Reviews with content warning for Violence - The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

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The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë

16 reviews

erebus53's review against another edition

adventurous emotional lighthearted reflective tense

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

If I could but wrest myself from literature written in the 1800s, I might but yet relent from the poly-syllabary of obfuscatory prose.. but let me speak plainly. I must admit to putting this book off for a while, because it seemed a bit daunting. I added it to my reading list as part of a challenge to read "A Classic you hadn't heard of before this year" so I'll admit that I had mentally bunged it in with other "classics" that I had tried to read as a teen, and failed to finish (like Wuthering Heights).

CW: alcoholism, infidelity, gambling, violence, head injury, heteronormative Christian sexism

A reclusive painter and her son move into an old building that had previously been barely habitable, and the neighbours start to gossip about what she's hiding. Idle speculation leads to talk of scandal and stuck in the middle of it all our narrator begins to fall for this dark beauty and her logic, wit, piety and rationality.

I notice that Anne Brontë, like Mary Shelley before her, has delivered the narrative in the form of letters. Within this she also includes journal articles and conversations that flesh out backstory.. so that it becomes a pile of different stories nested within each other. Within this framework she uses characters in opposing schools of thought as verbal combatants to flesh out ideas of practicality and morality. She shows her colours as the daughter of a clergyman as the entire tale is underpinned by Christian sensibilities.

As far as the plot is concerned I could see where it was going and so I was frustrated that JUST as I felt there was going to be a revelation to the oblivious main character, instead he is handed a journal and then we proceed to get the entire backstory of the woman he's interested in... it's a good story though, so I shall pout quietly.

I find it very refreshing to see a lot of arguments about the raising of children in this story. The concept of coddling girls from evil influences, while expecting boys to learn of them from personal experience was a discussion I have had many times. I also noticed the common refrain of the Introvert - that enjoying the society of others doesn't mean that you need it all the time, or that it isn't overwhelming and exhausting. (REPRESENT: Welcome to Autism Appreciation Month 2023! lol)

I felt like one of the last sections of the book was tacked in to make the book longer, and give it a bit more action, pace? tension? It still felt like an afterthought, and that the cohesion and pace of the book was .. coming a bit unstuck as it bloated.

For an "old book" it has a lot in it to recommend it, and I can ignore most of the rest of it. For a book written in the UK in the 1800s it's .. almost ethnically diverse - characters being pale and red-headed, dark haired and black eyed with an olive complexion, or blonde and blue eyed... and there is plenty of forthright discourse about the affect that is expected of women, and men's obliviousness to the sacrifices they make for their husband's comfort. Yes it's wearisome that the framing is all about pairing off of men and women, and the expectations that young women will be married off.. and the tension between love and money/property/status.. that a woman's security is solely at the whims of the men in her life.. it is historical... in our culture if not in others.

My daughter recently stumbled upon the Scholastic rebindings of classic novels and this was one of them. I don't think that I would stop her reading it, as it's mostly about judging virtue, vice, and moderation, and considering honesty and forbearance. It's probably a bit old for her as yet, but for 20+ readers it might be an interesting chill read.

Content Warnings

morepagesplease's review against another edition

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challenging emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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rieviolet's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I enjoyed The Tenant of Wildfell Hall much more than Anne Brontë's other novel, Agnes Grey.
I liked the writing style and the use of different narrative techniques
(the alternating POVs and the mix of letters and diaries entries).

It is an engaging read, there is a bit of mystery to keep your interest alive and I was also really engrossed in the characters' emotions. Though I have to say, as the story progressed, I felt that the emotional portrayals moved a bit too much into melodrama territory. I also struggled to reconcile some of the characters' choices with their depiction and growth up to that point, they felt a bit unexpected (and not in a good way).

The themes that are explored (such as addiction, domestic abuse and women's conditions) are really powerful and so releavant even in the present day. However, at times there was just too much of a
religious focus for my personal taste and that lowered my overall enjoyment of the story.

Content Warnings