The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë

I can't exactly remember why I initially placed The Tenant of Wildfell Hall onto my Classics Club list. It was most likely because I am a fan of the Brontë sisters and just wanted to read more from them. When I was making my Back to the Classics selections for this year, I needed a classic with a place in the title, and this seemed to fit the bill perfectly. I knew absolutely nothing about the plot when I started, but I had heard enough positive things from other bloggers over the course of the past few years that I was looking forward to it anyway. It sounds strange to say this of a novel that was published in the 1840s, but The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is kind of trendy at the moment. Lots of other readers chose to include this one on their Back to the Classics lists this year, so I was excited to see what all the fuss was about.

The plot of this story is conveyed through a series of letters from a man named Gilbert Markham to his brother-in-law. Through his correspondence, Gilbert tells the story of his relationship with the beautiful Helen Graham, the new tenant of Wildfell Hall, an old manor home located in his neighborhood. Mrs. Graham is a young widow, and has been trying to keep to herself with her young son, Arthur, and to make a living as an artist. She is unable to keep a low profile for long, however, as her neighbors begin to introduce themselves and seek her company. Not wishing to be rude, Mrs. Graham starts to form some tentative friendships with others in the neighborhood, including Gilbert, who takes quite a shine to her innate kindness and intelligence. Eventually, he starts to fall in love with her, and it is clear she has feelings for him as well, but she continually resists his advances for reasons she won't explain.

Mrs. Graham's refusal to enter into a relationship with Gilbert is far from the only mysterious thing about her. As the neighbors begin to socialize more with her, other oddities begin to emerge. She sells her paintings under an assumed name, she refuses to let little Arthur out of her sight, and she has an unusually strong aversion to alcohol. These little quirks start to breed rumors throughout the neighborhood, and pretty soon the town is convinced that she is hiding a terrible secret, like maybe she was never married in the first place, or maybe she is lying about who the child's true father is. Gilbert, still ardently in love with her, refuses to believe the gossip and confronts her directly. In explanation, Mrs. Graham gives Gilbert her personal diary, which recounts her painful past. By reading its lengthy entries, Gilbert uncovers an intriguing story full of pain, bravery, and love.

This novel was surprisingly good, and I ended up enjoying it more than a lot of the other classics I have tried recently. Brontë's writing style is easy to read and full of beautiful imagery. Wildfell Hall felt appropriately dark and moody, and the many outdoor scenes felt lush and full of life. The characters were also well-developed; the main characters each had distinct personalities and the minor characters were entertaining. The cast of villains was especially enjoyable here. Brontë is excellent at creating absolute boorish heels and describing their behavior realistically. I got to the point where I was swearing at characters in my head while reading, so I was definitely into the plot.

Aside from having a very engaging story on its own, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall was also interesting in a historical sense. Brontë's exploration of how a woman was supposed to behave in a marriage in the 1800s was fascinating and more than a little disturbing. Mrs. Graham's experience with the institution was less than ideal, but the expectation for her was to quietly endure it to avoid a scandal. To leave or divorce would be socially ruinous to both her and her son. She was essentially imprisoned for life as soon as she took her vows, even though her marriage became intolerable. In order to save herself, she had to get creative and violate social conventions, and I enjoyed reading about how she went rogue to try and better her situation. I wasn't the biggest fan of some of the decisions she made towards the end of the story, but given the time period of the writing, I understand why Brontë had her make those decisions.

The only aspect of the novel that I didn't like was its length and slow pacing. At almost 500 pages, this is a long read, and sections of it definitely felt repetitive. Mrs. Graham's diary, in particular, went on for hundreds of pages and included more detail than I thought was necessary. I understand why Brontë probably wrote at such length in this section; she wanted to give so many examples of the unhappiness in Mrs. Graham's marriage that her conservative audience wouldn't be offended by the character's unorthodox behavior later on. Modern audiences today would not need so much convincing. Aside from the overabundance of information on Mrs. Graham's life, though, I don't have much to criticize. It was a good story and I liked reading it.

Now that I am finished reading, I can completely understand why so many readers like The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. It's extremely readable with a compelling storyline and a very tough, admirable heroine. I think this work holds up in comparison with her sisters' heavy hitters, Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre, and is an excellent choice for anyone with a fondness for books set in the Victorian Era. This was definitely one of my favorites from my list so far and I'm quite glad to have picked it up.


Challenge Tally
Back to the Classics 2020 (A Classic with a Place in the Title): 6/12
Classics Club (#52 on my list): 69/100 

Total Books Read in 2020: 21