The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (Annotated‪)‬

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is the second and final book by English author Anne Bronte, published in 1848 under the pseudonym Acton Bell. Probably the most shocking of the Bronte's novels, this novel had an instant phenomenal success but after Anne's death, her sister Charlotte prevented its re-publication.

The novel is framed as a letter from Gilbert Markham to his friend and brother-in-law about the events leading to his meeting his wife.

A mysterious young widow arrives at Wildfell Hall, an Elizabethan mansion which has been empty for many years, with her young son and servant. She lives there in strict seclusion under the assumed name Helen Graham and very soon finds herself the victim of local slander. Refusing to believe anything scandalous about her, Gilbert Markham, a young farmer, discovers her dark secrets. In her diary, Helen writes about her husband's physical and moral decline through alcohol, and the world of debauchery and cruelty from which she has fled. This novel of marital betrayal is set within a moral framework tempered by Anne's optimistic belief in universal salvation.


This edition has been formatted for your reader, with an active table of contents.  It has also been annotated, with additional information about the book and Anne Bronte, including an overview, background, plot summary, characters, timeline, themes, reception, analysis, adaptations, and biographical information.