Was Charlotte Bronte Jealous of her Sister Anne?

Originally published in 1848, under the pseudonym Acton Bell, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall was Anne Bronte’s second and, sadly, last novel.

It explores the mysterious life of Helen Graham (Huntingdon), who violates Victorian social convention, and law, by taking her son and running away from an alcoholic and abusive husband.

The novel quickly gained notoriety, and was considered both scandalous and shocking.

And as has been the case for all ‘shocking’ literature throughout history, the novel was instantly and phenomenally successful.

However, in 1850, shortly after Anne’s death, her sister, Charlotte, prevented a republication of the novel.

Some have suggested that a republication of the novel, which would bear Anne’s own name, rather than her pseudonym, would have prompted a further critical and moral onslaught regarding the novel’s content.

Consequently, Charlotte, keen to protect her sister’s memory, prevented the reprint.

And this seems plausible enough, until one considers that Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte’s only novel, was due to be republished at the same time and Charlotte was happy for this to go ahead, even though it too was subject to unfavourable criticism regarding its ‘scandalous’ content.

There’s no reason to assume that Charlotte favoured Anne and was, therefore, unconcerned by the prospect of Emily’s memory being tarnished.

So, anxiety over her sister’s reputation becomes a less likely motivator.

However, there is another theory muted by Bronte fans, critics and academics: Charlotte Bronte suppressed The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, because she was jealous of her young sister.

As the baby of the family, Anne is described by her sister as being the, “cherished and protected little one.”

It is possible that Charlotte found it difficult to reconcile this view of her ‘little’ sister with the independent young woman with a talent that rivalled (and perhaps even surpassed), that of her older sisters’.

Whatever the real reason behind Charlotte’s refusal to republish the novel, over the following five years the works of Charlotte and Emily (specifically Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights) continued to be printed and lapped up by readers.

The result was that Anne Bronte was left in the shade of her sisters and, to this day, she is the ‘bridesmaid and never the bride’ of the Brontes.

By the time The Tenant of Wildfell Hall was republished, some six years later and in a significantly edited form, its initial success had been largely forgotten.

Sadly, it was no longer seen as the groundbreaking literary work it had once been.

Whether deliberate or not, Charlotte's actions made sure that Anne was, and continues to be, the lesser known Bronte sister.