The Readers Review: Literature from 1714 to 1910 discussion

From Wikipedia:

Anne Brontë, (17 January 1820 – 28 May 1849) was an English novelist and poet, and the youngest member of the Brontë literary family.

Anne Brontë was the daughter of Maria (born Branwell) and Patrick Brontë, a poor Irish clergyman in the Church of England. Anne lived most of her life with her family at the parish of Haworth on the Yorkshire moors. Otherwise she attended a boarding school in Mirfield between 1836 and 1837, and between 1839 and 1845 lived elsewhere working as a governess. In 1846 she published a book of poems with her sisters and later two novels, initially under the pen name Acton Bell. Her first novel, Agnes Grey, was published in 1847 with Wuthering Heights. Her second novel, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, was published in 1848. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is thought to be one of the first feminist novels.[2]

Anne died at 29, probably of pulmonary tuberculosis. After Anne's death her sister Charlotte edited Agnes Grey to fix issues with its first edition, but prevented republication of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. This is one reason why Anne is not as well known as her sisters. Nonetheless both of Anne's novels are considered classics of English literature.


No posting of mine about the Brontës can go without a link to one of my favourite comics of all time:

http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php...

Love the comic!

Speculation is that Charlotte didn’t want to republish The Tenant of Wildfell Hall because one of the principal characters (won’t say which right now) was a recognizable portrait of their brother Bramwell Brontë.

Abigail wrote: "Love the comic!

Speculation is that Charlotte didn’t want to republish The Tenant of Wildfell Hall because one of the principal characters (won’t say which right now) was a recognizable portrait ..."

Branwell’s notoriety is still being exploited today in Haworth. A contemporary web advertisement for the Black Bull pub, located close to the parsonage in Haworth, includes this…….

‘ Branwell Bronte, the three sisters' brother, is known to have frequented the Black Bull often and the story goes that when his family were worried he was too drunk, they sent someone to find him. They'd come in one door of the Black Bull and he'd escape via the kitchen window and hot-foot it across the graveyard and into the parsonage before being caught over-indulging on alcohol.’

Here is the link to the Black Bull website……

https://www.theblackbullhaworth.co.uk/

I’m afraid that’s a sanitised version of Bramwell! 😱

The character in Tenant certainly isn't sanitized. I read this in 2021 and was impressed with how graphic parts of it are, and how feminist. I won't reread but will probably chime in on the discussion.

Robin P wrote: "The character in Tenant certainly isn't sanitized. I read this in 2021 and was impressed with how graphic parts of it are, and how feminist. I won't reread but will probably chime in on the discuss..."

Today’s much overused (and often inappropriate) word in many modern reviews of books, movies, tv shows, news items, etc. is brutal. Maybe these modern critics and journalists should read Anne’s novel before using it again. Whenever I hear it I think of a certain character in this book but, according to the information I have read, I don’t think it would necessarily apply to Bramwell.

It is Anne Brontë’s birthday today.



Her gravestone, well tended and maintained, can be found in the graveyard of St. Mary’s Church, Scarborough, the town where she died. The church sits on the cliff top next to the remains of Scarborough castle, commanding extensive views of the North Sea.

On my latest recent visit there were still plenty of visitors to the gravestone, a place where she is not overshadowed by her two sisters.

It is a wonderful place to contemplate her life and work.