Wuthering Heights 82 of 2024

One of the first book review I had written, but unfortunately I do not have that with me now. Have read this couple of times - again now - for writing the comparison with the books and authors. 

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë is a complex and intense novel that explores themes of love, revenge, and the destructive power of obsession. The story is told through multiple narrators, primarily Mr. Lockwood, a tenant at Thrushcross Grange, and Nelly Dean, the housekeeper who recounts the history of the Earnshaw and Linton families.

Part One: The Earnshaw Family:

The story begins in the late 18th century with Mr. Earnshaw, the owner of Wuthering Heights, who brings home an orphaned boy from Liverpool, named Heathcliff. Heathcliff is treated as a member of the family, much to the chagrin of Mr. Earnshaw’s son, Hindley, who grows to hate him.

Mr. Earnshaw’s daughter, Catherine (Cathy), forms a close bond with Heathcliff, and they become inseparable, sharing a wild, passionate nature. However, after Mr. Earnshaw's death, Hindley inherits Wuthering Heights and cruelly reduces Heathcliff to the status of a servant.

Heathcliff’s Revenge:

Despite his degraded position, Heathcliff’s love for Cathy remains intense. However, Cathy becomes torn between her love for Heathcliff and her attraction to the more refined Edgar Linton, a wealthy neighbor who lives at Thrushcross Grange.

Cathy ultimately chooses to marry Edgar, believing it would elevate her social status, though she admits to Nelly Dean that she loves Heathcliff with an almost supernatural passion. This betrayal devastates Heathcliff, and he leaves Wuthering Heights for three years.

Heathcliff’s Return:

When Heathcliff returns, he is now wealthy and vengeful. He begins to exact revenge on those who wronged him, particularly Hindley, who has become a drunkard after the death of his wife. Heathcliff manipulates Hindley into gambling away his ownership of Wuthering Heights and gains control of the estate.

Heathcliff also marries Edgar’s sister, Isabella, purely to spite Edgar and Cathy. However, he treats Isabella horribly, and she eventually flees to London, where she gives birth to Heathcliff's son, Linton Heathcliff.

Cathy’s Decline and Death:

Cathy’s health deteriorates due to the emotional strain of her conflicting feelings for Heathcliff and Edgar. She becomes gravely ill and, shortly after giving birth to her daughter, Catherine (Cathy), she dies, leaving both Heathcliff and Edgar devastated.

Part Two: The Next Generation:

The story then shifts focus to the next generation. Cathy, Edgar’s daughter, grows up at Thrushcross Grange. She is kind and spirited but sheltered.

Heathcliff, still obsessed with revenge, arranges for Cathy to meet and eventually marry his sickly son, Linton, whom he has brought to Wuthering Heights after Isabella’s death. Heathcliff's aim is to gain control of Thrushcross Grange through this marriage.

Heathcliff’s Revenge Fulfilled:

Linton Heathcliff dies shortly after marrying Cathy, and Heathcliff gains control of both Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange. Cathy is left at Wuthering Heights, where she is treated cruelly by Heathcliff.

Heathcliff’s Downfall and Death:

As time passes, Heathcliff becomes increasingly haunted by memories of Cathy, whom he continues to obsess over even after her death. He begins to lose interest in his revenge, and his mental and physical health deteriorates.

Heathcliff dies in a state of despair, longing to be reunited with Cathy in death. He is buried next to her in the moors.

Resolution:

After Heathcliff's death, the gloom of Wuthering Heights begins to lift. Cathy and Hareton, Hindley’s son, who had been raised harshly by Heathcliff but softened by Cathy’s kindness, form a close bond. The novel ends on a hopeful note, with Cathy and Hareton planning to marry and move to Thrushcross Grange, leaving the haunted legacy of Wuthering Heights behind them.

Themes:

Love and Obsession: The novel explores the destructive nature of Heathcliff’s all-consuming love for Cathy and how it drives him to ruin both his life and the lives of those around him.

Revenge: Heathcliff’s pursuit of revenge is central to the plot, as he seeks to destroy those who wronged him, but it ultimately leads to his own downfall.

Social Class and Power: The novel examines the rigid class structures of the time and how they influence relationships and social mobility.

Nature vs. Civilization: The wild, untamed moors reflect the raw emotions and passions of the characters, particularly Cathy and Heathcliff, contrasting with the more refined, controlled environment of Thrushcross Grange.

Wuthering Heights is a powerful and emotionally intense novel, with its dark themes, complex characters, and gothic atmosphere contributing to its enduring status as a classic of English literature.

When Emily Brontë published Wuthering Heights in 1847 under the pseudonym Ellis Bell, outraged Victorian critics deemed it savage, indecent and immoral. One described it as “a compound of vulgar depravity and unnatural horrors”.

After Brontë’s death, when the novel began to find success, many were surprised to find that such a tempestuous gothic romance had been written by a quiet parson’s daughter. But did a real-life romance inspire Emily Brontë’s only novel? According to Frances O’Connor’s new film, Emily, the answer is yes. But the historical picture is far more murky.

The film presents a romantic origin story to account for Brontë’s iconic novel. While reclaiming Emily as a rebel, misfit and the weirdest of the “weird sisters”, as Ted Hughes memorably called them, the film departs knowingly from historical fact, mixing biography with Brontë mythology and dramatic invention to present a very different picture. Australian-British director O'Connor has described her film as putting Emily at the centre of her own story.