I've just started reading her other work, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. It's told by the point of view of one of the characters, Mr. Markham. A newcomer to the village Mrs. Graham and her son are a bit of a mystery. She is proud and reserved and at first Mr. Markham takes a strong dislike of her but as he knows her better he finds she is intelligent and opinionated and enjoys her conversation.
As I read I'll be posting a few thoughts and quotes. The one below I found very reminiscent of Austen:
I will just touch upon two other persons whom I have mentioned, and then bring this long letter to a close. These are Mrs. Wilson and her daughter. The former was the widow of a substantial farmer, a narrow-minded, tattling old gossip, whose character is not worth describing...
Have you read Anne Bronte? What did you think?
7 comments:
I haven't read any of Anne Bronte's works but I wish I could bring myself to read them. I've heard her works praised by some young ladies of my acquaintance and my interest in her has been piqued. I have watched the film adaptation of 'The Tenant of Wildfell Hall' and I've heard they did a horrible job adapting it and making it too "romantic". For me the movie had some interest in the story and characters and from this quote you posted the book sounds very interesting! I've often wondered why Anne Bronte hasn't aroused more interest like her more popular sisters.
I look forward to reading more of your thoughts on this book and its author!
I loved Agnes Grey and really cannot wait to read Tenant. I've leafed through it in anticipation already. :-)
Safe to say that The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is one of the revelations of my reading year. I loved its mood, I loved its language, I loved the characters and how vivid they were. I stepped away from the book full of the questions it posed, mostly about loving, and surviving.
I should read Agnes Grey soon, it seems. Not only to be certain that I like Anne more than Emily, haha.
[Also, hi there.]
I love Anne Bronte and think she is the most overlooked of the Brontes'. In many ways, I think she is the more talented of the three. Had she lived, I think she would have out written Emily and Charlotte. Emily's forte was really her poetry and I do think Jane Eyre was Charlotte's best effort. It always surprises me that movies of JE and WH are made over and over but everyone ignores Agnes Grey and Tenant. Did you know all but five of Anne's letters were destroyed by Charlotte? I think Charlotte did this to shape the known persona of Anne. It really is a literary crime! Why did you move to blogger? Curious, as I am considering the same!
@Sasha
Thank you for stopping by. Yes! And I love how Anne introduces Helen Graham, she holds back the story; it makes us curious about her. I can't help but wonder what she would have written had she lived, as lacegrl130 mentions.
@lacegrl130, Dody Jane
I've yet to read all of Charlotte (I've only read Villette and Jane Eyre) but Anne definitely surpasses her. I didn't know about the burnt letters! I did read something about a manuscript being burnt but I can't remember if it was Anne's or Emily's.
My library has a biography focused on her-- which I put on hold of course. ;) I'll be sure to share what I learn from it.
I moved to Blogger partly because the freedom with the layout-- even though WP offers the upgrade. Another reason was I'd started November's Autumn here and found the ranking was almost the same as its location at WP despite that I moved it to WP over a year ago. But the main one was they've recently updated the Blogger dashboard.
I really liked Tenant of Wildfell Hall. I read the edition you have pictured. I recall being impressed by the introduction. The writer pointed out that Anne, unlike Charlotte and Emily, was a realist. Whereas her sisters made "the damaged man" into a brooding romantic character, Anne understood the trauma such a man causes to those around him -- especially if you marry him.
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