Synopses & Reviews
Combining a sensational story of a man's physical and moral decline through alcohol, a study of marital breakdown, a disquisition on the care and upbringing of children, and a hard-hitting critique of the position of women in Victorian society, this passionate tale of betrayal is set within a stern moral framework tempered by Anne Brontë's optimistic belief in universal redemption. It tells the story of the estranged wife of a dissolute rake, desperate to protect her son from his destructive influence, in full flight from a shocking world of debauchery and cruelty. Drawing on her first-hand experiences with her brother Branwell, Brontë's novel scandalized contemporary readers and still retains its power to shock today. The new introduction by Josephine McDonagh sheds light on the intellectual and cultural context of the novel, its complex narrative structure, and the contemporary moral and medical debates about alcohol and the body with which the novel engages. Based on the authoritative Clarendon text, the book has an improved chronology, an up-to-date bibliography, and many informative notes.
About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.
Review
"The chronology, notes, and explanatory notes makes this a readable text for any college student. The accessibility of the text sets this edition apart from the usual, mediocre preprintings of Victorian texts."--Professor Lawrence Czer, Martin Luther College
"An excellent text with an intelligent and helpful introduction. . . . an attractive book at a very agreeable price, and meticulously scholarly as well. I have not taught this text simply because, until now, there has been no text I liked sufficiently. Now I can. OUP has done academic teaching a major service."--Dr. A.G. Hunter, Curry College
"Anne Bronte sometimes gets lost in the shadows cast by her sisters, so it is a welcome treat to find such a useful, helpful, accessible edition of her fine novel. I look forward to the chance to introduce students to A.B.'s work in this attractive version."--Laura Dabundo, Kennesaw State College
"Clear type, useful notes, excellent binding."--H.A. Simpson, Hampden-Sydney College
"I have never included this novel in my course, but I'm seriously tempted with this version of it."--Sr. Pauline Fox, Mt. Mercy College
"An attractive, affordable copy."--Dr. Robert O'Connor, North Dakota State University
"Great to have new access to an under-represented author and text. Very helpful notes and insightful Introduction."--Rita S. Kranidis, Radford University
"How marvelous to have this out in paperback!"--Robin Feuer Miller, Brandeis University
"An admirably edited text, authoritative."--Richard Boyd, University of California, Riverside
"A very valuable addition to the World's Classics series--a rare novel, difficult to find in inexpensive editions."--John H. Wilson, Dakota Wesleyan University
Synopsis
Anne Bronte's second novel is a passionate and courageous challenge to the conventions supposedly upheld by Victorian society and reflected in circulating-library fiction. The heroine, Helen Huntingdon, after a short period of initial happiness, leaves her dissolute husband, and must earn her own living to rescue her son from his influence. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is compelling in its imaginative power, the realism and range of its dialogue, and its psychological insight into the characters involved in a marital battle.
About the Author
Herbert Rosengarten is Chair of the Department of English at the University of British Columbia.
Josephine McDonagh is Professor of Victorian Literature at Oxford University.