his lavish lifestyle, the prince regent's extravagance contrasted sharply with his father’s frugality, causing significant tension. Prince George further strained relations with his family and Parliament by engaging in a romance with Roman Catholic Maria Anne Fitzherbert. Despite laws prohibiting their union, they secretly married in 1785. In 1787, George’s friends secured a parliamentary grant to settle his debts. Pressured by his father, George married Caroline of Brunswick in 1795, but the couple separated permanently after the birth of their child. Fitzherbert remained involved in George’s life until 1811.

King George IV had a keen interest in fashion and was instrumental in popularizing seaside spas. He founded King’s College London and the National Portrait Gallery. However, his indulgence in food and drink eventually impacted his health. In his later years, he suffered from mental illness, gout, and mild porphyria, an inherited blood disorder. Historically, King George IV is often viewed as a bloated, irresponsible figure, reminiscent of Brontë’s character, Mr. Huntington.

The Regency era is noted for its elegant styles in both fashion and architecture. Greek Revival architecture became highly fashionable, and women's clothing shifted to lighter fabrics and colors with French-inspired empire waists. This period was also marked by significant conflicts, including the Revolutionary War in North America and the Napoleonic Wars in Europe.

Queen Victoria and the Victorian Era
After the brief seven-year reign of King William IV, Queen Victoria ascended the throne in 1837 at the age of eighteen. Three years later, she married her first cousin, Prince Albert. Despite rumors that Albert was initially reluctant to marry Victoria due to family pressure and her status, their marriage was ultimately very happy. Throughout her long life, Victoria faced seven assassination attempts, all involving firearms, though these incidents were generally seen as attempts to gain notoriety rather than organized conspiracies.

Albert's death in 1861 left Victoria devastated, leading her to wear black for the remainder of her life. In 1887, she celebrated her golden jubilee, marking the fiftieth anniversary of her reign. A decade later, she commemorated her diamond jubilee, acknowledging her status as the longest-reigning monarch in British history at that time. Victoria passed away in 1901 at the age of eighty-one, having ruled for sixty-three years.

The Victorian era witnessed significant technological and scientific advancements, including the Industrial Revolution and Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. Railways were constructed throughout the United Kingdom, enhancing the accessibility of cities for rural populations.

During this period, women achieved the right to divorce and own property. Fashion evolved from the clean lines of the Regency era to larger skirts, more frills, and bustles. The era is often remembered for the strong moral values promoted by Queen Victoria, likely as a response to the excesses of King George IV's reign.

In 1851, London hosted the first world fair, known as the Great Exhibition. This event showcased photography for the first time and featured the innovative glass and steel architecture of the Crystal Palace, which foreshadowed modern architectural trends. The Great Exhibition was a tremendous success and set the stage for similar massive fairs to become popular attractions in the Western world for the next century.

Epistolary Novel
An epistolary novel is structured as a letter or a series of letters. This format allows the author to write from the perspective of the letter writer, addressing a specific recipient. This setup offers certain benefits, such as creating a more intimate tone. It also lends the novel an air of authenticity, as the text appears to be a real document rather than fiction. Using letters in a novel bypasses the need for an omniscient narrator and enables the author to present different characters' viewpoints. The epistolary form was not unique to Brontë; letter writing was the primary means of communication in nineteenth-century Britain, second only to face-to-face interaction. Authors from the thirteenth to the nineteenth centuries frequently employed this form. The third-person limited omniscient narrator technique gained popularity later in the nineteenth century.

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall unfolds through a series of letters exchanged between Gilbert Markham and his brother-in-law and friend, Jack Halford. The story's events occur between 1821 and 1830, while the letters conclude in 1847, spanning a gap of seventeen to twenty-six years. The novel also includes other documents, with Helen’s diary being a prominent example. Her narrative, as recorded in the diary, covers Chapters XVI through XLIV. The core of the novel is conveyed to Gilbert (who then relays it to Halford) through her private diary. Additionally, towards the end of the novel, Helen’s experiences are further presented through her letters to her brother, Mr. Lawrence, who shares them with Gilbert. This structure allows the author to shift back and forth in time and between different narrators.

Allusion
An allusion is an indirect reference to something outside the text, adding an extra layer of meaning for readers who recognize it. Brontë’s novel is rich with allusions, particularly to the Bible and occasionally to other literature. Her biblical references enhance her theme of piety by explicitly connecting scripture to the characters' stories. For instance, in Chapter XX, Helen’s aunt tries to highlight the moral gap between Helen and Mr. Huntington: “how will it be in the end, when you see yourselves parted for ever; you, perhaps, taken into eternal bliss, and he cast into the lake that burneth with unquenchable fire.” The "burning lake" alludes to Revelations 20:10 and 21:8. Helen, along with Brontë’s contemporary readers, would understand this reference and its significance—Mr. Huntington, in Mrs. Maxwell’s view, is beyond redemption, even if he deeply loves Helen.

An additional allusion in The Tenant of Wildfell Hall appears in Chapter XXX when Mr. Huntington tells Helen he will act as he pleases, just like his friend Hattersley: “he might come home at any hour of the night or morning, or not come home at all; be sullen sober, or glorious drunk; and play the fool or the madman to his own heart’s desire without any fear or botheration.” The phrase “play the fool or the madman” references William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night (the fool) and King Lear (the madman). Readers who recognize this allusion can then understand the foreshadowing of Mr. Huntington’s downfall, akin to the tragic fate of King Lear. When readers are familiar with the texts an author alludes to, the current text becomes richer through its connection to those other literary works.

• 1840s: The census reveals that England's population is nearly 15 million. About 1.5 million people, or 9 percent, reside in London, making it the largest city globally at that time.

  Today: By 2001, England's population had grown to 49 million. London remains the most populous city in Europe, with over 7 million residents, accounting for roughly 7 percent of the British population.

• 1840s: Personal communication is primarily face-to-face or through letters. Mass communication happens via newspapers, leaflets, and broadsides.

  Today: Communication is dominated by cell phones and email. Letter-writing through the postal system is increasingly seen as outdated and slow. Mass media now revolves around the Internet, television, magazines, and newspapers.

• 1840s: The majority of England's population is Anglican. There are small communities of Jews and Roman Catholics, with Unitarianism and other Protestant denominations gaining traction.

  Today: The 2001 United Kingdom census shows that 71.6 percent of the British population identifies as Christian, 2.7 percent as Muslim, 1 percent as Hindu, 0.4 percent as Sikh, 0.3 percent as Jewish, 0.3 percent as Buddhist, and 0.3 percent as other religions. Approximately 15.5 percent reported having no religion, and 7.3 percent chose not to answer.

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall was first brought to television by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in 1968. Directed by Peter Sasdy with a script from Christopher Fry, the adaptation featured Janet Munro as Helen Huntington. This miniseries was broadcast in four parts, airing from December 28, 1968, to January 18, 1969. The total runtime is three hours, and it can be found in limited quantities on VHS from the United Kingdom.

In 1996, the BBC produced another version of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. This adaptation, scripted by Janet Barron and directed by Mike Barker, stars Tara Fitzgerald as Helen Huntington. The well-received production runs for two and a half hours and was originally shown in three parts. It is available on VHS from Twentieth-Century Fox (released in 1997) and BBC Warner (released in 2000). DVD availability is restricted to Europe.

Sources
Auchincloss, Louis, “Speaking of Books: The Trick of Author as Character,” in New York Times Book Review, February 1, 1970, pp. 2, 38.

Brontë, Anne, “Preface to the Second Edition,” in The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Oxford University Press, 1992, pp. 3, 5.

———, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Oxford University Press, 1992.

Lewis, Naomi, “Books in General,” in New Statesman & Nation, Vol. 32, No. 808, August 17, 1946, p. 119.

Lord, Walter Frewen, “The Brontë Novels,” in Nineteenth Century, Vol. 3, No. 313, March 1903, p. 489.

Review of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, in Literary World, Vol. 3, No. 80, August 12, 1848, pp. 544, 546.

Review of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, in New York Times Book Review, May 19, 1900, p. 324.

Review of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, in Spectator, No. 1045, July 8, 1848, pp. 662, 663.

Sinclair, May, “An Introduction,” in The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, by Anne Brontë, Everyman’s Library Series No. 685, J. M. Dent & Sons, 1922, pp. v–viii.

Further Reading
Alexander, Christine, and Margaret Smith, The Oxford Companion to the Brontës, Oxford University Press, 2004. This reference book is structured like an encyclopedia, featuring entries on a variety of topics, including character names, work titles, locations the Brontës visited, books they read, and more. Alexander and Smith also cover the Brontë sisters’ father, Patrick, and their brother, Branwell.

Barker, Juliet, The Brontës: A Life in Letters, Overlook Press, 1998. Barker’s compilation gathers the correspondence of the Brontë family: father Patrick, son Branwell, and daughters Charlotte, Emily, and Anne—some of which had never been published before. These letters offer a deep look into the personalities of this highly literary family.

David, Saul, Prince of Pleasure: The Prince of Wales and the Making of the Regency, Grove/Atlantic, 2000. David’s biography is a captivating and detailed study of the life and era of the extravagant King George IV, who passed away in 1830. George was known during his time not only as a patron of the arts but also for his indulgent lifestyle.

Hawkes, Jason, Yorkshire from the Air, Ebury Press, 2001. This collection of aerial photographs highlights the stunning beauty of Yorkshire’s countryside in northern England. The Brontë family resided in Yorkshire and were deeply connected to its landscape of wild moors, rolling hills, grand old manors, historic towns, and coastal villages.