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Wuthering Heights

*** By Emily Bronte. i've always wanted to write a book called "withering heights" and totally make fun of the "gothic romantic novel." that is not to say that the actual "wuthering heights" is melodramatic, and therefore, easy to make fun of. It is actually quite the opposite. the characters are very unsympathetic, and here's why: so cathy is the daughter of a rich englishman. she has an older brother. they are both petulant and spoiled. then comes a young heathen "monkey-boy"- type named heathcliff. cathy and heathcliff make fast friends, and to make a long story short, their once innocent, playful friendship turns into a life-long forbidden romance.

a lot of shit goes down in the process, most notably the birth of Cathy's daughter, aptly named Catherine; and Cathy's death thereafter. but the most notable and memorable part of the novel, for me, was the evolution of Heathcliff's savagery and evil towards everyone and his unceasing obsession with his lost-love, Cathy.

the best part of the novel in terms of character interaction is the manner in which Cathy and Heathcliff can love and hate each other at the same time. they are equally selfish, but Bronte makes their "strange" love come across as intense. so, even though they are very unsympathetic, their love is inspiring.
i think it is the characters' flaws which make this novel so well-loved.

i found the narrative to be confusing at times. the narration is split between two characters: Mr. Lockwood, a tenant of Heathcliff; and Ellen, Cathy's nanny/caregiver/servant from when she was a child, who eventually becomes the caregiver for Catherine, to whom more than half of the novel is devoted. the story's chronology is somewhat unusual, especially for a novel written that long ago. we start off by hearing from Mr. Lockwood, an outsider, which is always an interesting narrator. outsiders- witnesses- just as we are, can give interesting accounts, but they are often equally impersonal. it is in such instances when listening to a boring speculator, that i wish i could hear Cathy's thoughts on what she is doing. the why and wherefore is lost with such narration, although i'm sure many a writing professor would disagree. Ellen Dean, the other narrator, tells the majority of the story, however, by retelling past events to Mr. Lockwood. So the bulk of the book is a flashback, and we are learning as Lockwood learns.

i guess what bothers me the most is that i had an expectation of the book that wasn't met. i was under the impression that the entire book was about Heathcliff and Cathy. In a way, it is, but Cathy dies much sooner than I would like... much sooner than heathcliff would have liked, as well, which, i suppose, is the point. her daughter, who is a much kinder, innocent version of her, takes over as the heroine, and although she is much more likeable, by the end of the novel, i realized that the story is more about heathcliff, than about anyone else.

i just taped the most recent film version with ralph fiennes and juliet binoche. i hear that more than the old version, this film adheres strictly to the novel. we'll see. i'll let you know how it compares.

please comment, if you have read "Wuthering Heights." do you feel similarly? any other thoughts? by the way, i kept reading it and putting it aside for long periods of time, so perhaps i lost some of the novel's continuity.

Posted by Erin on April 11, 2002 08:11 AM