). Franklin Blake then thinks of Rosanna and closes his eyes as he inserts his stick in the quicksand. The next instant, he is “throbbing with excitement from head to foot” – an experience that clearly has an orgasmic quality (Collins, 305).
Rosanna Spearman, with her physical abnormality, inferior social position, and uncomfortable sexuality all working together and pitted against her, would certainly have caused discomfort for the Victorian reader. Along with the suspense created in the novel through other characters and events, Rosanna’s eroticism would have amplified the reader’s apprehension. In contrast, the experience of the Twenty-First Century reader is bittersweet. Not plagued by the same taboos surrounding sexuality, the reader can appreciate Rosanna’s character without feelings of unease; however, the contemporary reader misses out on much of the suspense Collins undoubtedly intended.
Collins, Wilkie. The Moonstone. Ed. John Sutherland. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.
Foucault, Michel. The History of Sexuality Vol. 1: An Introduction. Trans. Robert Hurley. New
York: Random House, 1990.
When first mentioned, The Shivering Sands is described as “the most horrible quicksand” because “something goes in the unknown deeps below, which sets the whole face of the quicksand shivering and trembling” (Collins, 22). The mystery and sexual connotation surrounding the sands cause the characters in the novel, as well as the reader, to feel uneasy. Rosanna Spearman says that “[s]omething draws [her] to it” and that she can’t keep away from it (Collins, 24). She says she “dream[s] of it night after night” and even thinks of it while doing her chores (Collins, 25). Considering she is talking about sand, her reaction is bizarre and suggests a kind of sexual relationship with it. Betteredge is dumbfounded by her passion toward the Sands and exclaims that her speeches are “unwholesome talk” (Collins, 25).
When Rosanna falls in love with Franklin Blake and does not receive his love in return, she is tormented by her passion. She constantly obsesses over him and spends nights crying in misery (Collins, 311). Her frustration at never receiving his attention, and at never being able to fulfill her erotic desires continues to build until she can bear it no longer and finally, in a passionate climax, she takes her life at the Shivering Sands – the only means of satisfying her sexual urge that she is aware of. This is further suggested when Franklin Blake goes to the Sands to uncover the hidden nightgown. This scene is so sexual in nature it is as if Rosanna’s ghost is finally experiencing the sexual fulfillment she craved during her life. The Sands are described as “heaving,” with an “awful shiver that crept over its surface – as if some spirit of terror lived and moved and shuddered in the fathomless deeps beneath” (Collins, 305). Franklin Blake then thinks of Rosanna and closes his eyes as he inserts his stick in the quicksand. The next instant, he is “throbbing with excitement from head to foot” – an experience that clearly has an orgasmic quality (Collins, 305).
Rosanna Spearman, with her physical abnormality, inferior social position, and uncomfortable sexuality all working together and pitted against her, would certainly have caused discomfort for the Victorian reader. Along with the suspense created in the novel through other characters and events, Rosanna’s eroticism would have amplified the reader’s apprehension. In contrast, the experience of the Twenty-First Century reader is bittersweet. Not plagued by the same taboos surrounding sexuality, the reader can appreciate Rosanna’s character without feelings of unease; however, the contemporary reader misses out on much of the suspense Collins undoubtedly intended.
Works Cited
Collins, Wilkie. The Moonstone. Ed. John Sutherland. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.
Foucault, Michel. The History of Sexuality Vol. 1: An Introduction. Trans. Robert Hurley. New
York: Random House, 1990.
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