a mystery and a romance

Finished reading Anne Brontë’s The Tenant of Wildfell Hall at long last. I picked this one up while browsing the shelves at the library and decided to give it a try. Other than Jane Eyre, I’d never read any of the Brontës (though Wuthering Heights has been on the TBR pile for a while).

Tenant is part epistolary novel, part journal, part mystery, and part romance.

Set in the early 19th century English countryside, you have all the gossip and quarrels that are associated with small town life. Told in three parts, the story tells of the mysterious young woman, Mrs. Helen Graham, who moves into the long tenantless Wildfell Hall. A widow with a young son, she causes a stir when she refuses to mingle with the locals or take their advice as to the care and keeping of her child.

The novel is narrated by the tenacious Gilbert Markham, who wishes to relate to his brother-in-law the events surrounding the arrival of Helen Graham and his part in what followed; presenting evidence from the lady’s diary and letters to account for his story.

Slowly, a tale of heart-break, betrayal, and dejection unfolds as the trials of Mrs. Graham’s former life become known.

—

It took me a while to get into this novel, but I’m glad I finished it because the story really builds when you reach Volume 2. Helen’s diary brings her character forth in a way that reveals the nuances of her personality and the difficulties that led to the seemingly bitter and desolate attitude that Mr. Markham so resents when they first meet.

The novel deals with the position of married women in society and the liberties allowed to their husbands. The double standards of 19th century conduct are illustrated in a very revealing manner as Helen’s plight and ultimate flight from a life made unbearable by a callous, hateful, and drunken husband comes to light.

While not as passionate as Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, there are similarities between the two. The narrative style is reminiscent of Jane, you almost hear Mr. Markham say “Reader, I married her” when he finishes his letter, and Arthur Huntingdon’s life of dissipation could probably reflect the kind of life that Mr. Rochester led before he found reason to regret it.

Tags: anne bronte, the tenant of wildfell hall, victorian fiction, victorian women