The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (Original 1848 Edition)

Anne Brontë (1820 - 1849)

When Helen Graham moves into old Wildfell Hall with her little son Arthur, the rustic neighborhood comes alive with gossip and speculation, particularly when saturnine Mr. Lawrence (who bears an uncanny resemblance to the child) begins to visit her clandestinely. Local gentleman farmer Gilbert Markham falls in love with her almost against his will, despite rumors that she supports herself by the work of her hands and can give no account of her origins. Only when her diary comes into Markham’s hands do we find out why she has so exiled herself. As the chapters of the diary unfold, explicit scenes of adultery, seduction, and debauchery show why the novel was so shocking when it was first published, easily outselling the more famous debut novels of the three Brontë sisters. Often called the first “feminist” novel, “Wildfell Hall” may have been most shocking for its depiction of a strong-willed, independent single mother, for its criticism of the marriage institution, and for its many passages crying out against the unfair advantages accorded to men over women.

Importantly, this recording is based on the original 1848 Newby edition, not on the later, badly-mutilated version that mystifyingly continues to be the basis for modern editions advertised as “unabridged.” The novel had already been suppressed after Anne’s death by her sister Charlotte but received an even more serious injustice in 1854 when publisher Thomas Hodgson excised over sixteen thousand words, dozens of “unladylike” profanities, and numerous descriptions of dissolute male behavior, turning the Hodgson edition into a pale shadow of Anne Brontë’s original, visceral work as here presented. - Summary by Expatriate

Genre(s): Literary Fiction

Language: English

Section Chapter Reader Time
Play 00 Vol. I: To J. Halford, Esq. Expatriate
00:04:05
Play 01 Vol. I, Ch. 01: A Discovery Expatriate
00:23:19
Play 02 Vol. I, Ch. 02: An Interview Expatriate
00:12:30
Play 03 Vol. I, Ch. 03: A Controversy Expatriate
00:18:11
Play 04 Vol. I, Ch. 04: The Party Expatriate
00:19:28
Play 05 Vol. I, Ch. 05: The Studio Expatriate
00:09:05
Play 06 Vol. I, Ch. 06: Progression Expatriate
00:17:36
Play 07 Vol. I, Ch. 07: The Excursion Expatriate
00:25:09
Play 08 Vol. I, Ch. 08: The Present Expatriate
00:11:23
Play 09 Vol. I, Ch. 09: A Snake in the Grass Expatriate
00:24:49
Play 10 Vol. I, Ch. 10: A Contract & a Quarrel Expatriate
00:10:39
Play 11 Vol. I, Ch. 11: The Vicar Again Expatriate
00:10:35
Play 12 Vol. I, Ch. 12: A Tête–à–tête & a Discovery Expatriate
00:21:48
Play 13 Vol. I, Ch. 13: A Return to Duty Expatriate
00:09:58
Play 14 Vol. I, Ch. 14: An Assault Expatriate
00:15:09
Play 15 Vol. I, Ch. 15: An Encounter & Its Consequences Expatriate
00:17:41
Play 16 Vol. I, Ch. 16: The Warnings of Experience Expatriate
00:26:54
Play 17 Vol. I, Ch. 17: Further Warnings Expatriate
00:17:56
Play 18 Vol. I, Ch. 18: The Miniature Expatriate
00:27:11
Play 19 Vol. I, Ch. 19: An Incident Expatriate
00:13:24
Play 20 Vol. II, Ch. 01: Persistence Expatriate
00:17:29
Play 21 Vol. II, Ch. 02: Opinions Expatriate
00:10:15
Play 22 Vol. II, Ch. 03: Traits of Friendship Expatriate
00:34:07
Play 23 Vol. II, Ch. 04: First Weeks of Matrimony Expatriate
00:12:19
Play 24 Vol. II, Ch. 05: First Quarrel Expatriate
00:18:15
Play 25 Vol. II, Ch. 06: First Absence Expatriate
00:25:46
Play 26 Vol. II, Ch. 07: The Guests Expatriate
00:09:05
Play 27 Vol. II, Ch. 08: A Misdemeanour Expatriate
00:14:46
Play 28 Vol. II, Ch. 09: Parental Feelings Expatriate
00:08:43
Play 29 Vol. II, Ch. 10: The Neighbour Expatriate
00:21:03
Play 30 Vol. II, Ch. 11: Domestic Scenes Expatriate
00:28:51
Play 31 Vol. II, Ch. 12: Social Virtues Expatriate
00:33:06
Play 32 Vol. II, Ch. 13: Comparisons: Information Rejected Expatriate
00:29:53
Play 33 Vol. II, Ch. 14: Two Evenings Expatriate
00:28:27
Play 34 Vol. II, Ch. 15: Concealment Expatriate
00:11:20
Play 35 Vol. II, Ch. 16: Provocations Expatriate
00:13:47
Play 36 Vol. II, Ch. 17: Dual Solitude Expatriate
00:11:45
Play 37 Vol. II, Ch. 18: The Neighbour Again Expatriate
00:24:46
Play 38 Vol. III, Ch. 01: The Injured Man Expatriate
00:24:13
Play 39 Vol. III, Ch. 02: A Scheme of Escape Expatriate
00:31:21
Play 40 Vol. III, Ch. 03: A Misadventure Expatriate
00:10:16
Play 41 Vol. III, Ch. 04: "Hope Springs Eternal in the Human Breast" Expatriate
00:17:03
Play 42 Vol. III, Ch. 05: A Reformation Expatriate
00:11:10
Play 43 Vol. III, Ch. 06: The Boundary Past Expatriate
00:15:10
Play 44 Vol. III, Ch. 07: The Retreat Expatriate
00:18:55
Play 45 Vol. III, Ch. 08: Reconcilation Expatriate
00:34:27
Play 46 Vol. III, Ch. 09: Friendly Counsels Expatriate
00:15:43
Play 47 Vol. III, Ch. 10: Startling Intelligence Expatriate
00:28:36
Play 48 Vol. III, Ch. 11: Further Intelligence Expatriate
00:13:12
Play 49 Vol. III, Ch. 12 Expatriate
00:24:07
Play 50 Vol. III, Ch. 13: Doubts & Disappointments Expatriate
00:23:23
Play 51 Vol. III, Ch. 14: An Unexpected Occurrence Expatriate
00:21:34
Play 52 Vol. III, Ch. 15: Fluctuations Expatriate
00:16:20
Play 53 Vol. III, Ch. 16: Conclusion Expatriate
00:28:51