Oh, there are mind games aplenty going on in this marriage. But she refuses to be docile, silent, accepting of his ungodly ways. She now belongs to him, to honor and obey, his property, his wife. Helen realizes quite quickly her mistake, but it is too late. RELATED: DRAGONWYCK (1944) BY ANYA SETON: A GOTHIC PLEASURE She figured he just needed a good woman to keep him on the straight and narrow, that with her gentle prodding he would be redeemed. A headstrong Helen marries against her family’s reservations and it all goes downhill from there. And the whole cautionary backstory is revealed about the innocent girl wooed by the silver-tongued flattery and witty repartee of the handsome rake, Arthur Huntington (Graves). She’s married still – to a debased lecher. But Helen does finally reveal the truth to Gilbert. You can’t really summarize this tale without a spoiler or two. Markham tries to defend her, but his own jealousy gets the better of him. And wagging tongues turn to ostracization. Folk say he’s been seen at her home late at night, that her son looks too much like him to be a coincidence. Lawrence (Purefoy), and that relationship gets local tongues wagging.

He can sense something nagging at her, but she always avoids answering and revealing truths. He is persistent, befriends her son, and eventually befriends her.

Gilbert Markham (Stephens), finds her very alluring. She is obviously tired of society and small talk and all of it. She speaks her mind forcefully on occasion, ruffling more than a few feathers. Helen remains elusive, aloof, abrupt, even in social settings. RELATED: TO WALK INVISIBLE: THE BRONTË SISTERS – A BLEAK YET WONDERFUL BIOPIC She is, after all, the mysterious newcomer, and curious neighbors want their looks. Although she very much wants to keep to herself, she finds herself forced into interacting with the small, local society. Helen Graham (Fitzgerald), and her son Arthur. She then arrives at a rundown, isolated house of the moors, dressed in black, introducing herself as the widow, Mrs. The story opens with a woman stealing away with a young child in the wee hours of the morning.

It’s grittier, darker, more socially realistic, examining the plight of married women and domestic abuse in genteel Victorian society. A novel that is often considered one of the earliest feminist novels. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is an adaptation of Anne Brontë’s second and final novel of the same name. That’s a lot of attractive leading males in one series. The series stars Tara Fitzgerald, Toby Stephens, Rupert Graves, and James Purefoy. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is a three-part miniseries made by the BBC and runs just under three hours. Miniseries Review: The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1996)

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