In the world of great literature, the works of Charlotte and Emily Bronte are more frequently lauded than works of their sister, Anne— Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights both appear in most high school curricula across the country, but I didn’t begin my love affair with Anne until college. Anne’s works are also enduring (perhaps more so) and need a good dusting-off.
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, published under the male pseudonym Acton Bell, did very well upon initial release in 1848. After Anne’s death however, Charlotte blocked the book from republication and Anne’s title fell to the wayside, tucked behind the works of her sisters in the public’s mind.
Anne’s tongue-and-cheek observations of social conventions, courtship and parenting are on par with the delicious satire of Jane Austen. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall demonstrates that morality does not always walk alongside social convention or law, and is considered by literary scholars as one of the first sustained feminist novels,
After falling deeply into infatuation with a handsome rake, Helen finds herself married to a drunk and a bully— a cavorting gambler who derives pleasure from emotionally crippling his wife. Helen flees, in flagrant disregard of the law and customs, attempting to shelter her sweet son from the loutish example of his father.
The story is interesting and the characters entertaining, but my favorite aspect of this book are the notes at the end. Some simply designate bible passages or cite sources of quotes Anne’s characters discuss. My favorite notes however detail the changes in language: They refer to current spellings and usages of old-fashioned words, as well as the period meaning of common phrases.
For example, today people say “he ruled the roost,” about a leader: Which references a rooster perching above the barnyard. In Anne Bronte’s time people said “he ruled the roast.” According to the Oxford English Dictionary the phrase’s original meaning did refer to meat, but both”roast” and “roost” were both acceptable spellings, which led to popular confusion and a slight change in meaning.
Despite the old-fashioned language and costumes (for not every reader is as entranced by the Classics as another) Anne’s writing remains pertinent today: Single mothers still struggle, men and women still hurt each other, and often the right path is the unpopular one. This is a wonderful read, intelligent, funny and evocative of a true story-teller.