I saw some tumblr posts about the Tenant of Wildfell Hall that intrigued me, so I watched the 1996 miniseries yesterday and started rereading the book today and I always forget how much I like it. I’m only one chapter in and had to stop to write down everything I liked.
The day-to-day Markham family life is so funny and so familiar. Almost everything they’ve done so far could be so easily transposed to right now and be considered incredibly normal 21st century family behaviour.
To start, the things that have amused me:
1827 Gilbert despondently and ineffectually trying to console himself about his job he doesn’t like when he’s walking home in the pissing rain, absolutely filthy, after a day of running around doing things he doesn’t like. His consolations include things such as “ Farmers are really important. It’s a good, stable career. Surely *getting increasingly less certain* mankind will be bettered by me looking after my sheep.”
Narrator Gilbert immediately denouncing his 24 year old self as immature.
We meet Fergus as he tries to pick a fight with his older brother. Very 17 year old, youngest sibling behaviour.
Mrs Markham asking her sons, “what did you get up to today?” and Gilbert providing a list of the various difficult tasks he had to do, one task he had to do because of the incompetence of a coworker. Fergus just says, “I was doing dumb shit all day”
Mrs Markham’s eyes glazing over as Fergus goes into all the details of his dumb shit. Then as soon as Fergus pauses for breath, Gilbert interjecting with “Get a job.”
Rose choosing violence by saying “Well I saw your girlfriend today, I really can’t wait for you to get married--” knowing full-well Mrs Markham does not approve of Eliza Millward.
I really, really enjoy the constant sibling teasing.
Fergus clearly thinking he is the funniest person in the room. Then inhales his tea laughing at his own joke (that no one laughs at) and has to run outside and try not to puke in the garden.
Gilbert repeatedly remembering Fergus inhaling his tea and therefore being incapable of drinking his own because he starts laughing each time he lifts his cup.
Fergus surreptitiously trying to needle Gilbert in the middle of a sermon. Gilbert stomping on his foot and internally vowing to defer “further vengeance till we got out of church”
Even knowing the seriousness of what follows in the story, I can’t read the first chapter without a big smile on my face
