The Lady of Wildfell Hall

A classic of English literature, The Lady of Wildfell Hall is considered the first feminist novel. This unabridged edition includes a foreword by Anne Brontë. The protagonist of The Lady of Wildfell Hall breaks the paradigms of her time as a strong, independent woman who begins to control her own life. Upon arriving at the Wildfell Hall estate, Mrs. Helen Graham generates speculation and gossip among her neighbors. Young farmer Gilbert Markham, in turn, takes a keen interest in the girl and gradually develops a friendship with her and her son. However, the supposed widow's past secrets and her aloof behavior prevent their feelings from materializing, leaving Gilbert with doubts about her conduct. When Mrs. Graham allows him to read her diary to shed light on the ghosts of her past, he comes to understand the torments she endured and the reasons for her actions. She narrates her story up to that point, from her relationship with an alcoholic husband of abominable behavior to her decision to abandon everything for the sake of protecting her son. In a conservative 19th-century Europe, Anne Brontë had to use a male pseudonym to get her books published, as did her sisters. Accused of exaggerating her depiction of the disproportionate relationships between men and women, Anne wrote a preface to the second edition—included in this volume—in which she defends her choice to present the worst truths, without sugarcoating or evading them, in order to educate her readers and prevent them from making the same mistakes as her characters. The Lady of Wildfell Hall is essential reading for admirers of period romances and, especially, for fans of great English writers such as Jane Austen and the Brontë sisters.