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4.0 

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

By Anne Brontë
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë digital book - Fable

Publisher Description

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall was the second novel written by Anne Brontë, the youngest of the Brontë sisters. First released in 1848 under the pseudonym Acton Bell, it was considered shocking by the standards of the time due to its themes of domestic disharmony, drunkenness and adultery. Perhaps this was why it quickly became a publishing success. However, when Anne died from tuberculosis her sister Charlotte prevented its republication until 1854, perhaps fearing for her sister’s reputation, though some attributed her actions to jealousy.

The story is framed as a series of letters by the protagonist Gilbert Markham to his friend Halford. Markham tells of the arrival of a young widow, Mrs. Graham, in his rural neighborhood. She brings with her her five year old son Arthur and takes up residence in the partly-ruined Wildfell Hall. Gossip soon begins to swirl around her, questioning her mysterious background and the closeness of her relationship with her landlord Frederick Lawrence. Dismissing these concerns, Gilbert Markham becomes deeply enamored of Helen Graham, and she seems to return his affection strongly. He however becomes increasingly suspicious and jealous of Lawrence, who makes frequent visits to the Hall. He secretly espies them walking together one night, apparently in a romantic relationship. After he confronts Helen over this, she gives him her diary of the last few years and tells him to read it to understand everything. Much of the rest of the novel is made up of extracts from Helen’s diary, which tells the story of her unhappy marriage.

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2311 Reviews

4.0
“Quite slow paced and a little boring at times but it was overall an amazing book with loads of commentary on family dynamics and sexism, and a nice happy ending that’s predictable but satisfying. I can only imagine what it would have been like to read this incredibly modern and witty book in the 1850’s, where all of the ideas that Brontë discusses were still very new.”
Loudly Crying Face“Loved this classic novel, more than I expected to. There are of course some morality themes as expected from some literature of the time period but the story was such a refreshing tale in that it felt like a true look into the dangers of marriage and the little power that women had in those times once married. I went through the gamut of emotions, sadness, anger, and joy, beautiful ending.”

About Anne Brontë

Anne Brontë (17 January 1820 – 28 May 1849) was an English novelist and poet, and the youngest member of the Brontë literary family.

Anne Brontë was the daughter of Maria (born Branwell) and Patrick Brontë, a poor Irish clergyman in the Church of England. Anne lived most of her life with her family at the parish of Haworth on the Yorkshire moors. Otherwise she attended a boarding school in Mirfield between 1836 and 1837, and between 1839 and 1845 lived elsewhere working as a governess. In 1846 she published a book of poems with her sisters and later two novels, initially under the pen name Acton Bell. Her first novel, Agnes Grey, was published in 1847 with Wuthering Heights. Her second novel, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, was published in 1848. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is thought to be one of the first feminist novels.

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