Book Review: The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

I love the Brontë sisters; they were brash, confident, and determined writers. They didn't shy away from gothic intrigue or playing with the restrictive Victorian Status quo. Wuthering Heights was my first introduction to the sisters, and it is a monumental piece of work. Then there was Jane Eyre, which is an unconventional but beautifully gothic love story. Now we have Anne Brontë, the quieter and less gothic-minded of her three sisters. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is a testament to that, but I would argue that she is more confrontational in her novel. The slamming of Helen’s door in her husband's face rang like a death bell through Victorian society. It is easy to understand why this book was an instant hit.

At first glance, this book is anything but gothic. A woman of deeply religious morals marries a man who is wild and untamed, suffers humiliation at his hands for the duration of their turbulent marriage. Yet, the gothic is all about the ‘Other’, whether that be the supernatural or something/someone that goes against nature. Helen does exactly that, she defies her husband at every turn she can, she runs away from him when it all becomes too much, lives on her own, endeavours to make her own money and be independent. All things that went against the grain of cold Victorian society. Not only do we have Helen, but we also have our male protagonist, Gilbert Markham, who exhibits wild and temperamental behaviour in his pursuit of Helen. He even exhibits violence against Frederick out of jealousy; the gothic brings out the darkness in humanity, and it is explored ostensibly in Gilbert’s anxieties about Helen and Frederick; it is an unhealthy obsession he has with Helen, an antithesis of Helen’s moral compass.

But there are other aspects of the story that I really enjoyed. While the story starts in the present, we are taken on a journey into the past through Helen's journal. A story within a story is always a really cool writing device, as we understand different perspectives. But there is a question about the validity of Helen’s voice. The novel is structured around letters sent to a character we never meet. Has Gilbert abridged the journal to suit the needs of his narrative in the letters? I would hope not, while the journal paints Helen as a superb light, has the voice been angelicised to cater to Gilbert’s idealised view of her? We may never know, but what matters is that Helena nd Gilbert are eventually victorious, and unlike most gothic novels this has a happy ending.