If you pay any attention to literature, you’ve probably heard of the Brontë sisters. Emily Brontë wrote Wuthering Heights which was published in 1847, and her sister Charlotte’s novel Jane Eyre was published in the same year (both under male pseudonym’s because sexism was harsh in the 19th century). However, their younger sister Anne is acknowledged much less than her older siblings. Despite not having the popularity of Emily and Charlotte, I personally think her writing is worth as much attention.
Of her two novels, The Tenant of the Wildfell Hall is by far the strongest. There is little to no romanticism of any situation within the novel; it’s dark, mysterious, and dangerous. Helen Graham’s (the female protagonist) experience of both physical and emotional domestic abuse by her husband takes up the majority of the novel, which is a massively featured topic in today’s social climate. Personally, I think that was part of the reason why I couldn’t get this novel out of my mind. I constantly wanted to make sure she was okay, much like I would if it was a friend in the same situation. Yes, the imagery of the landscapes in Wuthering Heights is beautiful, and the love story between Jane and Mr. Rochester in Jane Eyre is classically perfect, but diving into Helen’s personal diary for 300 pages in The Tenant of the Wildfell Hall is an entirely different and haunting experience.
After reading her two novels, Agnes Grey and The Tenant of the Wildfell Hall, I couldn’t understand why I had only heard of her through her sisters. Whilst researching Anne, I realised that her sister Charlotte basically “snaked” her. When deciding to republish some of their novels Charlotte refused the republication of The Tenant of the Wildfell Hall as she didn’t like it – Anne had died a year previously. Republishing their novels was what brought fame to the Brontë sisters, meaning that Anne’s works never gained as much attention. As well as the lack of republication, Anne’s life was pretty poorly documented. The only written statements of her life were written by Charlotte, and we can only guess at this point as to how accurate that is.
In summary, Anne Brontë deserves the acknowledgment her sisters get. Her life story is full of tragedy (ill health, a struggle for employment, a backstabbing sister), but she brought attention to topics in 1849 which are still struggling to get attention in 2018. Although Charlotte clearly did not see this, Anne was a trailblazer for female issues and sadly never got to stand on the platform she deserved to be on.
Sources:
https://inews.co.uk/culture/books/anne-bronte-sisters-radical-samantha-ellis/
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/mar/23/being-the-brontes-bbc-lucy-mangan-anne-bronte
https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2014/jan/17/anne-bronte-sister-men-charlotte-emily