retrato de Anne Brontë |
En 1846, las mujeres estaban marginadas y pensaban muy por debajo de sus homólogos masculinos. Anne Brontë pone en tela de juicio este sistema de género, proporcionando a los lectores una heroina valiente llamada "Helen Hundington" que abiertamente desafía las leyes de la época, abandonando a un marido alcohólico y maltratador, hoy en día este tema no nos sorprende e incluso sigue latente, pues en el mundo mueren muchas mujeres a diario en manos de sus parejas e incluso todavía existe las mujeres que no denuncian y viven en silencio siempre con el miedo metido en el cuerpo. Cuando Anne Brontë bajo el pseudonimo de Acton Bell publicó esta novela, esto produjo un shock para los convencionalismos sociales de la época. En 1846, la esposa y los hijos estaban bajo el control del marido, y era imposible dejar a un marido porque ellas eran educadas en la sumisión, a no causar problemas legales ni hacer un escándalo social. Sin embargo, "Helen Huntingdon"la heroina de esta novela fue muy valiente y decidió abandonar a su esposo el señor Huntingdon, llevandose a escondidas a su pequeño hijo con ella.
Pocos años después de la publicación de esta obra, hubo una profunda reflexión sobre la injusticia de las leyes matrimoniales, una mujer casada no tenía existencia legal por derecho propio,es decir el esposo y la esposa son una sola persona ante la ley y esa persona es el esposo. Ella no tiene derechos legales, sobre nada de lo que hacia no podía trabajar , pues una mujer de clase media solo podía trabajar de institutriz o de dama de compañía ,tampoco podían estudiar en la universidad,se les enseñaban las cuatroa reglas generales, leer, escribir, tocar el piano, dibujar, coser y a ser una buena esposa no podía tener ni heredar propiedades , sus propiedades queda vinculado al marido, pero si la mujer se quedaba soltera sus propiedades quedan vinculadas al pariente varón más cercano en grado de consanguinidad, las mujeres en esa época nunca dejaron de ser menores de edad, siempre delegadas a un varón, por ejemplo Helen Hundington se quejaba de no ser dueña de nada ni su propio diario en el que escribía, ni de sus pinturas y lienzos, sus imágenes, o de las ganancias de sus obras pictóricas Este tema fue criticado anteriormente por la conocida escritora Jane Austen que utilizó la ironía para criticar la lamentable situación que se encontraban las mujeres a principios de siglo diecinueve.
Helen Hudington es una mujer de excepcional resistencia y la estabilidad por lo que es una persona firme que intenta avanzar pero a veces en su camino su paso se le hace muy pesado porque sus circunstancias no le acompañan, a través de sus ojos vemos por primera vez algo que toda mujer de esa época soñaba "vivir su propia independencia", es decir, ganar su propio dinero pintando retratos y paisajes porque "las Ladies" tenían prohibido participar en el mundo comercial, sin embargo, Helen Hundington rompe las cadenas de esas injustas leyes sin mirar atrás y decide dar el paso de ser la comercial de sus propia empresa.
Hay una fuerte critica a los hombres en esta obra en la que Anne Brontë los describe como si encontraran atrapados en un estado de infancia permanente, o como patanes borrachos. Esto se ve sobre todo a través del personaje de Arthur Huntingdon marido de Helen, Anne Brontë analiza la falta de sentido y de razón que tiene los hombres como consecuencia de un sistema de valores que se basaba en el culto del ideal machista "¡Por Dios, que bebe como un hombre!", esta expresión fue un cumplido con el que Lord Byron se jactaba con orgullo de sí mismo. Sostener su licor era un signo de virilidad. Sin embargo, en “La inquilina de Wildfell Hall”, los amigos del señor Hundington , se comportaban como auténticos gamberros fuera de control, peleándose tirando cosas, maldiciendo y actuando sin vergüenza por el el alto consumo de alcohol. Arthur Huntingdon era un hombre con poca cultura pues apenas sabia leer y escribir, y sus modales hacia los demás era bastante atroz, por ejemplo Benson, un sirviente de la casa, tropieza con la silla de su amo: Arthur se volvió con furia sobre él, y lo insultó con rudeza salvaje. Grimsby, se enorgullece de su capacidad para tomar tres veces más que los demás esa noche" Todos se burlan Señor Lowborough porque es abstemio. Estos varones por así decirlo de alta sociedad que no trabajaban vivían de sus rentas, los que no tenían ningún hobbie o entretenimiento se degeneraba haciéndose adictos y libertinos. Anne Brontë sabe muy bien como son este tipo de varones pues ella y su familia sufrió un infierno con su hermano Branwell por su adicción al alcohol y al opio.
Arthur Huntingdon (al igual que los hombres de ese tiempo) no le importaba su mal comportamiento, el esperaba que su esposa le obedeciera y entretuviera a él con sumisión y sin quejas. Sin embargo, Helen se queja, pidiendo al degenerado de su marido que cumpla con los votos matrimoniales e insiste en decirle las injusticias de su conducta, pero la respuesta de Arthur Huntingdon a su esposa está llena de doble estándares diciendo que la naturaleza de la mujer debe ser el amor constante de uno solo, a ciegas, con ternura para siempre. Esta es la realidad de Helen con las normas que convive a diario en su matrimonio, al igual que muchas otras mujeres. El matrimonio de Helen con Arthur Huntingdon se convierte en desilusión, dolor, furia y amargura. Ella se da cuenta que está casada con un marido fracasado, y para estar con un hombre así y mejor no está casada.
Lowborough el marido de Annabella se entera de la aventura entre Arthur Huntingdon y su esposa, Annabella, Lowborough se siente muy despechado y triste y Helen sintiéndose igual le dice a él que al menos su despecho puede ser reparado con el divorcio, pues un marido mancillado por el adulterio de su mujer podía obtener el divorcio sin ningún impedimento sin embargo una mujer engañada por su marido no podía nada más que callarse y aguantar todas las infidelidades de su marido porque un juez nunca escuchaba a una mujer en 1820 el mundo estaba enfocado solo para hombres. Hasta 1857 las leyes del divorcio no fue aprobada en el Reino Unido pues antes el divorcio sólo era posible por una ley solo a favor de los hombres .
Cuando Arthur lee el diario de Helen, no le molesta en absoluto el hecho de que puede estar perdiendo a su
mujer, o que ella sea inmensamente infeliz a causa de él, pero si se
avergonzó cuando supo que ella se dedicaba
a la venta de sus cuadros y eso para él era como un insulto a el no le importa que Helen no le quisiese, pero que la sociedad se burle de él a causa de ella, y
que su hijo le sea arrebatado no lo podía soportar y no porque él ama a su hijo, sino
porque lo necesita para continuar su nombre y sea su heredero, para hacerse
cargo de la masión "Grassdale" y continuar con su legado. Los
hombres como Arthur no llegan a ser
buenos padres, pues quería que su hijo siguiera sus pasos "hacer de su
pequeño hijo un hombre" enseñándole a beber vino como papa,
para jurar como el señor Hattersley, el quería que su hijo siguiera sus pasos,
pero Helen, sin embargo, tiene diferentes proyectos para su "pequeño
Arthur ", porque para ella su vida gira en torno a su hijo, y pone mucho esfuerzo para prevenir que se convierta en "un hombre como su padre, por esa causa Helen se siente absolutamente liberada
después de salir de la temida mansión que compartía con el maltratador de su marido dando
gracias a dios se sintió por fin a salvo.
La novela tiene dos adaptaciones para la televisión, ambas de la BBC. La versión de 1968 fue protagonizada por Janet Munro, Corin Redgrave y Bryan Marshall, mientras que Tara FitzGerald, Toby Stephens, Rupert Graves y James Purefoy protagonizaron la versión de 1996 También se realizó una ópera en tres actos, siguiendo la estructura original de la novela, en la Universidad de Nebraska-Loncoln, con música compuesta por Garrett Hope y libretto de Steven Soebbing.
the Victorian view of women through the book The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë
This week I advanced in my research on the work of Anne Brontë's "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall" and I want to share how proud I am of this work which I am doing from the perceptive of gender.
In 1846, women were marginalized and they thought one grade lower than their male counterparts. Anne Brontë called into the question the gender system, providing readers with a brave heroine called "Helen Hundington" who openly defies the laws from this time, leaving an alcoholic and abusive husband , Nowadays this issue we are not surprised and even still present because many women in worldwide die at the hands of their partners daily and even still there are women who do not report and they live in silence always afraid in. When Anne Brontë under "Acton Bell" pseudonym published her novel, which was a shock to the social conventions of the time. In 1846, the wife and the children were under the control of the husband, and it was impossible to leave a husband because they were educated in submission, not to cause legal problems nor make a social scandal, however, "Helen Huntingdon" ,this novel heroine was very brave and she decided to leave her husband Mr. Arthur Huntingdon, taking her young son with her secretly .
A few years after the publication of this work, there was a deep reflection on the injustice of the marriage laws, a married woman had no legal existence in their own right, ie the husband and wife are only one person before the law and that person exist only the husband. the women did not have no legal rights to anything they could not work, because a middle class woman could work only as a governess or a lady companion, theycould not have nor inherit a property, their properties is entailed to their husband, but if they were singles their properties were entailed to the nearest male relative degree of consanguinity, women were always minors at this time, whenever a male delegates. for examplo Helen Hundington complained about she is owner to nothing nor your own diary in which wrote or her paints and canvas, pictures, or for the earnings of pictorial works. This issue is also criticized in Jane Austen worker , but this is from an earlier era Jane in a more ironic critique the unfortunate situation that the woman lived. This issue was criticized by the famous writer Jane Austen who used the irony to criticize the unfortunate situation that women were in the early nineteenth century.
Helen Hundington is a exceptional woman with strength and stability so it is a tough person who tries to move forward but sometimes on her way makes her passage very heavy because her unplesant circumstances are accompanied,through her eyes we can see for the first time something that every women of that time dreaming " to live their own independence", ie earn their own money by painting portraits and landscapes because "Ladies" were banned from participating in the business world, however Helen Hundington breaks the chains of these unjust laws without looking back and she decides to take the step to be trading their own company.
Anne Brontë Portrait |
In 1846, women were marginalized and they thought one grade lower than their male counterparts. Anne Brontë called into the question the gender system, providing readers with a brave heroine called "Helen Hundington" who openly defies the laws from this time, leaving an alcoholic and abusive husband , Nowadays this issue we are not surprised and even still present because many women in worldwide die at the hands of their partners daily and even still there are women who do not report and they live in silence always afraid in. When Anne Brontë under "Acton Bell" pseudonym published her novel, which was a shock to the social conventions of the time. In 1846, the wife and the children were under the control of the husband, and it was impossible to leave a husband because they were educated in submission, not to cause legal problems nor make a social scandal, however, "Helen Huntingdon" ,this novel heroine was very brave and she decided to leave her husband Mr. Arthur Huntingdon, taking her young son with her secretly .
A few years after the publication of this work, there was a deep reflection on the injustice of the marriage laws, a married woman had no legal existence in their own right, ie the husband and wife are only one person before the law and that person exist only the husband. the women did not have no legal rights to anything they could not work, because a middle class woman could work only as a governess or a lady companion, theycould not have nor inherit a property, their properties is entailed to their husband, but if they were singles their properties were entailed to the nearest male relative degree of consanguinity, women were always minors at this time, whenever a male delegates. for examplo Helen Hundington complained about she is owner to nothing nor your own diary in which wrote or her paints and canvas, pictures, or for the earnings of pictorial works. This issue is also criticized in Jane Austen worker , but this is from an earlier era Jane in a more ironic critique the unfortunate situation that the woman lived. This issue was criticized by the famous writer Jane Austen who used the irony to criticize the unfortunate situation that women were in the early nineteenth century.
Helen Hundington is a exceptional woman with strength and stability so it is a tough person who tries to move forward but sometimes on her way makes her passage very heavy because her unplesant circumstances are accompanied,through her eyes we can see for the first time something that every women of that time dreaming " to live their own independence", ie earn their own money by painting portraits and landscapes because "Ladies" were banned from participating in the business world, however Helen Hundington breaks the chains of these unjust laws without looking back and she decides to take the step to be trading their own company.
There is a strong men criticism in this work in which Anne Brontë describes them as if they found trapped in a state of permanent childhood or as drunken louts. This is mostly seen through Arthur Huntingdon's character, Helen's husband , Anne Brontë analyzes men meaninglessness and reason, due to a value system which was based on the ideal macho cult "My God , drinking like a man! "this expression was a compliment with which Lord Byron proud boasted of himself. Holding their liquor was a sign of virility. However, in "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall",Mr. Hundington friends behaved like true thugs out of control, fighting, throwing things, cursing and acting without shame by high consumption of alcohol. Arthur Huntingdon was a man with lack of culture as only he could read and write, and his behaviour towards others was quite appalling, for example Benson, a servant of the house, faces his master's chair: Arthur turned furiously upon him , and rudely insulted him wild. Grimsby, is proud of his ability to have wine three times more than the others that night they tease Lord Lowborough because he is a teetotaler. Such men as it were of high society that lived worked their income, they did not have hobby or entreteinment degenerated becoming addicted and libertines. Anne Brontë knew how men were such as she and her family suffered a hell with her brother Branwell by his addiction to alcohol and opium.
Arthur Huntingdon (like men of that time) did not mind his bad behavior, he expected his wife to obey him and entertain him with submission and no complaints. However, Helen complains, asking her degenerate husband complies with marriage vows and she insists on telling the injustice of his conduct, but the answer of Arthur Huntingdon to his wife is full of double standards, saying that the nature of women should be the one constant love, blindly, tenderly forever. This is the reality of Helen with the rules daily lives in their marriage, like many other women. Helen's marriage to Arthur Huntingdon turns into disillusion, pain, anger and bitterness. She realizes she is married to a failed husband , and to be with a man like Arthur, it is better not married. Anne Brontë makes it clear that the laws are not the same for men than for women When Annabella Lowborough's wife learns of the affair between Arthur Huntingdon and Annabella, Lowborough feel very jilted and sad and Helen feeling as him she tells him that at least his despite it can be repaired with divorce, as a husband tainted by adultery of his wife he could obtain a divorce without any impediment but a woman betrayed by her husband could do nothing and shut up and endure all her husband's infidelities because a judge never listened to a woman in 1820 the world was focused only for men. Until 1857 divorce laws was not approved in the UK since before the divorce was only possible by a law only for men.
When Arthur reads Helen's diary,he do not mind at all that may be losing his wife, or that she is immensely unhappy because of him, but if he was ashamed when he heard that she was engaged in the sale of his paintings and that to him was an insult, he does not mind Helen does not love, but that society makes fun of him because of herand that her son is taken away could not endure and not because he loves his son, but because he needs to keep his name and become his heir, to take over "Grassdale" and he continues his legacy. Men like Arthur does not become good parents, because he wanted his son to follow in his footsteps "making of his young son a man" teaching him to drink wine like papa, to swear like Mr. Hattersley, he wanted his son to follow in his footsteps , but Helen, however, has different plans for her "little Arthur" because for her life revolves around his son, and put a lot of effort to prevent it becoming "a man like her father, for that reason Helen feels absolutely freed after leaving the dreaded mansion she shared with her husband's abusive thanking god finally she felt safe.
In conclusion it is interesting to note: The illusion that Helen set to "save" her husband was a female favorite myth of mid-nineteenth century, and exposes it as ignorance and the eruption of a tragic mistake of pride. Most nineteenth-century writers used the issue of women in his novels, or expressing female experience in deliberate rebellion against their marginalization both as women and as writers.The male authoritarian speech was the central object of power. "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall" analyzes the abuse of language they use when talking to women, who make big promises and then it is nothing, insult , gossip, curses and false claims through the lies and deceptions. communication seeking will bring the unity of thoughts and feelings which consistent, and truly loving, sympathizing hearts and souls.La novel is set in 1820, but Helen demonstrates the strength of will that have on helping reform and her husband through abstinence, reflecting a focus on progress in the feminist movement at the time that Anne was writing (1846-7).This highlights the way in which social problems are inserted in the text of contemporary fiction, allowing you to speak historically and critically. The characters whose names start with 'H' are men who behave badly, Huntingdon, Hargrave and Hattersley. These men drink, gamble, abuse their wives, servants and dogs, wasting their fortunes, commit adultery, and recklessly mark their way to hell, in a system that licenses soulless pleasures 'gentlemen'. Helen seeks refuge in the ruinous mansion Wilfell Hall, but she just feels around a wall of rumor, gossip, speculation and suspicion. When Helen flees her husband, using her mother single name . she does not want to use the name of her husband, for fear that he could find, and because she is so angry with him, and she do not want anything being associated with him or her name or any other means not to have the condition of being wife, not to have a name and a home.
The novel has two adaptations for television, both for the BBC. The 1968 version starred Janet Munro, Corin Redgrave and Bryan Marshall, while Tara Fitzgerald, Toby Stephens, Rupert Graves and James Purefoy starred in the 1996 version. it also performed an opera in three acts, following the original structure of the novel, at the University of Nebraska-Loncoln, with music composed by Garrett Hope and Steven Soebbing libretto.