The Woman in Black Allusions & Cultural References

When authors refer to other great works, people, and events, it’s usually not accidental. Put on your super-sleuth hat and figure out why.

Historical References

  • Even though The Woman in Black is obviously set in a different era, Susan Hill doesn't give away any real clues about what year it's set in. So we'll see steam trains but no mention of date, historical figures, or events. We also see some things that are confusingly modern, such as cars and telephones. Maybe Hill is trying to create a historic setting that is unsettlingly hard to pin down… kind of like a certain vision in black.