The Tenant of Wildfell Hall - Anne Brontë

The second offering from the youngest of the three wild sisters, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall was censured upon its publication for its scenes of depravity amongst gentlemen from the civilised classes. Knowing what I did of the Brontës, particularly of Anne who rarely left the comforts of the home, I dismissed the first few chapters as girlish, inexperienced twaddle, but my attitude was soon altered. Beginning with a lightness of tone sprinkled with provincial gossip and foolishness, the epistolary novel begins to shine when the heroine, a mysterious Helen Graham, recounts the history of her woes in a diary which covers most of the book. The tale is a moral warning against vice, particularly excessive alcohol consumption, as the heroine comes to lament her ill advised marriage to Arthur Huntingdon, a narcissistic manchild. The frame narrative follows Gilbert Markham, a plain dealing farmer who falls in love with his enigmatic new neighbour, but can't understand why she won't reciprocate his unwanted affections. I, and many other reviewers, cared little for the loutish and presumptuous protagonist, yet a cast of profligates and libertines are soon to eclipse him entirely.

Helen's diary adopts a loose, free-handed style of discourse that precipitates the modern confessional narrative. Her turmoils are underscored by numerous biblical allusions and comparisons as she strives to maintain spiritual elevation in the midst of the wild, drunken debaucheries of her husband and boorish cronies. The excessive violence depicted in the book is comparable to that of Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights, of which there are many other thematic and stylistic similarities, such as the bleak, moorland settings of the titular residences. Her more prudish older sister, Charlotte, made damning comments on its content, claiming it should never have been published. How's that for family support? I'm glad her negativity was ignored, for it is a greatly enjoyable page turner with some true to life representations of the evils wrought by overindulgence and untempered sensory pursuits. The scenes between husband and wife dealing with the aftereffects of Huntingdon's hangovers stand out as strikingly familiar to the modern reader. Although a little difficult to get into, I highly recommend persevering, even if the ending is a bit lacklustre.

Rating: 4/5