The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (Oxford World's Classics) - Softcover

Anne Bronte

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0199207550 ISBN 13: 9780199207558

Publisher: OUP Oxford, 2008

Synopsis

'he looked up wistfully in my face, and gravely asked - "Mamma, why are you so wicked?"'

The mysterious new tenant of Wildfell Hall has a dark secret. But as the captivated Gilbert Markham will discover, it is not the story circulating among local gossips. Living under an assumed name, 'Helen Graham' is the estranged wife of a dissolute rake, desperate to protect her son from his destructive influence. Her diary entries reveal the shocking world of debauchery and cruelty from which she has fled. 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 Brontė's optimistic belief in universal redemption. Drawing on her first-hand experiences with her brother Branwell, Brontė's novel scandalized contemporary readers. It still retains its power to shock.

ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range 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, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

About this title

Review:

"I will always order Lee A. Talley's Broadview edition of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, which I teach nearly every year. The historical and scholarly contexts are beautifully summarized. This is an eminently useful edition. Well done again, Broadview!" - Deborah Denenholz Morse, The College of William and Mary

"This Broadview Edition is a rich resource, unrivaled in its range of contextual materials. When you read them, you see where Anne Brontė was coming from and why she felt compelled to 'tell the truth' as she saw it. Lee A. Talley's clear, accessible introduction orients readers to issues that teachers will want to consider and that students and general readers will find eye-opening. The footnotes are useful and easy to access. I will always order this edition in the future." - Sue Lonoff, Harvard University Extension School

"Lee A. Talley, in the introduction to her new edition of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, succinctly argues Anne Brontė's case for wanting to write and publish her disturbing but powerful story, even as she addresses Anne's own status as third sister, explains early publishing confusion (including Charlotte's pervasive influence on Anne's reputation), and evaluates the novel's first reviews. To allow readers their own judgments, Talley includes numerous helpful appendices placing Tenant within the legal, educational, and philosophical contexts of Victorian culture, and as with other Broadview texts, provides an extremely useful sampling of contemporary reviews." - Andrea Westcott, Capilano University

Book Description:

Part of the Vintage Classics Brontė Series: three sisters, three major novels, beautifully designed

About this edition

• Publisher: OUP Oxford
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0199207550
• ISBN 13: 9780199207558
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 496
• Editor: Herbert Rosengarten