Book Review - The Tenant of Wildfell Hall The Folio Society Edition

from the cover of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë
Published by The Folio Society, London
Design by the artist Valentina Catto

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

Hardcover 488 pages

Author Anne Brontë

Illustrations by Valentina Catto

Published by The Folio Society 2020

Adult Fiction Classic novel - themes centre on relationships, marriage; confession; disfunction; friendship; independence, morality 

OVERVIEW 
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall was first published in 1847 by Thomas Newby. This is a first printing by The Folio Society (FS) 2020 and includes illustrations by Italian illustrator, Valentina Catto. The Introduction by Tracy Chevalier, who once worked as a creative partner with the Brontë Parsonage, is interesting about the author and insightful about how and where Anne's published works fits and sits with that of her sisters.  

Word goes that a young woman, Helen Graham, along with her son, little Arthur, have singularly moved into Wildfell Hall. Gilbert Markham is intrigued to know more about her. Through his first person narration, and through a series of letters he writes to (Halford), Helen (and other characters) come to life through Markham's view and opinions of all of them, especially Helen, whom he befriends. 

There are many curious rumours floating around about Helen from the local gentry, and Gilbert begins to believe in these untruths because Helen's behaviour is reclusive and secretative. 

However, Helen eventually allows Gilbert to read a diary she began to write at the age of eighteen, which details Helen meeting the wayward, Huntingdon and her eventual marriage to him.

Despite the arrival of Arthur (Jr), this ill-starred union, brought trouble and heartache Helen's way. Gilbert, Halford (and the reader) learn of Helen's resilience and her strive toward independence through her journal entries, and which allows us to better understand why she had adopted a forthright attitude to people who were quick to judge her status and her situation.

Comment and Guide  

In many classic fictional works, characters communicating by letter often formed the narration. Some of Dicken's story plots were revealed within shared letters between characters and this has proved an imaginative, dramatic literary device designed to reveal and to enlighten., and for revelations to be more impacting for the reader. Arguably in this instance, the author choosing this approach has proved to be both advantageous but strangely restrictive, choosing Markham as the protagonist the reason for this.

That said, the text is lively, yet sophisticated and controlled. Despite the choosen format - there is dialogue, and, surprisingly, lots of it; this is also lively and energetic. 

Language is descriptive though the prose is not laden with it. This is a big novel: 488 pages.

The Folio Society
(The Tenant of Wildfell Hall) 

The Folio Society take the best in English literature and reprint in the form of beautiful, illustrated books. The publishing quality of this novel is second to none. Bound in printed and blocked buckram. It is so cool and tactile. Font is set in Adobe Caslon Pro; this, and the sizing of the text along with the quality weight of the paper makes it a pleasure to read page by page; and a pleasure to own simply as a thing of beauty. 

Catto's artwork is a mix of digital collage and digital drawing and painting.

1 of 7 illustrations by Valentino Catto for The Folio Society
(The Tenant of Wildfell Hall) 

Book review by Reviewer and Critic, Debra Hall