Research Paper on:
Is Plot a Function of Character or Is the Opposite True?

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
when one delves beyond the perfunctory elements so common to conventional mystery/suspense novels, one finds the most delicious array of characters around which Collins craftily functions his plot. That  he is able to utilize plot as a function of character rather than the other way around speaks volumes regarding the authors inherent talent, particularly when it has to do  with his wickedly humorous insight to human conflict. "A sensation novel, deliberately meant to shock the reader" (Black Secrets Cloak Wilkie Collinss Woman  in White), The Woman in White is often seen as quiet and pastoral, dealing with beautiful landscapes and unassuming banter. There is however, another side of his work that  deals with conflict between human beings in such a way as to force the plot to become a function of character. The exact manner in which Collins reveals this  conflict is an integral component to the storys overall mystique, utilizing literary techniques that compel readers to question their own conclusion at least once throughout the tale. At first,  one may not plainly recognize Collins deeper assertions beyond his telltale quiet and pastoral direction; however, there is no denying the fact that the undercurrent of human conflict is more  than apparent as evidence of how plot is a function of character. "The evening, I remember, was still and cloudy; the London air was at its heaviest; the distant  hum of the street-traffic was at its faintest; the small pulse of the life within me and the great heart of the city around me seemed to be sinking in  unison, languidly and more languidly, with the sinking sun" (Collins 6). Prior to putting pen to paper, Collins visualized thoughts and ideas