The Tennant of Wildfell Hall
Anne Bronte's Final Novel
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall was published in 1848, it is Anne Bronte’s second and last novel. She died a year after the novel’s publication, aged just twenty nine.
The Bronte Dynasty
Anne’s literary success was overshadowed by that of her sisters, Emily and Charlotte, whose novels, Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre, were published in 1847. That same year Anne’s first novel, Agnes Grey, was also published.
Agnes Grey tells of the trials and tribulations of a governess. This novel was likely to have been inspired by, and at least in part based upon, Bronte’s own experiences as a young woman employed as a governess.
Bronte drew upon personal experience once again when composing The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. Bronte had witnessed the downfall and subsequent death of her brother, Branwell, caused by excessive consumption of alcohol, debauchery and a hedonistic lifestyle. This self-destructive behaviour, and the effect it has on others, is fundamental to The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.
Anne Bronte's Style
Anne Bronte’s writing style was far removed from that of her sisters. Unlike the romantic and melodramatic style employed by Charlotte and Emily, Anne determined to write in a more realistic fashion. She desired to create frank and outspoken works of fiction which shed light on the realities of Victorian society and more specifically, the plight of women.
Nevertheless, Anne Bronte’s writing is no less captivating than her sisters. The Tennant of Wildfell Hall is a gripping novel. In fact, it is perhaps because of the realism of the work that it is so engrossing.
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall was a audacious novel, which dared to challenge the Victorian perception of a blissful marriage by portraying a woman trapped in a violent relationship, and exposing a seemingly well-bred gentleman as an alcoholic and an adulterer. It was considered scandalous subject matter and not appropriate content for a novel.
Synopsis
The novel takes place, perhaps unsurprisingly for a Bronte novel, on the wild moors of England. Wildfell Hall is an Elizabethan mansion and the new tenant is Helen Graham, a woman recently widowed and accompanied by her young son. Graham is a mysterious figure, who is reclusive despite the attempts of the locals to befriend her.
Gilbert Markham, a local farmer, becomes drawn to the woman and his friendship towards her swiftly turns into a passionate infatuation. Meanwhile, Helen is the subject of ever increasingly malicious gossip.
Markham becomes jealous when his friend, Frederick Lawrence, appears to become influential with the attractive young widow, and begins to see him as a rival for her affections.
Learning of the fight over her, Helen confronts Gilbert with a dairy, which tells of her troubled past and details her disastrous marriage.
Context of The Novel
In her investigation of a somewhat less than perfect middle-class Victorian marriage, Bronte is also examining the position of women in that society. There is certainly no ambiguity in Bronte’s powerful condemnation of a Victorian wife’s status and subjection.
Anne Bronte bravely deconstructs the middle-class England of her own time and finds it wanting. She refuses to conform with the culture of ‘keeping up appearances’ and is determined to expose the flaws of polite Victorian society.
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