History Literature / Fingersmith

* SpannerInTheWorks: The plan to [[spoiler:swap Maud and Sue to live their 'true' lives might have worked, if it weren't for Charles coming to look for Gentleman and his recognition of Sue assuring her that she isn't going insane]].

[[quoteright:244:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fingersmith_8472.jpg]]

* MarryingTheMark: This is the con Gentleman and Sue are planning: Sue, posing as a maidservant, convinces the sheltered heiress Maud to marry Gentleman, who then commits to a BedlamHouse and splits her money with Sue. [[spoiler:Things don't go as planned... or rather, not as planned ''by Sue''.]]

* PsychologicalThriller: Some aspect of this, given how much big pieces of the plot rely on the mental state of the characters involved.

* BattleaxeNurse: Nurse Bacon and her coworkers certainly fit.
* BecomingTheMask: Both Maud and Sue.

* BreakUpMakeUpScenario: [[spoiler: Maud and Sue]]

* DoubleEntendre: The title.
* TheDungAges: London.

* HomeSweetHome: [[spoiler: Maud and Sue,]] after everything.

* OldDarkHouse: Briar House, where the reclusive Mr. Lilly lives with his niece, Maud.
* OminousFog: On Sue's arrival at Briar.

* PreClimaxClimax: Takes place before the midway point of the novel.

* QueerRomance: Maud and Sue.

* SwitchedAtBirth: [[spoiler: Maud and Sue]].

* VictorianLondon: Location for much of the story.

The third novel by British author Sarah Waters, ''Fingersmith'' tells the story of [[UsefulNotes/VictorianBritain Victorian]] thief Sue Trinder, who agrees to help con sheltered heiress Maud Lilly out of her inheritance, but ThePlan begins to go awry when she finds herself falling in love with the innocent and beautiful Maud.

* TheIngenue: Both of the main characters play with this trope a bit. Sue doesn't appear to be this on the surface, understandably as she grew up among rough-edged thieves so can hardly be described as a purely innocent ''naif'', but it's established that Mrs. Sucksby made a point of keeping Sue away from the worst aspects of the east-end criminal life and was overall rather protective and sheltering towards her [[spoiler: for her own purposes, as it turns out]], meaning that compared to many of those surrounding her she is a lot more inexperienced, naive and trusting. Maud, meanwhile, appears to be the stereotypical innocent "pigeon", but gradually turns out to be a lot more savvy, hard-edged and damaged than you'd expect. [[spoiler: Most particularly, Maud is subject to numerous forms of abuse from her uncle, was raised in a mental asylum, and turns out to be plotting with Gentleman to betray Sue -- none of which Sue expects. Furthermore, much to Sue's shock and embarrassment, Maud ends the novel writing pornography to support herself.]]

* TheIngenue: Both of the main characters play with this trope a bit. Sue doesn't appear to be this on the surface, understandably as she grew up among rough-edged thieves so can hardly be described as a purely innocent ''naif'', but it's established that Mrs. Sucksby made a point of keeping Sue away from the worst aspects of the east-end criminal life and was overall rather protective and sheltering towards her [[spoiler: for her own purposes, as it turns out]], meaning that compared to many of those surrounding her she is a lot more inexperienced, naive and trusting. Maud, meanwhile, appears to be the stereotypical innocent "pigeon", but gradually turns out to be a lot more savvy, hard-edged and damaged than you'd expect. [[spoiler: Most particularly, Maud is subject to numerous forms of abuse from her uncle, was raised in a mental asylum, and turns out to be plotting with Gentleman to betray Sue -- none of which Sue expects.]]

* TheIngenue: Both of the main characters play with this trope a bit. Sue doesn't appear to be this on the surface, understandably as she grew up among rough-edged thieves so can hardly be described as a purely innocent ''naif'', but it's established that Mrs. Sucksby made a point of keeping Sue away from the worst aspects of the east-end criminal life and was overall rather protective and sheltering towards her [[spoiler: for her own purposes, as it turns out]], meaning that compared to many of those surrounding her she is a lot more naive and trusting. Maud, meanwhile, appears to be the stereotypical innocent "pigeon", but gradually turns out to be a lot more savvy, hard-edged and damaged than you'd expect. [[spoiler: Most particularly, Maud is subject to numerous forms of abuse from her uncle, was raised in a mental asylum, and turns out to be plotting with Gentleman to betray Sue -- none of which Sue expects.]]

* {{Irony}}: Early in the book, Sue expresses contempt for servants over how devoted they become to and emotionally invested they get in their masters. She ends up falling in love with the woman whose maid she is posing as.

* LGBTFanbase: Not surprising--Sarah Waters writes almost exclusively WLW period fiction, so her fans know what she's about.

* LgbtFanbase: Not surprising--Sarah Waters writes almost exclusively WLW period fiction, so her fans know what she's about.

* OldDarkHouse
* OminousFog

* PreClimaxClimax

* VictorianLondon

* BritainIsOnlyLondon: Averted--Sue has never been outside London, but must travel to Briar House to work for Maud, which is located in the countryside. However, she never stops longing to return to London.
** Conversely, Maud has never been to London, and expresses excitement about being in a real city for the first time.

* GayAndLesbianFiction: Heavy romantic and sexual tension between Maud and Sue, which [[spoiler: eventually becomes explicit.]]

* KoreanMedia: Adapted into the 2016 Korean drama ''Film/TheHandmaiden''.

* WelshLiterature: Sarah Waters is a Welsh author.

For character-specific tropes, see ''{{Characters/Fingersmith}}''.