By leaving her husband and taking away their child, Helen violated the social conventions of nineteenth-century Britain and broke English law but she did so for the sake of herself and her young son. He is absolutely repugnant and he even teaches their five-year-old son to drink and swear. Arthur Huntingdon, Helen’s first husband, is an abusive alcoholic but Helen initially stays with him, despite his abusive behaviour, as she believed that reforming her husband was her moral and religious obligation. The entire plot of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall revolves around a woman who has escaped her abusive husband. Through these themes, Brontë directly challenged societal ideas and British Law and I’m going to work through a few of these themes to demonstrate how Brontë subverted social norms. In this novel, Anne Brontë explored alcoholism, domestic violence, gender roles, marriage, motherhood, and the idea of the woman artist. Gilbert befriends her and discovers her awful past. She pursues a career as an artist and makes an income by selling her pictures but her seclusion and mysterious life leads to gossip and she becomes a social outcast. The novel is framed as a series of letters from Gilbert Markham to his friend about the events connected with his meeting a young widow, who calls herself Helen Graham, who arrives at Wildfell Hall with her young son and a servant. In contrast, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall has been described as the most shocking of the Brontës’ novels. Despite its themes, the novel wasn’t considered controversial during its own time. Brontë’s novel tells of the abuse and isolation that governesses faced and it focuses on themes of oppression and empathy. Comments made by Charlotte Brontë seem to suggest that this novel was based on Anne Brontë’s own experiences as a governess and, like Charlotte’s Jane Eyre, the novel addresses the precarious position of governess and how it affected young women.
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is thought to be one of the first sustained feminist novels and Agnes Grey also deals with feminist themes.Īgnes Grey, A Novel follows a governess as she works within families of the English gentry. Her first novel, Agnes Grey*, was published in 1847 and her second, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall*, was printed a year later in 1848. Under the pseudonym Acton Bell, Anne Brontë published two novels. Despite being hidden in the shadows of her famous sisters, Anne’s writing has always intrigued me because she was arguably the most daring of the Brontë sisters. She was also the youngest member of the Brontë family but she has always been less famous than her sisters, Charlotte and Emily. Happy Saturday! In today’s post, I’m taking a look at the works of Anne Bronte (1820 – 1849).Īnne Brontë was an English novelist and poet.
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