Review of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, by Anne Brontë

When reading a classic book it is not uncommon to have at least one moment where I have to tell myself: "it doesn't make it OK, but it was a different time..." However, the rarity with which I found myself making this statement while reading The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë surprised me.

Of course, it is not perfect, and it WAS written in a different time, but from that perspective, this book felt practically revolutionary!

Unlike Jane Eyre, with its moodiness and pining, or Wuthering Heights, with its violence and angst, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall felt significantly more grounded. But similar to both her sisters, Anne Brontë still writes a novel that centers on an exceptionally independent woman in an era that made independence almost impossible.

The story has three main conflicts that overlap and even sequentially supercede each other as the story progresses. First, there is the mystery of who is the tenant of Wildfell Hall? This mysterious woman, Helen, shares nothing of her life. Markham, our narrator, is immediately taken both with her and the mystery she represents, but she steadfastly refuses to give him much encouragement or information.

The narration then changes from Markham to Helen's POV, as the reader is taken back in time several years to hear Helen's backstory. As this conflict solves the first one, we are then introduced to a new conflict within Helen's past life.

There is more here that would constitute the climax of the book, so I will tread carefully. The primary tension through this section involves a young Helen balancing the Christian expectation of being a quiet and submissive wife (as was "standard" in that era) with the unhealthy and emotionally abusive habits of her new young husband, whom she loves. Because of the world in which she lives, she has very few options and must find a way to overcome-- even if it means making highly revolutionary decisions.

The second conflict, though only somewhat resolved, does give away to the third and final conflict. As Markham is learning along with us about Helen's history, he begins to cautiously hope for a possible romance.

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is truly a work of exceptional feminism. Yes, to our modern sensibilities, we shout at women in Helen's situation to "get out!" and "leave the bastard!" but if that is a difficult thing for modern women to do, it was arguably even more difficult for women of that era to do. Emotional abuse and narcissism make victims feel as if somehow they are either in the wrong or can fix the perpetrator, or both. This manipulation works exactly as intended by the perpetrator in keeping the victim under their control.

Reading The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, I wept for Helen, I cheered her on, and I wondered at the women of the Brontë's time, who took steps that others wouldn't dare to take, paving the way for the world we know today. It is not perfect, there is still work to do, but reading books like this both fuels my feminist rage, makes me grateful for the women who have come before me, and shows me how truly far we have come.

Adult themes / trigger warnings: emotional abuse, infidelity, manipulation, narcissism, alcoholism, death, mild violence.