READERS CONNECT

WITH

OXFORD WORLD’S CLASSICS

ANNE BRONTË,
THE TENANT OF WILDFELL HALL
Published in 1848, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is the least well-known of
the Brontë novels, but it is a very great account of a woman trapped in a
marriage she would not leave save for her fear of the moral influence of
her drunkard husband on their son. Even within the marriage she feels
like a single parent, while the father spoils their child, even offering him
sips of alcohol. ‘It is hard that my little darling child should love him
more than me.’ Here is an example of her lonely confession to herself in
her diary, the long almost unshaped sentences reflecting her mess:
“I am too grave to minister to his amuse-
ments and enter into his infantile sports as
a nurse or a mother ought to do, and often
his bursts of gleeful merriment trouble and
alarm me; I see in them his father’s spirit
and temperament, and I tremble for the
consequences; and, too often, damp the in-
nocent mirth I ought to share. That father
on the contrary has no weight of sadness
in his mind – is troubled with no fears, no
scruples concerning his son’s future welfare
… therefore, of course, the child dotes upon
his seemingly joyous, amusing, ever in-
dulgent papa, and will at any time gladly
exchange my company for his. This disturbs
me greatly; not so much for the sake of my son’s affection
(though I do prize that highly, and though I feel it is my right,
and know I have done much to earn it), as for that influence
over him which, for his own advantage, I would strive to pur-
chase and retain, and which for very spite his father delights
to rob me of, and, from motives of mere idle egotism, is pleased
to win to himself, making no use of it but to torment me, and
ruin the child.” (Chapter 37)

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 READERS CONNECT

THE JURY
Jo Cannon is a Sheffield GP and short story writer.

Toxic love. Valiant self-control. A marriage, then a

man, disintegrates. I was gripped by the intricate,
timeless emotions. Helen’s precision of speech was
enviable. Suspense and a feel-good ending make
Tenant a great read.
****
Lynne Hatwell (dovegreyreader) is a Devon-based
community nurse

This book places Anne Brontë deservedly centre-

stage: alcoholism, gambling and drugs and the
resulting emotional and physical abuse will keep
you turning the pages and reflecting on its uncanny
parallels to life for many even today.
***
Drummond Moir, once of Edinburgh, works for a
London-based publisher

I wasn’t sure about this – the plot’s quite slow. If you

already love Victorian fiction and want something
off the beaten track, this is definitely worth a try.
*

Tom Sperlinger directs English courses for Lifelong

Learning at Bristol University

Tenant gives a compelling account of living with

someone in the grip of an addiction. Helen is
charmed by her husband before marriage, but then
feels shame, fear, guilt, and resignation at his behav-
iour. A richly imagined, grimly moving book.
***
Sarah Turvey runs reading groups in London prisons

Marital breakdown, alcohol addiction, and theologi-

cal questions of salvation and damnation are daring
themes for a nineteenth-century woman novelist. But
overall the novel is awkwardly structured, and the
characters never quite come alive.
**
STAR RATINGS
***** one of best books I’ve ever read
**** one of the best I’ve read this year
*** highly recommended
** worth reading
* not for me but worth trying
0 - don’t bother
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