Charlotte Brontë: Anne's book is disgusting and we shouldn't talk about abuse so openly Charlotte Brontë's book: the romantic lead locks his mentally ill wife in the attic
Locking the wife in the attic is perfectly fine according to the book, "it's for her own good and everyone else's, see what happens when she's not locked up ? Besides just look how the poor man sufferes from being married to such a woman, doesn't it break your heart ?" It's not the imprisonment that's seen as bad but the attempt at bigamy... 😑
That is a misrepresentation of Charlotte. She was a grieving sister who lost all her siblings in the span of only a few years, and who saw her sisters public image being tarnished over this book. She didn't call it disgusting, she called it a mistake because she didn't want people thinking this was a representation of who her sister was. It was a deeply misguided attempt at protecting her sister's image of which she was the sole keeper.
@quaesitrix881 Have you actually read and understood Jane Eyre? Because she is not locked up "in the attic", she is locked up in the top floor. That isn't a stinking attic, it's actual rooms. And while locking her up is kind of justified, since she represents an acute danger to herself and her surroundings (we do as much with people in this state of psychosis today), Jane and with her the book questions Rochester on his motivations. She assumes he hates his wife for being psychotic and disagrees with it because she can't help her condition, which is a pretty progressive stance for the time.
@@megan6725 Yes, and... Charlotte Brontë's next book: the child only remembers DV once it has escalated - mother has been ejected, acute physical threat from father. This not so coincidentally happens to be the level of violence even the patriarchal society of the time disapproves of (but fails to prevent, by ignoring, rationalising or minimising indicators at every earlier stage). The escalation process is shoved into the misty realm of Gothic backstory, subordinated to the (separate) romantic arc, and drags in names from Anne's heavily autobiographical first novel; at once distorting the messaging of Anne's work and attempting to rewrite what Anne had learnt in her life, though Anne had years more working life experience than Charlotte and lived in-house with her employers, meaning she witnessed and was parentified into others' family life.
The promotion reminds me of the trailer for The Perks Of Being a Windflower. The trailer was all fun, high school and then the end was about discovering he was abused.
But I believe that was kind of the point of the book; that he finds friends that push the limits of your life (for better or for worse and somehow both simultaneously) and first love teenage feelings AND as you mature you’re able to look at your past and realize deeper truths about yourself. By then, he has friends he trusts to help him through this, as well as his family even as he’s trying to navigate those changing relationships.
In my opinion, the most romantic line in literature is found in Wildfell Hall. Gilbert to Helen: "I'd rather have your friendship than the love of any woman in the world."
I really love The Tenant of Wildfell Hall and I admire Anne Brontë for NOT romanticising ipv. I'm not surpised, her novel is less popular than her sisters' but I wish, it was MORE read than her sisters', esp. in highschool.
I love this book and the BBC adaptation of it in the 90s with Tara Fitzgerald and Toby Stephens. It's absolutely overshadowed by Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre in terms of fame and popularity, but it's my favorite of the three. It has a compelling story, a strong female protagonist (particularly when you consider its time) and, unlike the other two, a main male love interest that isn't super brooding and moody and potentially problematic. I never got the Rochester or Heathcliff appeal, personally :)
I didn’t read Anne Bronte until last year because her books were always presented as “less than”. Now I get why, and I loved her writing so much. Thank you for covering this topic so thoroughly and mindfully ❤
I also read it last year, or something like that bc it was recommended as a lot better than it, and its author, was usually described, while I read "Wuthering Heights" and "Jane Eyre" long ago ... 😊
I bought The Tenant of Wildfell Hall because my book cover was creepy and gothic-looking, so I thought it must be a mystery/horror novel (which I thought was very on-brand for a Bronte lmao). As I ventured into the story, I quickly realised that it was going to be a DV story. I didn't know much about the backstory of Anne Bronte (or even that she existed) until after I read this book. But while I was reading it, I kept thinking "I can't believe this is a 19th century novel. How did they allow this to be published?" because it seemed SO ahead of its time. Even the prose itself is so bleak and honest, so different from 19th century literature. Anne Bronte was a true pioneer, robbed of her place in the literary canon.
This analysis is stunning, and perfectly shows how powerful it is to continue reading literature from other times and how relevant they continue to be. It’s so striking that we can connect to each other through the centuries.
@@EDDIELANETruth. Was Tennant of Wildfeld Hall trying to be a romantic comedy? Genuine question, as I can't recall if I read it when I was into the Brontes in the 80's! 😁
@@etherealtb6021 No, I would say definitely no, though I'd say there are elements of it in Gilbert's early arc, and aspects of the later part. "Tenant" is a rich, deep work, with many elements, beautifully drawn characters, both central and side, and many ideas neatly encircling the central point. Elements of Rom Com, perhaps. But it is not a Rom Com. Oh: Yes, read it! But as noted in the vid, make sure you get an unmutilated version.
I’m currently reading Jane Eyre and the way Rochester behaves when Jane decides to leave him made me feel so uneasy. He told her how it would be so easy for him to break her apart due to her small physique and you could tell that during the confrontation she clearly feared he would lay hands on her. How people think that their novels are love stories just like Pride and Prejudice is beyond me, but I believe that it was pretty common at that time even for Charlotte to romanticize this posessive behavior.
The quote from the Brontë preface says it all! Amazing video The press campaign for It Ends With Us had a degree of deliberate trickery, kind of like how you would only find out the Mean Girls remake was a musical once you were sat in theatres. There are no real rules about how to promote one genre versus another, but the concealment is so intentional it’s jarring.
I don’t usually leave comments, but I want to help the algorithm. I love the unique blend of history with contemporary. Well done video essay. I’m going to read The Tenant of Wildfell Hall now!
So I’m a librarian and I remember in library grad school I wrote an essay about the complexities of reference reader advisory work with Emily Brontë, and I mention that the author died without putting out more defense in their own words and leaving it to Charlotte to discuss. The lack of seeing Emily’s work as its own merit and not comparing it to Charlotte. And most notably not taking into account the notes of the story. I feel like this can be applied to Anne. I love Emily and my second fav sister is Anne. I think that her stories have a beautiful complex truth behind them that makes it ironic when they’re banned / ignored. I think that it strips the purpose of literature when peopel want to censor and ignore a well made depiction of complex and “scary subjects”. I don’t like Hoover nor the majority of her works. I have read through It Ends With Us and like it’s shallow in some parts and I wish Blake Lively wasn’t promoting it like a romcom I think that does it even more injustice
I enjoyed wildfell hall so much!!! Obviously Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights had far more leg power but the tenant of wildfell hall felt so much more real!! I also want to say that if you want to watch a good movie somewhat like it ends with us but waaaaay better and made with far more consideration to Dv victims, try The Waitress. Its gorgeous. edit to say- my favorite book is Jane Eyre too. My favorite movie version is Fassbenders. Siiiiiigh Fassbender is the greatest Rochester ever
Right?? I laughed out loud when I heard that name lol. I'm already sick of typical fantasy YA Mary Sue names, like Raven Luna and Juliette Fairbanks and unimaginative sh!t like that... but _Lily Blossom Bloom_ takes that down to a whole new level of low 😂
The older I get, the more I appreciate The Tennant of Wildfell Hall over other Brontë novels. Now having learned how much others wanted to censor it or outright ban it over the years makes me love it even more. Time for a reread via audiobook ❤
oof the side eye after the “inexperienced writer quote” and also after the anne brontë quote about flowers. i am gonna have to read tenant of wildfell hall, i didn’t read the brontës until i was in uni and even then, i found Wide Sargasso Sea to be even more compelling than WH. this was a very well put together analysis, im so happy this came onto my feed
Ohhh you randomly came up on my recommended but this video is perfect. I’ve never read the Brontë sisters ever but you really kept me engaged and I learnt so much and I love your cadence! Can’t wait to see more and I’m going back to watch your past videos
Ooh, I'm so glad you've turned my attention toward The Tenant of Wildfell Hall! I've never heard of it, even though I LOVED Jane Eyre, and I can't wait to go read it now! This is my first video of yours that I've seen, and I subscribed!
I think books about domestic violence need to be handled with care. Not marketed as f*ckin romcom. I read darker stuff, horror, thriller, dark romance, and I've read works that handle heavy topics like this well and then CoHo books and haunting Adeline. I dislike the way both hd Carlton and Colleen Hoover handle heavy topics.
Your video reminded me of Eliot's essay, "Tradition and Individual Talent", that the past-ness of the past doesn't make it any less contemporary than works which are seeing the light of the day in the present. Loved this video to bits. Looking forward to the next one. ❤
I despised Wuthering heights because they tried to sell it to me as a love story. if I had go in with different expectations I might have felt differently but it was just like holy fuck this relationship is unhealthy.
I always hated Wuthering Heights as a teen. I would hear women and other girls swoon about it being so romantic! It was triggering for me. After years of therapy, I went back and read Wuthering Heights and found it fascinating, but not a "Romance novel". I feel the "romantic" marketing of Wuthering Heights movies and TV adaptations is such a disservice to the work of Anne.
It's so funny because I had the opposite experience. Kind of. I went in expecting it to be this toxic trainwreck (like a Victorian reality show almost). And I was disappointed because everyone was just traumatized or had terrible healthcare. Still love the book but I definitely think it's better to position it as a book that examines how pain begets pain and the far reaching consequences of not getting your shit together
@@elizabethprzybylski9486 Here's my take. Women and teenage girls swooning over wuthering heights beeing "Romantic" fall into two camps and only two camps. Camp A is trolling, Camp B is has a warped perspective on the book and is genuinely psychotic as in delusional And that encompasses all of them. I suppose wuthering heights is a "Romance" but only in the classical sense that plays like Romeo and Juliet were, in that really they're tragedies. but dressed up as romantic. IF you remember the play as well as I do both of our lovers are dead by the end, which comes rather quickly. the thing about Classical romances is that they were almost always tragedies.
@@elizabethprzybylski9486 My take on that is the Women swooning over Wuthering heights as being "So romantic" are either A. trolling or B. Psychotic as in Delusional and there's really no other explanation, either they have a warped perspective or they're trolling. One thing I would point out, that is technically accurate is the book is "Romantic" but only in the most anal retentive stick up it's ass sense of being a "Classical romance" the same way that Romeo and Juliet was and if you look at the Classics you'll discover that Almost all of them are Tragedies rather than truly romantic, and so what you have is Tragedies with limited at best romantic moments. Classical Romance is, hardly romantic, Ironically. And Wuthering heights is a classical romance.
I always hated Wuthering Heights even as a kid in the late 90s and early 2000s. I never understood how anyone can find Heathcliff romantic. He was a horrible human being. My English teacher told us he is the coolest guy in classic English literature 🥴. Her being a huge misogynist should have been a hint.
I admit that I haven't read a single Bronte sister novel except Jane Eyre _precisely_ because of what I've heard about the incredibly unhealthy relationship in WH. This video made me so excited to check out other, BETTER Bronte works that feature _good_ people making _good_ decisions for themselves! THAT'S the sh!t I like. Not romanticizing _terribly_ unhealthy infatuations.
I think you have to be a specific kind of person to read Wuthering Heights and think its romantic or even romanticised. Sure they have their good romantic moments, but i dont think the narrative or even other characters approve or like Heathcliff, which shows how Emily felt about rhe character herself as well. Helen being the narrator and constantly calling out Heathcliff and mentioning how horrible he is is often ignored and I wonder WHY, considering its the way the story is framed, how were supposed to feel as well
@@milo_thatch_incarnateBut the point of WH is that these people are despicable and horrible. Its NOT romanticised and if you read it you can tell very clearly that Emily Bronte did not want people to enjoy the relationships at all. Hell, the character who narrates the story calls them all out constantly and talks shit about them all the time 😭😭 it sure has problematic things but trust me it does not romanticise the relationship at all
@@MikaelaCher - Oh interesting! I didn’t know. Truthfully, I’ve only ever heard of it talked of as “terribly romantic and passionate and seductive” by people I would consider to be silly, unserious women. So I didn’t give it the time of day. I’ve had quite enough of romance books about unhealthy relationships painted as swoon worthy. But if some silly people just read that _into_ what is otherwise a very good book, I’ll definitely give it a read!
I wonder if that was because she was a woman. People believed that women could only write love stories. Emily constantly shows us how horrible those two were to each other and the people around them. I love that book because of the plot and writing and the fact that not for one moment I felt like she wanted us to root for them
And again I get to refer to L M Montgomery. A while back ... 20 yrs ago? Something like that, or more, I read about a woman who made a dissertation where a lot of it was about "Anne's House of Dreams". You do not see a lot of that novel turned into romantic or funny movies or tv- series. Because a lot of it is about an abusive marriage, adultery, alcoholism, and loss of a child. And all this was slid into a book mostly aimed at, and read by, young girls. It was pretty cleverly done, and not exactly obvious to me in my preteens/low teens. If I am wrong and anyone has seen a film version with the life of Leslie Moore in it, please tell me. A thesis of mine is that there is a very clear arc connecting the works of Jane Austen and the Brontë sisters, and those between to L M Montgomery, and "girls' books".
i'm so happy this video got pushed to me! i'm actually currently reading The Tenant of Wildfell Hall and have been looking for more content about Anne Brontë
You know, I think Charlotte’s criticism is hiding a defense mechanism for her sister’s novel. In most documentaries the sisters are always portrayed as mostly cooped up in their house and extremely attached to their surroundings, yet lately we we get to know they were more integrated into the society and they went to London, especially Charlotte on several occasions for publishing reasons as well as social ones. I think it is a clever move on her side under the guise of, “Better me than others.” They were sharp young ladies and knew their stuff.
Yes, even Emily spent a number of months with Charlotte in Brussels, and seems, despite herself, to have made a friend or two, as well as earning the respect of M. Heger. Charlotte had a couple of governess posts, and taught at Roe Head (she hated it, but she did do it); and Anne, so often thought as the weak one, spent one year as a governess near Roe Head and five years at Thorp Green, being the Bronte sibling to last the longest in holding a job outside the house.
Charlotte did need to defend her brand against Anne and Emily's publisher, Newby. He kept trying to pass off their novels as Charlotte's. That's why Anne had to go to London - to prove her identity to Newby and also Charlotte's publisher. Passing off is illegal, but Newby had got away with selling proofs of Wildfell to the Americans at a high price, claiming it was by Charlotte. UK copyright law didn't extend to the USA then, so it was an under the table thing anyway. They could and did stop Newby advertising Wildfell in the papers as by 'Currer Bell' though. I have little sympathy for Charlotte, but it's because of things like her stealing Anne's title character Agnes Grey's name and rewriting her as having an UNhappy ending to her marriage. In "Shirley", not long after Anne's death. The breathtaking hypocrisy in Charlotte Brontë calling Gaskell harsh for killing off "Ruth", Gaskell's single mother character, after that! But Charlotte Brontë did NOT create the mutilated edition of Wildfell Hall. She had her publisher hound Newby around London until he paid over the licensing money he'd contracted to pay Anne. Newby got the money by onselling the rights to that appalling digester publisher. Charlotte could have done a lot better by Anne and financially by getting the rights back instead. Newby had breached contract, so it was doable. But Anne's longest work was bad for Charlotte's reputation, and Charlotte was a bigger earner, so it would've been risky for Charlotte to try and get the dead creator premium on Wildfell. Not impossible, but dangerous. She would've been linked back to the republication if it was done properly (with spelling corrections from Anne). And then her own sales on later novels could drop. Yes, Charlotte could have made a tactical decision to mothball Wildfell, to protect her own career. But she really seems to have meant it, meant to BURY Wildfell. Otherwise she would have gone after the rights and willed them to a trustee who could've negotiated sale of a licence to republish & given her father and collateral heirs the profits. (It's appalling that only their aunt Elizabeth Branwell gave the maternal cousin eventually left alone with nothing due to DV a legacy.)
This highlighting It Ends with Us within the context of history is so well done, I decided to subscribe to this channel! Thank you, excited to see more of your work
Both Agnes Grey and The Tenant feature women in realistic positions who have to deal with their personal trauma before making sensible “romantic” choices with decidedly unromantic though good men who treat them with respect. One could argue Anne actively disliked the tropes her sisters included and tried to make less problematic, more aspirational relationships.
It seems like her sisters (Charlotte and Emily) were writing gothic fantasies-- plots and character actions so outrageous that people could just lose themselves to it, believing them impossible or exaggerated. While Anne was writing the truth about real life, everyday situations. The truth often makes people more uncomfortable than something they can dismiss as fantastical.
While I'm not typically interested in the regency period, this video was a fantastic compare and contrast of the evolution of these issues over time. I'm a big fan of videos with research, especially as a "cite everything"-oriented academic, and the connections you drew across your material were interesting and compelling. Thank you for a great video
This was fascinating! I have been hearing about the IEWU marketing controversy and I adore the Brontes and consider The Tenant of Wildfell Hall as one of my favorite books, but I never drew the parallel between them that you did. I’m excited to watch more of your videos.
I wonder if Thomas Hardy faced similar criticism after writing Tess of the d'Urbervilles - or if it was less severe because he was a man. Anyway, great video! I didn’t realize just how similar the books were - and THAT pause was brilliant.
@@TasnimAhana-vw8ct watch the video, the original commentor likely meant "didn't receive as much criticism as Anne Bronte" for writing books with subversive themes which underwent censorship at the time of the 19th century
There was a bestseller by a female author, by the pseudonym Sarah Grand, within a year of "Tess". And apparently that novel, "The Heavenly Twins", DID get more criticism. It was genuinely more graphic and confrontational on the social issue in question (venereal disease) imo, but I'm sure it didn't help that it was by a woman. (The 'beauties of style' were very in fashion as well, which put women at a disadvantage, skimping as parents tended to be on their educations.)
I love The Tenant of Wildfell Hall and the BBC adaptation of it in the 90s with Tara Fitzgerald and Toby Stephens. It's overshadowed by Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre in terms of fame and popularity, but it's my favorite of the three. It has a compelling story, a strong female protagonist (particularly when you consider its time) and, unlike the other two, a main male love interest that isn't super brooding and moody and potentially problematic. I never got the Rochester or Heathcliff appeal, personally.
Your description of the legal and economic status of women in the 19th century was so chilling because politicians are literally trying to take us back to that right now. We really can't go back. It has to end.
I am so amazed by the quality of your content! You can see the passion and effort you put into it from miles away. I haven't read any Bronte book, and the connection you made between the tenant of wildfell hall and it ends with us, how nothing seems to have changed, is heartbreaking. And the importance the author gave to teach young women that those things can happen 🥲 Jesus. I really enjoyed your video, and I hope to see you grow! You got a new sub :)
My feed has been recommending you for weeks now, I'm so glad I finally watched one of your videos! I love this kind of video essay that makes connections with the past. I was planning a re-read of Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights soon, and now I'll go find The Tenant of Wildfell Hall and read that, too. Thanks!
I loved your video thank you!! I always love the tenant of wildfell hall and thought it was underrated - now I know why!! Thank you - really interesting comparison ❤
Her Preface to the second edition is worth reading in full. Among other things, I smile at her sly little note that: "As little, I should think, can it matter whether the writer so designated is a man, or a woman, as one or two of my critics profess to have discovered. I take the imputation in good part, as a compliment to the just delineation of my female characters...." Remember that she wrote this in the name of Acton Bell, presumably a man. This is a neat, dry twist on expectations, and I'm betting she and Emily shared a little grin when she might have read it aloud at that dining room table some evening.
Yeah, I did not enjoy Jane Eyre at all but I recently read The Tenant and I really did enjoy it. Probably because the main character realize her main love interest is problematic and does not close her eyes to it
Having never read Anne Bronte is a gaping hole in my literary knowledge base that I will soon rectify (I love Jane Eyre too, but l o a t h e Wuthering Heights). That being said, I keep thinking how someone once suggested reading Wuthering Heights as thriller/horror instead of romance, and that made it a lot more bearable on a reread 😂 I agree that a heavy subject like this needs to be handled with a tact and care that the author and half the PR team may not have aspired to. Also, hope this isnt too off topic... if you haven't, I suspect you would like "The Eyre Affair" (&sequels). I am such a literary geek, and it really scratches that itch for a combination of classic literature, scifi, timetravel, and fantasy. In the vein of Douglas Adams/Terry Prachett, there is also whipsmart dialogue. ❤ sorry for the random thought.
i really enjoyed this video! however "it ends with us" the book is batshit crazy and was packaged/marketed kind of the same way as the film, but also has some absolutely bonkers elements. i watched the review from savvy writes books and it was enlightening
What a fascinating video! I never would have thought to compare these two pieces of media. So interesting! I am ashamed to remember that Anne is the only Bronte sister I haven't yet read - thanks to your video, I think it's time to change that.
This is such a fascinating comparison! I am a huge Brontë fan and love Tenant of Wildfell Hall, but I never made the connection between that book and its reception and the It Ends With Us controversies.
Woah I learned more about the Bronte sisters from this video than from my lecture😂 I was told Charlotte was jealous of Anne but the reason isn't clear. It's sad how much educational materials censors. This envouraged me to read her. I liked Wuthering Height, I'm hoping same from Anne's book❤
21:18 =Damn... If Ann lived longer, she could give Nelly Bly a run for her money... Hell, I think she is the loudest of her sisters... I wonder why she is also the most enigmatic...
@@chunellemariavictoriaespan8752 , Probably she's seen as enigmatic because we get Charlotte's POV on Anne a lot from Charlotte centred bio and Charlotte's letters - and Charlotte was invasive. Look how she got into Emily's poetry papers, while Anne wondered about Emily's progress on a joint project in a diary note - didn't push Emily on it. Anne walled Charlotte out of things because Charlotte didn't respect her boundaries, then Charlotte called her mysterious and stubborn. (And nastier things like nun-like, just because she has a more hardline stance re DV & stalking than Charlotte.)
Thank you so much! This was such an interesting and nuanced way to link the past to the current in life. I guess it is the same “ish” in many ways, just a different year 🤷♀️! Please, please may you do some more videos on the Brontes - in particular Wuthering Heights 😊👏 📚? S x
This is such a fantastically made, well researched, and fascinating video! Even as someone who has never read either It Ends With Us or The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, you presented and linked all your points in such a clear way that I was able to follow along extremely easily (though I guess that's to be expected from a PhD holder haha) Here's hoping you keep on making these videos! You've just gained a new subscriber :)
I feel like rom coms should contain real life elements. Women can be happy and have a romance but then also experience DV. That is how life is. Especially if you are dealing with a narcissistic abuser who lovebombs their partner. If the person was horrible at first, they wouldn’t be able to get into a relationship.
A friend recommended Wuthering Heights as a romance to me, but I'm glad I looked up a review before reading it. Im so glad I did that because I would have hated the book as a romance and been triggered by the violence. Thats why I loath Blake for what she did, its disgusting and a slap in the face to dv victims.
I find it suprising that this movie is so controversial. We ask so much of movies that are feminine. I have seen DV and the nagging wife be side plots in books and movies as a joke for so long. I hope that they make more movies touching on these issues. Even with its flaws It Ends With Us is better than a black comedy where the wife's suffering is there to laugh at.
The shift in rhetoric as the book/movie that's geared towards women audience as it gains popularity in the mainstream media is an interesting one. Also keep in mind that this is coming from someone who's never read or watched the It Ends With Us book/movie, so what do I really know. But I am familiar with Colleen Hoover and the controversy that surrounds her work. While I do agree that criticism towards their choice of marketing is a valid one, the way Colleen Hoover, her work, and Blake Lively is currently being dragged through the mud just doesn't sit well with me. What I find interesting is that I've actually read a lot of reviews by DV survivors who found this work (both book and movie) to be deeply meaningful. And this seemed to be the predominant feedback...until tiktok blew it up and the book started gaining more popularity. At first, I saw mostly valid criticisms that added to the discourse around topics such as DV, portrayal of DV in fiction, author's responsibility etc. And then it became a whole thing of vilifying Colleen Hoover (and Blake Lively) and completely trashing the work. It's also clear that majority of the so called "critics" that are loudest now are actually people who have never read the book and are just parroting back the 2 minute video that someone else made on this topic. And I can pass it off as just toxic social media being toxic social media, except that this phenomenon seem to (almost) exclusively revolve around women. I'm also thinking about Twilight series and the hate it received simply for being a cringey teenage/YA romance. Vilifying of Amber Heard. Amount of hate young female actors received, and is receiving, for decisions made by a bunch of rich old white men. It reminds me of the line from Barbie movie about how women are expected to be perfect and flawed at the same time, at the same time also criticized heavily for being both perfect and flawed. I have lots of thoughts and feelings about what's going on, but I'm not smart enough to put the pieces into a cohesive narrative. I hope someone does a full length video essay on this topic.
@333pinkelephant333 That Barbie line has been in the back of my mind too. Why do we expect perfection from women less we try to tear them apart. Women deserve the right to make mediocre media without death threats and a mob after them.
While there is a lot to unpack, and I definitely feel like a lot of people jump to tear people down for every little thing (especially in mini rant videos), without addressing the actual problems, much of the criticism Colleen Hoover is getting is justified, especially with the callous marketing, and the fact that she literally chose to ignore someone who tried to reach out to her about sexual assault that her son did.
Not gonna lie, if my sister took inspiration for her novel from the real experiences of our mentally ill brother’s troubles and the sort-of illegal affairs of a fellow community-member in a vulnerable situation… I would also bash her novel in the press. Even though the wider society at the time needed to be more aware of domestic violence and its horrors, it makes sense to be hesitant towards publicizing or promoting said novel if drawing attention to that issue could potentially put a spotlight on the illegal acts of real people trying to escape their abusers. Despite that, I think Anne Brontë writing The Tenant of Wildfell Hall did a lot of good in the end.
Fair enough! It's not confirmed that's the reason she disliked Anne's novel, I do think it was more connected to societal expectations to not talk about such crass subjects like an abusive marriage at the time, but it definitely could be because of stories based on real life. I guess we'll never know, sadly!
Charlotte and Emily both romanticize men who behave more than toxically, and Wuthering Heights doesn't have one. single.good relationship or decent person between its pages. Of course they didn't like The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, it called both of them out. Personally, I much prefer and admire both Anne's books to any of her sisters' writings. I found both books mind-blowing, especially when considering the times it was written in. She was 150 years ahead of her times.
you are not a basic white girl. You have a fricken PHD is Welsh history. There is nothing basic about that. You dont need to sell yourself short to try and make a point.
Despite having chosen an interesting subject for her book, it is not as popular as its sisters because it is not well written. With poor descriptions, selfish and uncharismatic protagonists (yes, Ellen is a horrible person) and a super unrealistic ending, not to mention the complete destruction of the concept of religion and salvation, the book is weak. When compared to Wuthering Heights, which has many themes in common, you can see why one gained popularity and the other did not.
@critica_nerdy in what ways was the protagonist horrible? and how did it conceptually 'destroy' religion and salvation? i haven't read it but I'm interested in doing so...
