The Tenant of Wildfell Hall in The Obscure Reading Group

Oct 01, 2020 JimZ rated it liked it · review of another edition

Before writing this review, I re-read my review of Agnes Grey, Anne’s first novel, in which I gave it only 2 stars because I found it too boring. After posting my review, a number of GR friends said I should read this novel, and that I might like it more than her first work. And they were right. I give this novel, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1848; T.C. Newby, London) a solid 3 stars.

The edition I read was a Penguin Classic paperback (1979, 1985) with an Introduction by Winifred Gerin. I am glad ...more

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Feb 16, 2021 Kathleen rated it liked it

Shelves: women-writers, classic

“At present I am pleased with Arthur: he has not positively disgraced himself for upwards of a fortnight …”

What I love about Anne Brontё is she tells it like it is. So refreshing. And how shocking this novel must have been in its day: the story of the abuse of women by their families, their husbands, and society; vivid details of the ramifications of alcoholism.

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall had the makings of a great novel. A mysterious stranger with a secret past arrives in a small community. A s ...more

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Feb 09, 2021 Matthew Ted rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: lit-british, read-2021, 19th-century, 1001-list-2006-ed

[12th book of 2021. Artist for this review is English painter Charles West Cope.]

2.5. It is supposed that this novel is not as well-known as the other novels by the Brontë sisters simply because Charlotte Brontë prevented its republication. She said of the novel:

The choice of subject in [The Tenant] is a mistake, it was too little consonant with the character, tastes and ideas of the gentle, retiring inexperienced writer.

Some say she was jealous of Anne, who was the youngest of the sisters. Whe ...more

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Jul 30, 2018 Ilana (illi69) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: literature, to-reread, classics, epistolary-letters, great-britain, romance, audiobooks, victorian, 19th-century, feminism

Published in 1848, this novel is a true feminist manifesto, arguing for a woman's rights to independence and acting as a warning on the pitfalls of romantic marriage. Helen 'Graham', a young widow, is a new arrival in a small town in Yorkshire, where she and her young son take up a few rooms at the creepy old Wildfell Hall. Told in epistolary form, the novel begins with the narration of Gilbert Markham, one of the inhabitants of the town who takes a great and immediate liking to the young mother ...more

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Jul 26, 2021 br rated it liked it · review of another edition

// #justiceforannebrontë //

*mild/not so mild spoilers in this review*

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall [1848], is Anne Brontë’s second novel, the first one being the already brilliant Agnes Grey. That short, but very poignant book, already sets Anne as a superb writer, with an eloquent and beautiful prose, a very rare examination on mental health (dealing with depression, isolation, etc.), and a sharp critique to society, especially on how it (mis)treats middle/lower class women. Anne in this book, t ...more

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Oct 11, 2017 Ginny rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I found this a really wonderful read. Layered, intricate, moving, and engaging. The main character, Helen, is deeply religious, and constantly refers to scriptures as evidence for the concept that men and women are equal in the sight of God. That their legal and cultural strictures are not justified by any arguments about their inferiority. A truly profound work of art.

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Feb 10, 2021 Cindy Tebo rated it liked it

Anne Bronte's second and last novel is the, "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall." The heroine of the novel, Helen Huntingdon, marries Arthur Huntingdon against her aunt's advice. He takes frequent trips, drinks excessively, wastes money, and is unfaithful. The breaking point for Helen is when Arthur, Sr., teaches "little" Arthur to drink and use swear words.

Helen is determined to mitigate her husband's influence. At first, she tries to forcibly remove little Arthur from his father's presence. However, Anne Bronte's second and last novel is the, "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall." The heroine of the novel, Helen Huntingdon, marries Arthur Huntingdon against her aunt's advice. He takes frequent trips, drinks excessively, wastes money, and is unfaithful. The breaking point for Helen is when Arthur, Sr., teaches "little" Arthur to drink and use swear words.

Helen is determined to mitigate her husband's influence. At first, she tries to forcibly remove little Arthur from his father's presence. However, the child protests and seems to prefer his father to his mother.

Next, Helen plans to leave her husband taking her child and her maid, Rachel, with her. She is boldly planning to support herself by selling her paintings. While this may seem tame by today's standards, this was a bold move for Anne Bronte's character. It's not something women typically did in the nineteenth century. Hence, this is why some reviewers consider this a feminist novel.

Helen's plans are thwarted when her husband rips her diary away from her and starts reading it. It's not like Helen should be surprised by this. Before they were married, Mr. Huntingdon grabs Helen's unfinished sketches despite her protests. She tells him to give the sketches back, and he has no "right" to keep them. It's a mystery as to why Helen would be composing her escape plans in a diary while her husband is nearby.

Needless to say, he is not amused. He has her brushes and canvasses destroyed. He asks for the keys to the desk drawer and from now on she will have to ask him for money. Every expense will be accounted for. All she will receive is a small allowance.

Helen finds other avenues for her future escape. Meanwhile, she has hit on an idea to keep little Arthur from drinking. In this section, Helen's "heroine," status becomes questionable.

100 years before B. F. Skinner and others came up with operant conditioning and negative reinforcement, Helen uses the method on her son so he will be repelled by alcohol. She accomplishes this by giving little Arthur a small dose of "tartar-emetic," every time he drinks an alcoholic beverage. Tartar-emetic is a toxic compound. When Arthur consumes a drink laced with it, he starts vomiting. Helen's cure could have killed him a lot sooner than the alcohol in question would have.

After Helen escapes to Wildfell Hall, she lets her suitor, Gilbert Markham read select pages that she has torn from her diary. And Gilbert never questions her about this incident! Instead, the story just moves on.

Later, Helen's husband falls off his horse and becomes gravely ill. Guess who leaves Wildfell Hall to go nurse him? Our heroine and martyr, Helen Graham aka Helen Huntingdon.

One of the physician's rules for Mr. Huntingdon's recovery is that he abstain from alcohol. And while Helen claims she objects to Mr. Huntingdon's drinking, he somehow manages to do it anyway. It's no surprise Arthur's condition worsens and he dies. At this point, readers should wonder if Helen's version of events can be trusted especially since she thinks it's ok to poison her own son to keep him from drinking alcohol.

Once again, the story just moves on and everything ends happily except for those who have wronged Helen.

While there are some good moments in this long-winded tale, I feel the same story could have been told in a lot fewer pages. Nor did I feel like I was reading a feminist novel. After Helen inherits her uncle's money and marries Gilbert, there is no mention of her ever painting again. Why is that? Are we to believe she only wanted to paint to earn a living? If a wife has to give up her creativity after she is married, how can that marriage be a happy one? Overall, I was unsatisfied with the ending of the novel. ...more

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Jul 23, 2021 Ruby Maggard rated it it was amazing

Shelves: it-was-read-to-me, five-star, its-classical

I listened to this on audiobook, which was actually a tiny bit annoying because the reader was really slow. But they switched voices once the story was from Helen’s point of view, which was the perfect touch. I knew most of the plot going in so it was mostly just seeing how the plot got delivered. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had had not idea beforehand of what was going on!
Gilbert was an interesting character...when he stopped engaging with Eliza Millward because his interests wer ...more

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Nov 11, 2020 Kelly rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: english-lit, 19th-century-lit, classics

Truly loved this book! It’s definitely gonna leave me with a “book hangover” and stick with me for a while. I loved Helen for the most part! A strong, intelligent Victorian heroine that violates English law to leave her husband is some girl power I can seriously get behind. Also because she most eloquently puts her detractors to shame whilst taking the high road. A quality I admire considering I’d just be like “suck it!” and flip them all off as I peaced out forever. Reason #8321 why I wouldn’t ...more

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Feb 21, 2021 BarbaraW rated it really liked it

One feels as though the main character hates men but then one realizes this is justified. Women were many times forced to marry much older men picked by their parents. In this case she is given leeway but makes a poor choice.

Yes she has a rough time of it but gets quite preachy and is holier than thou. Bronte does a good job with the narrative and she weaves the story well but it’s hard to not find fault with a saint.

Plus women of that era had no rights and husbands were referred to as ‘Master ...more

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