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Allusions
Key Examples in The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
Chapter 15. An Encounter and Its Consequences
Explanation and Analysis—Helen's Diary:
The structure of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is unique in that half of the novel takes place in the early 1820s and half is set in the late 1820s. As the first volume of the novel is set in the late 1820s (in the letter Gilbert is writing to Jack), the section that comes next (Helen’s diary entries from the early 1820s) is technically a flashback. Helen’s diary entries are written in the present tense and are not interrupted by narration from Gilbert from the actual “present” of the novel: two of the classic characteristics of flashbacks.
Related Themes:
