MovieChat Forums > The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1997) Discussion > Compared to the book

Compared to the book

posted 9 years ago by hhawkins-74227
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Tenant of Wildfell is one of my favorite books, and this miniseries does a good job with it. But in the book there is much more detail of what Helen had to endure with Arthur and his boozing buddies. It's much more clear why she felt she had to get her son away. In this miniseries it seems like she might be a little overreacting, but the book makes it clear that young Arthur was well on his way to becoming an alcoholic toddler and bullying little creep. Also, Helen's father had died of acute alcoholism, so she felt the tendency to alcoholism was strong in her son's genes. So in the book, it's much more clear why Helen felt that Arthur was a bad influence for her son -- not to mention that she was forced to be a smiling hostess while her husband carried on flagrant affairs right in front of her. She was fully justified in leaving.

[–] storm-the-dog 9 years ago

It's much more clear why she felt she had to get her son away.

I think the miniseries deals adequately with that. Images from books are generally more pungent because the scenes are longer to read and you're adding your own imagination to them. What would have been interesting would have been a sequel to see if the Markham would have endured Helen's feministic independence and mastery of her affairs. Personally, I don't think they were a match made in heaven. She was an experienced, educated lady of class on the rebound from a bullying husband, and he was a simple yeoman farmer with no class to speak of and little to offer beyond his love and a desire to protect, a manly instinct she may not have completely admired.

[–] katemiller-18083 8 years ago

I found the series to be accurate in its portrayal of issues such as substance misuse and domestic violence, however in terms of its portrayal of the story written by Bronte, I think it missed the mark. Esther was excluded, the death of Helen and Frederick's uncle and her acquisition of Staningley, Gilbert running to the church in time for Frederick's wedding when the town gossip tells him that it's Helen marrying a Hargrave, not to mention Hattersley's redemption and Lowborough's discovery of his wife's infidelity... so much was missing! I understand budgeting issues may have necessitated the limiting of the series to only three parts, but to leave out as much as they did was upsetting.

As a source of entertainment it was enjoyable, especially the imagery of the moors and the costumes consistent with the time.