Anne Brontë: English Writer

 If you don't know who she is, I'll tell you. She was Charlotte and Emily Brontë's baby sister and a writer. She wrote two novels, Agnes Grey and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, and poetry. I personally like her work as much as Charlotte's and way more than I like Emily's one novel. 

Don't get me wrong, I love Jane Eyre but there is only so much gothic romance I can take. Anne's novels are beautiful examples of Victorian Contemporary Fiction. I enjoy reading such novels as I feel they are a great way to get an idea of some of the mindsets of the time. It honestly irks me that she gets so little attention compared to her older sisters. She definitely deserves it.

TTWH is considered a feminist novel as it advocates a woman's right to independence and the right to make decisions for the good of her child. It was a controversial topic for 1848 since women had no say in such things. According to Wikipedia, until the Married Women's Property Act 1870 was passed, a married woman had no legal existence independent from her husband and could not own property nor sue for divorce nor control the custody of her children. With that context, TTWH is told in the form of letters from Gilbert Markham to his friend about how he met a mysterious widow, Helen Graham, who had moved into his neighborhood with her young son. I recommend checking out the 1996 BBC television miniseries. It has Tara Fitzgerald and Toby Stephens. It will not disappoint.

Agnes Grey is largely based on the own experience as a governess, enough for me to it is semi-autobiograghical. Both she and Charlotte "went into service". The novel's main character, Agnes, is the daughter of a minister who becomes a governess after her family suffers a reversal of fortune. She soon discovers that life in service is very different from expectations. She realistically portrayed some of the realities faced by women and governesses. 

I hope you can check out her work. Anne Brontë gets little acknowledgement by many. She reminds me of Elizabeth Gaskell in that way (side note:Charlotte Brontë and Elizabeth Gaskell were friends). As always, feel free to leave me a message below.