Tenant of Wildfell Hall (Wordsworth Classics) Paperback – December 4, 1999

First of all, I'm a big fan of 19th century Victorian British literature. I love Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters, Elizabeth Gaskell, and so on. Unfortunately, this novel by Anne Bronte has not been given its due. It has definitely taken a back seat to her sisters more famous novels, the eldest Bronte, Charlotte's "Jane Eyre," and the middle sisters, Emily's "Wuthering Heights." Anne died very young of illness in her early 20s, and Emily died too, around the same time. Apparently her surviving older sister, Charlotte had the idea that Anne had written an offensive, inappropriate, and possibly embarrassing book, so she suppressed it.Charlotte seems to have believed that Anne had no authority to write on the subject matter, which delves into some dark places, including just about every kind of human abuse - spousal, emotional, physical, child, drug, alcohol, financial, and even animal cruelty. Apparently for these reasons, Charlotte blocked further publications of Anne's major novel, posthumously, for some time. Also, once it finally resurfaced, sadly, apparently it was largely rewritten by male writers, unauthorized, and what we have today is probably not exactly as Anne Bronte intended, but we can only hope that enough of her story and her personal touch remains.A woman leaving an abusive husband is not so shocking or unusual in terms of today's standards, but in Victorian times, it was not just frowned on and shocking, it was illegal for a woman to leave her husband for ANY reason, or to live off her own income or labor. At that time, unfortunately for all women, the law in Britain still followed the Napoleonic Code, which said that women were basically sub-human, in the same category as children, and mental incompetents. Women had no legal rights to speak of, but that soon began to change for the better, as laws reformed. Nevertheless, our heroine reaches her limits, and at last rebels against her cruel, belittling, abusive husband, for the sake of her child, and they flee.There is a lot of excitement in the story, and twists in the plot. It seems to me, true to life, as far as spousal abuse, and other dysfunctional forms of human relationships. Apparently Anne may have gotten some of her ideas of dysfunctional relationships from observing her brother, who seemed to have substance abuse problems, and her experiences observing the lives of the very wealthy through her time working in aristocratic homes, as a governess. These experiences probably informed her creation of our aristocratic, proud, uncompromising, talented, highly intelligent, but rebellious heroine. However, Anne's personal experiences alone could not have produced this surprising, dark, and unusual story, which in many ways is ahead of its time. Apparently Anne had skill in story telling, and great imagination. This novel has tons of romance and love, darkness and intrigue, and surprising twists and turns.

If you want an intriguing book that is almost all flashback, this is your book. Her narrative is good, but I just think the approach was a bit clunky. All tied up in a neat bow by the end.

Arrived in great condition and on time. I've only read a little bit of it so far and from what i've read it seems like it's going to be a very interesting book. Only issue i've been having with it is the I guess you could call it the "lingo" of it, the wording of it. It was published in the 1840's and going by the wording of it they haven't updated the wording to current standards, which I don't mind since changing it would ruin it. It's interesting so far but if you're not used to reading books written and worded in past centuries "lingo" which i'm not as much as i'd like to be I wouldn't recommend it. You end up spending more time trying to decode it and read out words you've never heard of before then reading the actual story. That's been my problem anyways. But I really respect Anne for being brave enough and not caring enough to write and publish this in a time when woman were seen as objects to be owned and not being able to have a voice. I respect any female writer period from that time for writing, they went completely against the social standards for the time (even illegal ones) and I have nothing but the upmost respect for them. It's women like her who paved the way for the life we as woman have now, it's not perfect by any means but compared to how woman were treated back then it's no comparison.

This book was amazing! The typeset, cover, and binding were great and the content was magnificent! As I read it I couldn’t help but to feel angry that Anne Brontë’s work has been overshadowed by the work of her siblings. This was, by far, the best Brontë novel I have read.

A masterful narrative and true to life depiction of a woman’s endurance and fortitude in the face of horrific mistreatment from her so-called “husband”. A tale of equitable resolution after youthful, inexperienced and unwise (codependent) choices bring about the costly fruit of wisdom and discernment of true character. A story of hope for anyone who has endured mistreatment under the contract of marriage.

I'm a big fan of Bronte, Austen and their contemporaries but had not heard of this until it was recommended to me. It was scandalous at the time in the way it portrayed, in detail, one man's descent into alcoholism and his abuse of his wife and child. His wife, the main character, decides to escape with her son, an almost unheard of undertaking in the days when divorce was generally not allowed and any woman attempting to leave her abusive husband was considered adulterous and shunned by society. Considered to be feminist literature, to me it's a story of a courageous woman who beats the odds and frees herself from the hell that her marriage became. It does have a happy ending, though it feels like a small recompense for all that happened. It had an important message then and an equally important message now for men and women everywhere.

How to review the incomparable Brontes? If you are seeking a Bronte novel which will stand the test of Wuthering Heights (Jane Eyre is second, let's admit), read this. Anne tackles the morality of whether a man who is presumably engaged to another woman should be permitted to fall in love with a married neighbor who is estranged from her husband. In the usual Bronte persuasive fashion, the reader despises the superficial judgments immediately placed by society upon the married female despite her actions for good. This writing also achieves an excellent contrast between the drawing-room picture presented by other authors of the same period versus the reality acknowledged by those with deeper emotions, intellect, capacity, and insight. An easier read than WH, and shorter than JE, but worth an introspective afternoon or two.

Even though I have a copy of this book on my kindle, I wanted to own a physical copy too!Though I have read the usual Bronte classics, I arrived at this book during my time at university and fell in love with it instantly. I recall wondering why it hadn't been as well-received as her sisters books, particularly as for me, this was the best of them all.This is a book that I hugely recommend everyone tries for themselves because it is an example of just how before-her-time Anne really was as a capable female writer. Most importantly, it is simply an enjoyable read that so many people I know return to again and again, such is its power.This Wordsworth Classic book was, as usual, in pristine condition and well-packaged on delivery. I don't think I've ever had any issues with this fantastic collection.

Whilst Bronte may have received criticism from 20th Century feminists, this remains a revolutionary work befitting its year of publication.Whilst many 19th Century novelists tended to end narratives in marriage with an assumption ofhappiness ever after Bronte reveals the brutal reality of married life for some of her contemporaries.Like her sister’s ‘Wuthering Heights’,the Yorkshire topography plays a central role in the narrative.This is a theme discussed in the thought provoking accompanying essay and detailed notes. A further interesting discussion revolves around the extent to which the character of Huntingdon is influenced by the author’s troubled brother Branwell.

I wouldn't normally have picked up this book as it's a long time since I've voluntarily read any of the classics, but it was the first book chosen for book club so I thought I would show willing. It was a lot easier to read than I thought, and about a third of the way through I found I was really enjoying it.I can see why it caused such a stir in its day; Helen is such a strong character and how dare she be so bold as to leave her philandering husband, taking his son and heir with her. In a day and age where marriages were frequently arranged, Helen married Arthur for love, despite her Aunt's misgivings about him. Like many women who have fallen in love with a cad, Helen thought she could change Arthur but she was wrong and she ended up in a loveless, abusive marriage.Arthur is a despicable fellow and openly flaunted his affairs in front of his wife, so I'm surprised that Helen managed to stay with him for so long. Helen escapes to Wildfell Hall and reinvents herself as Helen Graham, artist and widow, but as much as she wants a quiet life her beauty catches the eye of Gilbert Markham. Gilbert thinks Helen is a widow so doesn't see why he can't pursue her but obviously Helen knows that she is still very much married, despite her husband living his all singing, dancing and drinking bachelor life. Although Helen keeps their friendship very platonic, Gilbert soon gets jealous of anyone who has any contact with Helen especially the owner of Wildfell Hall and the green-eyed monster is sometimes very dangerous.I'm so pleased that I have read The Tenant of Wildfell Hall; it's really quite amazing for its time period. It's daring and courageous in its feminism and clearly was a book created ahead of its time. If it had been written in the latter half of the 20th Century it would have been applauded, instead of criticised, for its boldness.

Although Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights and Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre have always been two of my favourite Victorian classics, this is the first time I've read anything by the youngest Bronte sister, Anne - and I enjoyed it almost as much as the other two books I've just mentioned.The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is the story of Helen Huntingdon, a young woman who leaves her alcoholic husband and goes into hiding with her five year-old son, Arthur. Not long after arriving at Wildfell Hall she meets local farmer, Gilbert Markham, who falls in love with her. When Gilbert questions her about the rumours circulating about her in the village, she allows him to read her diary in which she had recorded the details of her unhappy marriage.The book has an interesting structure - it's told partly in the form of letters from Gilbert to his brother-in-law Jack Halford, and partly as extracts from Helen's diary. I didn't particularly like Helen as I thought she was just a little bit too saintly and perfect, but she was a very strong person who defied convention to do what she thought was best for herself and her child. Her diary entries are filled with descriptions of some really despicable characters and describe scenes of drunkenness, violence, verbal and physical abuse, and adultery, which I can imagine readers in the 19th century would have been shocked by.Anne's writing style is not the same as her sisters' - there's less dramatic romanticism and poetic imagery, although she still writes with a lot of passion. However, I would have no hesitation recommending this book to anyone who has enjoyed Emily and Charlotte's work, as well as those of you who have never read any other Bronte books - it gets 5 stars from me.

Wow.The other Bronte sisters seem to idolise the men with demons but this book doesn't cast that character as the hero. With our increasing knowledge of domestic abuse, this seems like a very modern take.The book starts off slowly, but persevere.I've struggled to write this review without spoiling the plot line!