Wuthering Heights Emily Bronte
The Novel
Wuthering Heights is a tale of destructive love destructive love to the max! It is a tale of obsession and possession! It is a tale of tortured hearts! Listen to Kate Bush s song Wuthering Heights.
The place on the moors that could have been the model for the Earnshaw house in Wuthering Heights: Top Withens.
Before reading Wuthering Heights, consider the following themes as well as the ques?ons that the novel raises.
Themes Spiritual or metaphysical love versus physical love Good versus evil Revenge Sin and retribu?on Love versus hate Intense suffering
The storm and the calm (represented in the two segngs as well as in the characters) Confinement and escape Clash of social classes Abusive patriarchy Lack of communica?on The Fall The supernatural Displacement, dispossession and exile
Questions to Ponder 1. How could Emily Bronte, the daughter of a poor clergyman, write such a novel as Wuthering Heights? 2. As a frame story, what is the importance of the narrators? 3. Was Heathcliff the son of Mr. Earnshaw? 4. Where was Heathcliff during his three years disappearance?
5. Why is this a tale of tortured hearts? 6. What is the purpose of violence in the novel? 7. What impact do the two segngs- - Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange have on the characters? 8. How does the triangle of love, hate and revenge work in the novel? 9. Does Catherine dominate the novel even aaer her death, or is the novel truly about Heathcliff?
10. What is the climax of the novel? 11. Why does Wuthering Heights have such a universal appeal? Why do we connect with this story? Is it because of the duality inherent in each of us this capacity for good and evil to reside in each of us?
The Byronic Hero In his wri?ngs, Lord Byron created a figure known as the Byronic Hero a figure that would have a profound influence on the Roman?c movement. This is essen?ally Byron s alter ego. Byronic is characteris?c of Byron, contemptuous of and rebelling against conven?onal morality, or defying fate, or possessing characteris?cs of Byron s roman?c heroes. Heathcliff is the ul?mate Byronic Hero. Consider the following Byronic Hero traits that are manifested in Heathcliff as you read the novel.
Bryonic Hero Traits Passionate Moody Restless figure who has exhausted the world s excitements Lives under the weight of some past sin A type of outcast in whom there is much to love and much to hate Known for defiant individualism
Isola?on and mystery Hatred of mankind mingled with appearances of conviviality and mirth Cynical, but soa- hearted Corrupted by secret guilt Shows traces of a noble spirit Inspires love
Archetypes The Journey The Fall Death and Rebirth Bagle between Good and Evil The Unhealable Wound The Shadow (darker side of character) The Devil Figure The Outcast The Temptress
The Unfaithful Wife Star- Crossed Lovers The Mother Figure Light versus Darkness The Supernatural Nature (storms, wind, rocks, etc.) Garden versus Wilderness Heaven versus Hell The Crossroads The Vampire
Settings: Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange The two houses represent polarities in the novel. The calm and the storm are discernible in both houses. Neither house is totally evil nor totally good. Wuthering means buffeted by wild winds, turbulent and stormy. A fireplace is always lit at Wuthering Heights, representative of passion, energy and destructive forces. Seldom is a fireplace lit at Thrushcross Grange. Both houses become objects of possession for Heathcliff. Catherine s wild nature thrives at Wuthering Heights but is repressed at Thrushcross Grange.
As you read the novel, compare and contrast the two houses. Note how characters move between the two settings how they enter and how they leave and the repercussions that ensue. As you analyze the two houses, note how they begin to take on a life of their own. One could say that Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange become characters in the novel. Formulate a chart comparing and contrasting these two houses. Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange are separated by the moors.
Three Popular Movies 1939 Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon
Timothy Dalton and Anna Calder-Marshall in the 1970 movie
Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche star in the 1993 version, where Binoche plays both Catherine parts.
Emily Bronte s Catherine and Heathcliff will never die. They live on in our hearts and in our dreams.