Wilkie Collins' The Woman in White, written in 1859, is considered to be among the first mystery novels and one of the finest examples of the sensation novel, a genre blending realism and gothic romance, and exploring the artificiality of identity. In it, a young protagonist, Walter Hartright, meets a mysterious woman dressed all in white on a London street at midnight. After helping her return home, he learns from police that she has escaped from an asylum. Later, Walter takes a job as an art tutor to two young women, one of whom bears a strong resemblance to the woman in white. Considered to be Collins' finest novel along with The Moonstone.
