“pretended to be deeply absorbed”

Two-hundred and five years ago today, January 17, 1820, the third Brontë sister was born. Named Anne, she, like her older sisters, first published under a male pseudonym: Acton Bell. She worked as a governess as well as writing poetry and novels. She wrote two novels, Agnes Grey and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, the latter of which was published in 1848, the year before her death at the age of twenty-nine.

“My dear Gilbert! I wish you would try to be a little more amiable,” said my mother, one morning after some display of unjustifiable ill-humour on my part. “You say there is nothing the matter with you, and nothing has happened to grieve you, and yet, I never saw any one so altered as you within these last few days: you haven’t a good word for anybody—friends and strangers, equals and inferiors—it’s all the same. I do wish you’d try to check it.”

…While she thus remonstrated, I took up a book, and laying it open on the table before me, pretended to be deeply absorbed in its perusal; for I was equally unable to justify myself, and unwilling to acknowledge my errors; and I wished to have nothing to say on the matter.

Anne Brontë, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

I read The Tenant of Wildfell Hall in 2021 and enjoyed it most among my Christmas holiday reads for that year, though I failed to write an actual review of it.

While The Tenant has all the odd narrative-within-a-narrative choices of her sister Emily’s Wuthering Heights, it certainly reads more in character and moral (and length) like her sister Charlotte’s Jane Eyre. Which might be what you call ironic, since Charlotte suppressed The Tenant after Anne’s death as not having a suitable topic.

While The Tenant does deal with sensitive subjects like alcoholism, infidelity, and physical and mental spousal abuse, it does so mainly with grace and delicacy. Anne does not gloss over what is going on nor is she explicit or gratuitous. I found the read at times a bit dense and the shifting narrative didn’t always improve matters for me. However, I’m eminently impressed with Anne’s maturity and passion in writing about this at all and the character of Helen is one to admire and root for.

Less convincing to me is the framing device of Gilbert, the love interest, finding out about Helen’s past. It feels at times like two novels and although I enjoyed Gilbert’s narration, it didn’t always seem of a piece with Helen’s. Of course, different characters, different voices is a great thing to be able to say about a novel. Perhaps it’s because Gilbert always seems less serious, and less to be taken seriously. Although, that is part of what endears him as a narrator to me.

The quote I chose demonstrates that pettiness occasionally evident in Gilbert’s voice, as well as the good-natured self-awareness. Maybe it’s designed to be a contrast to Helen’s more world-weary perspective. I would have to review the ending to recall whether I think the two are satisfactorily reconciled. In any event, it is a memorable (and relatable) enough moment of pique that was hilarious to imagine when I first read it, so I hope you enjoy it too!

---

Have you read The Tenant of Wildfell Hall or any of Anne Brontë’s work? I’d love to know your thoughts!