I am still working my way through reading the classics, reading a three-volume series called Books You Have to Read Before You Die. I am struck by how relevant many of the classic novels are to today's world. Many of the themes of these novels have interesting parallels to modern life.

I recently finished reading Anne Bronte’s The Tenant of Windfell Hall, widely seen as a proto-feminist novel. Anne Bronte is one of the three Bronte sisters who wrote insightful novels set in the English countryside of the early to mid-19th Century. 

This novel was a critique of the prevailing view of marriage in Victorian England, where divorce was very difficult to get for a woman, women were expected to do their wifely duty put up with their husbands no matter what, and endure loveless marriages. Most marriages in the upper class were arranged marriages. The expectation was that the couple would grow to love each other, or at least tolerate each other. The wife was supposed to stay home, take care of the children, and manage the household servants and the estate while their husband engaged in business pursuits or hung out with his buddies through the club. Many women felt stuck in a loveless marriage. Taking a lover was unthinkable, and divorce as well. After divorce, women often sank into the lower class. Re-marriage was not a realistic option either. For widows, if they inherited the estate, and were under the age of 45 could remarry.

The heroine of the novel, Helen Huntington, runs away from her alcoholic, abusive, womanizing husband and supports herself through her art as she is a talented painter. She lives in a small rural area and her friends and relatives do not know where she is. Her brother helps her get set up, and she lives in an old mansion he owns. She calls herself Mrs Graham and lets people think she is a widow. In a way, she is as she feels her husband is dead to her to use a modern expression.

She falls in love with a local farmer who is beneath her socially but not too far away because he has his farm and is doing well economically. They agreed to not meet any more for fear of a scandal if known. In the end, after her abusive husband dies from acute alcohol poisoning, they get married and he adopts her 11-year-old son.  

Throughout the novel, the women, as are their husbands, are all deeply unhappy. Many of the husbands are like her husband, alcoholic womanizers. Several hit on her and she rejects their advances.

A sub-theme of the novel is how the traditional Christian view on marriage destroyed marital happiness, that women should be allowed to leave abusive relationships and re-marry for love.

Right Wing Push to Rescind No-Fault Divorce

While reading this novel, I read articles on how the contemporary right-wing in the U.S. including JD Vance, the Republican nominee for Vice President,  and Speaker of the House Johnson, are in favor of ending no-fault divorce and making divorce much more difficult to get. All to support promoting their twisted view of “family values”.   Project 2025 and Agenda 47 which outline proposals for the Republicans if they get elected also spend a lot of time on the idea of promoting the end of the no-fault marriage.  Many of them, would no doubt feel comfortable bringing back the norms of the Victorian era.  They have probably not read this novel, nor do they care that women would again be stuck in loveless, or abusive marriages.

Interesting Pararells to Korean Marriage Norms

I also was struck by how in contemporary Korea, many marriages particularly among the upper classes are still arranged marriages. Family elders, mostly women, fix up their children to marry matching them with people from suitable family backgrounds and providing their astrological charts (mostly according to Chinese astrology but also Western as well), the couple is allowed to date for a few dates, and if they like each, they get married, and like in Victorian times, women are often encouraged to have children and quit work.  This is changing quite a bit but divorce is still a social stigma and many women are advised to stick it out even if their husband is abusive or has a mistress.  But, many women don’t want to get married and have children and many men don’t feel that they can afford to get married and have children. Korea has a declining population because fewer women are having children.

Co-Pilot provided additional background information on this proto-feminist novel.

Sure, I’d be happy to help with that! Here’s some background information on “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall” by Anne Brontë:

Synopsis

“The Tenant of Wildfell Hall” is Anne Brontë’s second and final novel, published in 1848 under the pseudonym Acton Bell. The story is framed as a series of letters from Gilbert Markham to his friend, recounting his experiences with a mysterious young widow, Helen Graham, who arrives at Wildfell Hall with her young son. Helen’s reclusive nature and her career as an artist soon make her the subject of local gossip. As the story unfolds, it is revealed that Helen is fleeing from her abusive, alcoholic husband, Arthur Huntingdon, in an attempt to protect her son from his influence12.

Literary Reputation

Upon its release, “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall” was considered quite shocking due to its unflinching portrayal of alcoholism, psychological abuse, and the constraints placed on women in the 19th century. The novel was an immediate success but faced significant controversy. After Anne’s death, her sister Charlotte Brontë prevented its re-publication in England until 18541. Today, it is regarded as one of the first feminist novels, praised for its bold themes of gender equality and female independence23.

Author Biography

Anne Brontë (1820-1849) was the youngest of the three famous Brontë sisters. She was born in Thornton, West Yorkshire, England. Anne worked as a governess, which influenced her first novel, “Agnes Grey.” Her experiences and observations of the social issues of her time deeply informed her writing. Despite her early death at the age of 29, Anne’s work has left a lasting impact on English literature. She is remembered for her strong moral convictions and her commitment to addressing social injustices through her writing12.

Would you like more detailed information on any specific aspect of the novel or Anne Brontë’s life?

“The Tenant of Wildfell Hall” by Anne Brontë explores several significant themes:

1. Gender, Sexism, and Double Standards: The novel critiques the societal norms that impose different standards of behavior for men and women. Helen’s struggles highlight the limited rights and freedoms of women in the 19th century1.
2. Christian Faith and Morality: Helen’s strong Christian faith guides her actions and decisions throughout the novel. Her moral convictions are tested by her marriage to Arthur Huntingdon, but she remains steadfast in her beliefs1.
3. Love and Marriage: The novel examines the complexities of love and marriage, particularly the consequences of marrying for the wrong reasons. Helen’s marriage to Arthur is a cautionary tale about the dangers of infatuation and the importance of mutual respect and understanding in a relationship1.
4. The Destructive Force of Alcoholism: Arthur Huntingdon’s alcoholism is a central element of the story, illustrating how addiction can destroy lives and relationships. The novel portrays the devastating impact of Arthur’s drinking on his family and himself2.
5. Work and Idleness: Helen’s ability to support herself and her son through her art is a significant aspect of the story. The novel contrasts the value of hard work with the destructive nature of idleness, as seen in Arthur’s lifestyle1.

These themes contribute to the novel’s enduring relevance and its reputation as a pioneering work of feminist literature.

1 litcharts.com2 cou

Here’s the list of the 50 books to read. Bold indicates I have read it.

Vol 1 starts with Volume One

Alcott, Louisa May: Little Women
Austen, Jane: Pride and Prejudice
Austen, Jane: Emma
Balzac, Honoré de: Father Goriot
Barbusse, Henri: The Inferno
Brontë, Anne: The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
Brontë, Charlotte: Jane Eyre
Brontë, Emily: Wuthering Heights
Burroughs, Edgar Rice: Tarzan of the Apes
Butler, Samuel: The Way of All Flesh
Carroll, Lewis: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Cather, Willa: My Ántonia
Cervantes, Miguel de: Don Quixote
Chopin, Kate: The Awakening
Cleland, John: Fanny Hill
Collins, Wilkie: The Moonstone
Conrad, Joseph: Heart of Darkness
Conrad, Joseph: Nostromo
Cooper, James Fenimore: The Last of the Mohicans
Crane, Stephen: The Red Badge of Courage
Cummings, E. E.: The Enormous Room
Defoe, Daniel: Robinson Crusoe
Defoe, Daniel: Moll Flanders
Dickens, Charles: Bleak House
Dickens, Charles: Great Expectations
Dostoyevsky, Fyodor: Crime and Punishment
Dostoyevsky, Fyodor: The Idiot
Doyle, Arthur Conan: The Hound of the Baskervilles
Forster, E. M.: A Room With a View
Dreiser, Theodore: Sister Carrie
Dumas, Alexandre: The Three Musketeers
Dumas, Alexandre: The Count of Monte Cristo
Eliot, George: Middlemarch
Fielding, Henry: Tom Jones
Flaubert, Gustave: Madame Bovary
Flaubert, Gustave: Sentimental Education
Ford, Ford Madox: The Good Soldier
Forster, E. M.: Howard End
Gaskell, Elizabeth: North and South
Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von: The Sorrows of Young Werther
Gogol, Nikolai: Dead Souls
Gorky, Maxim: The Mother
Haggard, H. Rider: King Solomon’s Mines
Hardy, Thomas: Tess of the D’Urbervilles
Hawthorne, Nathaniel: The Scarlet Letter
Homer: The Odyssey
Hugo, Victor: The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Hugo, Victor: Les Misérables
Huxley, Aldous: Crome Yellow
James, Henry: The Portrait of a Lady

Volume 2

- Little Women [Louisa May Alcott]
- Sense and Sensibility [Jane Austen]
- Peter Pan (Peter and Wendy) [J.M. Barrie]
- Cabin Fever [ B. M. Bower]
- The Secret Garden [Frances Hodgson Burnett]
- A Little Princess [Frances Hodgson Burnett]
- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland [Lewis Carroll]
- The King in Yellow [Robert William Chambers]
- The Man Who Knew Too Much [Gilbert Keith Chesterton]
- The Woman in White [Wilkie Collins]
- The Most Dangerous Game [Richard Connell]
- Robinson Crusoe [Daniel Defoe]
- On the Origin of Species, 6th Edition [Charles Darwin]
- The Iron Woman [Margaret Deland]
- David Copperfield [Charles Dickens]
- Oliver Twist [Charles Dickens]
- A Tale of Two Cities [Charles Dickens]
- The Double [Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky]
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes [Arthur Conan Doyle]
- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button [Francis Scott Fitzgerald]
- A Room with a View [E. M. Forster]
- Dream Psychology [Sigmund Freud]
- Tess of the d'Urbervilles [Thomas Hardy]
- Siddhartha [Hermann Hesse]
- Dubliners [James Joyce]
- The Fall of the House of Usher [Edgar Allan Poe]
- The Arabian Nights [Andrew Lang]
- The Sea Wolf [Jack London]
- The Call of Cthulhu [Howard Phillips Lovecraft]
- Anne of Green Gables [Lucy Maud Montgomery]
- Beyond Good and Evil [Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche]
- The Murders in the Rue Morgue [Edgar Allan Poe]
- The Black Cat [Edgar Allan Poe]
- The Raven [Edgar Allan Poe]
- Swann's Way [Marcel Proust]
- Romeo and Juliet [William Shakespeare]
- Treasure Island [Robert Louis Stevenson]
- The Elements of Style [William Strunk Jr.

Vol 3  finished keeping for the historical record

This book contains the following works arranged alphabetically by authors' last names.

Started with volume 3 then will go back and do volumes one, two, and the Harvard classics. The goal is to finish all of these by the end of next year.  I almost finished Volume One.  

- What's Bred in the Bone [Grant Allen]
- The Golden Ass [Lucius Apuleius]
- Meditations [Marcus Aurelius]
- Northanger Abbey [Jane Austen]
- Lady Susan [Jane Austen]
- The Wonderful Wizard of Oz [Lyman Frank Baum]
- The Art of Public Speaking [Dale Breckenridge Carnegie]
- The Blazing World [Margaret Cavendish]
- The Wisdom of Father Brown [Gilbert Keith Chesterton]
- Heretics [Gilbert Keith Chesterton]
- The Donnington Affair [Gilbert Keith Chesterton]
- The Innocence of Father Brown [Gilbert Keith Chesterton]
- Fanny Hill: Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure [John Cleland]
- The Moonstone [Wilkie Collins]
- Lord Jim [Joseph Conrad]
- The Further Adventures of Robinson Crusoe [Daniel Defoe]
- The Pickwick Papers [Charles Dickens]
- A Christmas Carol [Charles Dickens]
- Notes From The Underground [Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky]
- The Gambler par Fyodor [Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky]
- The Lost World [Arthur Conan Doyle]
- The Hound of the Baskervilles [Arthur Conan Doyle]
- The Sign of the Four [Arthur Conan Doyle]
- The Man in the Iron Mask [Alexandre Dumas]
- The Three Musketeers [Alexandre Dumas]
- This Side of Paradise [Francis Scott Fitzgerald]
- Curious, If True: Strange Tales [Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell]
- King Solomon's Mines [Henry Rider Haggard]
- The Hunchback of Notre Dame [Victor Hugo]
- Kim [Rudyard Kipling]
- Captain Courageous [Rudyard Kipling]
- The Jungle Book [Rudyard Kipling]
- Lady Chatterley's Lover [David Herbert Lawrence]
- The Son of the Wolf [Jack London]
- The Einstein Theory of Relativity [Hendrik Antoon Lorentz]
- The Dunwich Horror [Howard Phillips Lovecraft]
- At the Mountains of Madness [Howard Phillips Lovecraft]
- The Prince [Niccolò Machiavelli]
- The Story Girl [Lucy Maud Montgomery]
- The Antichrist [Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche]
- The Republic [Plato]
- The Last Man [Mary Shelley]
- Life On The Mississippi [Mark Twain]
- The Kama Sutra [Vatsyayana]
- In the Year 2889 [Jules Verne]
- Around the World in Eighty Days [Jules Verne]
- Four Just Men [Edgar Wallace]
- Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ [Lewis Wallace]
- Jacob's Room [Virginia Woolf]

the End