Yet Another Book Review
Apr. 10th, 2004 10:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kenjariThe Tenant of Wildfell Hall
by Anne Bronte
Anne Bronte is the third Bronte sister, not the one who wrote Jane Eyre, or the one who wrote Wuthering Heights. I don't think any of Anne's novels are particularly well known. At least in the case of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, I think that's a shame, because I really enjoyed it. Quite ahead of its time, it is the story of a woman, Helen, who falls in love with and marries a man who turns out to be a complete jerk. Once the early period of wedded bliss fades, he is revealed to be a corrupt scoundrel who is unfaithful, overly fond of alcohol, and inclined to treat Helen quite badly. Worse yet, he attempts to corrupt their young son. So she takes the child and leaves him - runs away, in fact. In 19th century society, this is an incredibly daring act, and not something society would approve of no matter how badly her husband treated her. (Yes, hca, she is intelligent, willful, and has dark hair like a proper monstrous woman should) Nonetheless, the novel treats Helen sympathetically, and views her actions with approval. It's actually pretty feminist, particularly for its time, in its portrayal of a woman who successfully frees herself from an intolerable and unhealthy domestic situation through her own agency. It's a good read, too.
by Anne Bronte
Anne Bronte is the third Bronte sister, not the one who wrote Jane Eyre, or the one who wrote Wuthering Heights. I don't think any of Anne's novels are particularly well known. At least in the case of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, I think that's a shame, because I really enjoyed it. Quite ahead of its time, it is the story of a woman, Helen, who falls in love with and marries a man who turns out to be a complete jerk. Once the early period of wedded bliss fades, he is revealed to be a corrupt scoundrel who is unfaithful, overly fond of alcohol, and inclined to treat Helen quite badly. Worse yet, he attempts to corrupt their young son. So she takes the child and leaves him - runs away, in fact. In 19th century society, this is an incredibly daring act, and not something society would approve of no matter how badly her husband treated her. (Yes, hca, she is intelligent, willful, and has dark hair like a proper monstrous woman should) Nonetheless, the novel treats Helen sympathetically, and views her actions with approval. It's actually pretty feminist, particularly for its time, in its portrayal of a woman who successfully frees herself from an intolerable and unhealthy domestic situation through her own agency. It's a good read, too.
