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To Love and Protect: The Criminalization of Maternal Duty in The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

På svenska

Author

  • Nina Nolén

Summary, in English

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1848) can be read as a protofeminist text and a radical novel for its time, as it confronted the lack of maternal rights and protection for children. In this paper I discuss the portrayal of motherhood, and the factors that empower and restrict Helen. Using Sarah Lewis´s Woman´s Mission (1839) and her contemporary views of maternal duty, this paper explores the complexities of motherhood in 19th century England. Religion and the sense of duty Helen feels towards her son empowers her to break both conventions and the law. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall offers a raw picture of the realities of a woman imprisoned by marriage, doing everything in her power to save her son.

Publishing year

2025

Language

English

Document type

Student publication for Bachelor's degree

Topic

  • Languages and Literatures

Keywords

  • The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
  • Anne Brontë
  • Motherhood
  • Abuse
  • Protofeminism
  • Sarah Lewis

Supervisor

  • Sanna Melin Schyllert