Book Review

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë

B+

Genre: Classic

After many years of reading Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, I finally got around to reading The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë. While Jane Eyre (by Charlotte Brontë) and Wuthering Heights (by Emily Brontë) have remained popular through the years, Anne’s Agnes Grey and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall are rarely read now, even though they were the most popular of the Brontë books while the sisters were alive.

This book can be read as a straight-up gothic romance novel – will the mysterious beautiful woman in the rundown mansion marry the gentleman farmer who adores her? But it’s more of a discourse on the perilous position of married women in Victorian England than it is a romance.

The first section of Tenant is told from the point of view of Gilbert, a gentleman farmer. Gilbert’s family lives near the abandoned and dilapidated Wildfell Hall, and they are all surprised when a young widow, Helen, and her son move into the Hall. The woman is reclusive and refuses to discuss her past, but Gilbert bonds with her over his affection for her son and over his interest in her painting. They fall in love, but cannot be together because Helen has a Dark and Troubled Past. She is not actually a widow – she has run away from her alcoholic husband. Most of the remainder of the book is told in the form of her diary entries from when she first meets her husband-to-be up through when she makes her escape.

This book is very much a deconstruction of the idea that a flawed hero can be saved by the love of a good woman. As soon as she meets Arthur (the shitty husband), Helen is warned over and over again that he is not a good man to marry, but she is convinced that she will be able to steady him, impart good sense and good morals, and change his carousing ways. Surprise – this does not work. Many critics have assumed that this is Anne’s rebuttal of Emily Brontë and Charlotte Brontë presenting their readers with flawed heroes who are romanticized.

I would argue that this is a misreading of Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre, both of which already take shots at the idea of reforming the flawed antihero. For starters, Wuthering Heights is not a romance and the reader is not supposed to think of Heathcliff as a romantic hero. To prove that he can’t be saved by the love of a moral, loving wife, author Emily Brontë presents us with Isabella, who says pretty much exactly the same things about Heathcliff that Helen says about Arthur during their courtship (no one else understands him, I can help guide him, etc, etc). After some years of horrendous abuse, she ends up fleeing across the moors with her child in the dead of night and living out the rest of her life in hiding while Heathcliff rages on, just as shitty as he was before.

Meanwhile, in Jane Eyre, Rochester deliberately uses the “I can be saved by the love of a good woman” idea in an attempt to manipulate Jane into becoming his mistress. Jane is tormented by wondering if she should stay, but she also believes that her own life, and her own sense of self-respect, have value. So she, too, flees across the moors and he has to redeem himself on his own in her absence. In fact, Jane’s entire story from childhood on is basically one of continually asking herself, “Should I sacrifice myself to save other people – not in the sense of rescuing a kid from a fire but in the sense of being submissive so other people will learn to be good?” and continually answering, “Fuck no.”

Where Tenant differs from Wuthering and Jane is in overall tone. We aren’t supposed to feel warm and fuzzy towards Cathy and Heathcliff – they are horrible people. But we are supposed to feel the great power of their obsessive love, which is all wrapped up in this wild and untamed nature theme, and the themes of wanting to break free from constraints from gender, race, and class. Similarly, in Jane Eyre, nature is sweeping, emotionally expressive, and important to the narrative. Both books include supernatural elements, buckets of melodrama, a sense that the individual is more important than the community, and high levels of emotion. That’s why both works are “Romantic” in the stylistic literary sense, even though only Jane Eyre is a “Romance” in the modern sense.

In contrast, Tenant is very straightforward. Once we get past the initial mystery the book is pretty linear. There is a lot of emotion, but Helen strives above all to be calm. She’s trapped indoors most of the time, and even though her love of nature is evident in her paintings, there are few scenes in which melodramatic nature melodramatically parallels a melodramatic moment in the story. In this book, Anne is giving us an unvarnished, non-dramatic “just the facts” look at alcoholism and abuse. It’s more challenging and in your face than Wuthering or Jane in its portrayal of abuse and its insistence that women deserve better, which is why it’s regarded as a such an important feminist work. But from a storytelling perspective, it’s less compelling.

As romance goes, Helen’s ultimate romance with Gilbert is lukewarm. Several scenes contrast Gilbert to Arthur while others point out similarities, but to me the biggest problem with Gilbert is that he’s immature. His family spoils him. He’s prone to jealousy. He flirts with a woman in the village and we are supposed to dislike her but I thought Gilbert’s treatment of her was deplorable. He beats the shit out of the guy he thinks is seeing Helen on the sly in a truly disturbing and bizarre scene that doesn’t seem to fit into the rest of the book. He’s kind to Helen’s son when he wants to win Helen over, but ignores him when he’s mad at Helen. He whines.

However, Gilbert is not Arthur 2.0. We know this because, unlike Arthur, Gilbert is kind to animals, moderate in his drinking, appreciative of Helen’s art, and is hardworking and responsible. He’s also not Hargrave 2.0 (Walter Hargrave pressures Helen to have an affair with him to such a degree that he’s basically a stalker). Gilbert respects Helen’s request to spend six months incommunicado. Gilbert respects Helen’s boundaries – imperfectly, but much more so than either Arthur or Hargrave. Gilbert’s besetting sin is simply that he’s pretty dull, and the parts of the book that involve Helen and Gilbert are far less compelling than the parts involving Helen and Arthur. I have yet to see the 1996 adaptation, but I hear that Gilbert is played by Toby Stephens, on whom I have a massive crush. So I’m sure the TV version of Gilbert is swoon-worthy – it just doesn’t come through in the book.

The best thing about the book is that Helen is human and flawed, but quietly and firmly badass. For any woman of any era, including our own, leaving an abuser is incredibly difficult for multitudes of reasons. For a woman of Helen’s era, leaving an abuser was almost impossible unless she was willing to leave her child behind, which Helen is not willing to do. Helen is not a saintly character – she marries stupidly, she is preachy at the end, she becomes bitter and passive aggressive. But she also stands up for herself, protects her son, helps her friends, and stays true to her own ideals. She refuses to be a doormat. Her refusing to have sex with Arthur anymore (she tells him she will be his wife in name only) is AWESOME and courageous since he could, under the law of the day, rape her with impunity. Her determination to support herself is admirable. Above all, Helen refuses to fall to the lowest common denominator, and she stays true to her own ideals.

I found this book to be fascinating, but more from a historical perspective than a storytelling one. On the face of it, the book is less ambitious in style than the books of Charlotte and Emily, but that’s part of the point of the book. By using a very plain, straightforward style (in the journal part of the book) the author ensures that Helen’s plight is laid out before us inexorably. We can’t say, “Wow, this is all so unusual! These people are crazy!” as we can with the more florid (and I use the word as a complement) fiction of Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. Arthur and Helen are quite ordinary people for their class, and they live quite ordinary lives with the exception of drunken Arthur having his drunken friends over for weeks on end. In this way, Tenant reminds the reader that what happened to Helen can happen to any young woman who made a naïve and unfortunate marriage during a time when married women had so few rights.

However, as much as I admired this book for its feminist stance, the romantic angle between Gilbert and Helen was disappointing. I’m just not feeling the epic love with Gilbert. Anne of Green Gables aside, “Gilbert” is not a sexy name, and this is not a sexy character. I felt the romance was contrived so that Helen would end up in a socially acceptable relationship instead of prospering as a singe woman. Gilbert does not seem necessary to Helen’s future happiness – she’d be fine on her own.

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The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte

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  1. Lora says:

    I’ve debated reading this for years. Now I want to. I love Jane, used to love WH but determined in college that it’s a horrible violent story about crazy people, and abandoned Vilette after two attempts.

  2. Adi says:

    I read a lot of Bronte novels in high school and I liked this one a lot because it seemed more positive. Also, the bbc movie that was done is good

  3. I also enjoyed the BBC adaptaion. This has always been my favorite of the three books, but I can also see the drawbacks that you mention.

  4. Marie says:

    Great review! You’ve made me want to watch the movie again ASAP. It was that movie that put Toby Stephens on my radar, so YES, you should definitely check it out. 😀

  5. Cecilia says:

    I read it last year, after re-watching the TV miniseries, and I must say that the TV adaptation is better, making the characters more lively and stripping the unnecessary parts of the novel. I found the novel boring, in the long term, the romance between Helen and Gilbert dull and unbelievable, the main protagonists self-righteous and much less likeable (as characters) than Arthur. I will perhaps read more novels by Anne Bronte in the future, but this at least was for me a solid proof of why she’s less considered than her sisters.

  6. bev says:

    I love Gilbert Blythe.

    I read this book around 15 years ago. I do remember liking it and am curious as to what I’d think now. I am going to have to look up the movie now.

  7. Liv says:

    YES YES YES. Love Tenant of Wildfell Hall so very much. I think I read it at a time when I really needed it, and it has remained one of my favorite books. I agree that the romantic element isn’t as strong as other Bronte novels, but I love it because Helen is so “quietly and firmly” badass, as you put it so well.
    And I do highly recommend the TV adaptation – it’s very compelling. Also, Toby Stephens.

  8. Kara says:

    Great review! This book looks really good, lackluster romance aside. I haven’t read any of Anne’s work yet, so this will be great, especially now that I know some background. And yes, Gilbert is definitely not a sexy name.

  9. kkw says:

    This is why I don’t enjoy educational art. No doubt the moral is brave and important and meaningful and whatever, but that doesn’t make it a good story.
    I might like this more than any of her sisters’ works, but it’s a hard call. None of it is my cup of tea, and it saddens me that they’re locked in eternal sibling rivalry. Except when they’re lumped together and pitted in a cage match against Jane Austen, which is one life’s many mysteries.

  10. I completely agree with everything you wrote except for the grade. I would give it an “A” for the simple reason that all of the things you point out about the characters are also the things that bring them vividly to life as real people.

    The BBC adaptation never made it to my PBS station. Bummer.

    Charlotte wrote quite a few more books besides “Jane Eyre.” There’s “Shirley,” “Villette,” “The Professor,” and “Emma.”

    Melinda Smith, I owe you a huge apology, I just found an old PM that went to Message requests or other inbox asking about being FB friends. I’d love that. But there are too many Melinda Smiths for me to figure out which one is you. I have it on good authority that I am the only Gloriamarie Amalfitano on FB. So plese send me a friend request.

  11. Kellie says:

    I LOVE Wildfell Hall, and I always thought that Anne very deliberately had Gilbert be spoiled and selfish and, at times, just plain awful. Even the Good Guy isn’t really all that good. He has to rise above his upbringing – including his horrible treatment of Eliza – to become truly decent. And I think that Helen marries him because he’s proven that he can be better than he used to be, not that he’s better than Arthur. Although I agree that the romance is pretty meh. I think it works much better as a deconstruction of womens’ place in society at the time. It’s tied with Wuthering Heights, for me. Don’t much like Charlotte, which colours my perception of her books, haha.

  12. Raven Ames says:

    I fell in love with The Tenant of Wildfell Hall the first time I read it because of Helen. Not only is she able to escape from her abusive husband with her son, she does so on her artistic ability. As for the romance, no Gilbert is not an exciting character, and Arthur deserves to die, but Helen is splendid. I’m actually re-reading Jane Eyre right now, but I think I may revisit Tenant next. As for popularity of the three authors, Charlotte went out of her way to make sure Tenant was not republished after her Anne died because Charlotte objected to the story. I think she may have been jealous of her sister’s work and Arthur is supposedly based on the brother, Branwell Bronte, who died a bitter alcoholic after having an affair with the wife of his employer and losing everything as a result of the ensuing scandal.

  13. Mab d says:

    This was really interesting, thank you! And you’ve made me feel more charitable towards WH, which is saying a lot.

  14. quizzie says:

    The BBC did a really good version of this with Tara Fitzgerald and Toby Stephans back in 1996. It’s worth watching https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAjhQsQCcv4

  15. chacha1 says:

    I read all of the “big three” Bronte novels and my principal takeaway was that those girls did not like men very much, and were not afraid to say so. They are the sort of books that I am not sorry I read, but have no desire to read again.

    plus yes, Gilbert is a lousy name for a romantic hero. I mean, it’s a hint right there that Anne didn’t really think he was all that.

  16. Batya says:

    My favorite book of all time..I disagree that the romance between Gilbert and Helen is dull. It’s just subtly romantic. He feels drawn to her and she to him, even though she’s held back by her ties to Arthur. Their scenes together are utterly beautiful. I love the part where Gilbert wonders why her absence is leaving him feeling so flat when she didn’t add any hilarity to the party. It’s that feeling of chemistry in the presence of someone we’re attracted to that brightens us inexplicably. And the scene where they admit they love each other but know it’s wrong and tear themselves away. I love every part of that book!

  17. susie says:

    Agree with BATYA, the story is brilliant. A new 2017 movie would be excellent. THE TENANT OF WILDFELL HALL needs to be shown/told again much more than a remake of BEAUTY & THE BEAST.
    The overall excellent news is Helen wins a better life. A better screenplay could reduce the preachy-ness. Tepid romance? Wrong. There are elements of attraction that don’t come through in a book that visually can, which make a loving man uber-attractive. Their smell, their steady hand, their connection to good men in the male world that make them a reliable person. All this Gilbert has and Arthur lacks. Yay that Helen does not die because of her bravery, she gets a worthwhile life.

  18. Florence says:

    WH is not about wanting to break free of class and gender. It is about REVENGE. There are many themed incliding the conflict between the soul and worldly wealth and social status. It is about spirits, evil, cruelty, female immaturity, how easily fortune can change direction to misfortune, manipulation, and ultimately madness. It also ends by exploring themes of repetitive generational behaviours and that perhaps a blissful match might be possible with a less dramatic disparity between class.

  19. Jeanie Carroll says:

    I am most intrigued by the final comments re WH.

  20. JMC says:

    Great review. I don’t dispute the issues with the Gilbert/Helen romance. I did believe he was obsessed with her, but how she really feels about him is more unclear.

    I did want to point out though that the Gilbert romance plot is as much a Little Arthur/Gilbert romance as Helen/Gilbert and it’s very clear how Little Arthur feels about him. Helen is a single mom, so chemistry with the child is paramount. Helen may be fine on her own, as you say, but what about her son? She’s mentioned that she’s a bit quiet for him, and he is after all Huntington’s son, he may very well have a spirited an not super-intellectual bent like his dad. Gilbert is important because he brings more fun and adventure into the boy’s life- eg. letting him ride horses – and shows him how to channel masculine energies into outdoorsy things like farming that are productive rather than destructive.

    Helen is not going to have the same fluttery feelings for Gilbert that she had for Huntington at 18. But for a single mom, to find a great father figure for your son (who has been through a lot of trauma), who adores the kid and adores you, who you like and have compatible interests with is ALOT.

    Anne’s books are very concerned with childhood development and education and from that perspective the ending is a good one.

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