Protagonist Helen Graham is revolutionary for her age and time in that she has her own studio, works with oils, and paints original art. In the 19th century, women were rarely taught to paint with oil, because oil was considered the highest form of art and therefore only suitable for male artists. Also, women were discouraged from having their own studios or producing original art. Usually, they were encouraged to copy the art of men.
Jane in Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre works with watercolor, but she paints images from her own dreams and imagination; what's more, painting in the novel motivates the plot to an amazing discovery!
Anne Bronte was, according to all biographies, a lovely girl, with delicacy of feeling, good sense and honor. Her letters are sensitive, honest and straightforward. Anne was pretty and could draw very well too.
However, please don't think that the beauty of The Tenant means that Agnes Grey, Anne's first novel, is also good. It's not and, in the person of protagonist Agnes Grey I have come as close as possible to hating a fictional character. I wanted to jump into the pages of the book and kill her! Mrs Oliphant's Hester, however,from the eponymous novel, comes close second to this. Hester is another novel to avoid at all costs. The only reason why it is still on my bookshelf is because it contains interesting descriptions of fashion and beauty.
Fashion, make up and beauty are art too, and of course closely connected. More about this in a later post! xxx
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