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Wuthering Heights delves into the reality of many people’s lives in Emily’s era, through morbid, selfish characters and of course her narcissistic / sociopathic anti-hero, Heathcliff who becomes a tyrannical patriarch. His ability to do so is enlightening in regards to the ease in which a man can inflict cruelty on those around him, especially women, with impunity from the law. Power-hungry and sadistic, Heathcliff seeks revenge for the way he was treated in childhood and for how his love was stolen from him— the only person who can stir positive feeling in him. Although Heathcliff is abhorrent, he is so intriguing and his devotion to Catherine renders this morally indefensible character understandable to the eyes of many readers. Although we cannot excuse his temperance, cunning and evil nature, we sympathise with the little orphan Romani boy he once was, treated terribly, until Catherine “saved” him, and her father warmed up to him.
I am still reflecting on this novel and I shall be for a while, however here are some quotes which are poignant/of interest:
Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same, and Linton is as different as a moonbeam from lightning, or frost from fire. - Catherine Earnshaw, 78
What were the use of my creation, if I were entirely contained here? My great miseries in this world have been Heathcliff’s miseries, and I watched and felt each from the beginning; my great thought in living is himself. If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be; and, if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the Universe would turn to a mighty stranger…Nelly, I am Heathcliff— - Catherine Earnshaw, 79-80
The moment her regard ceased, I would have torn his heart out, and drunk his blood! - Heathcliff, 143
“I wish I could hold you…till we were both dead! I shouldn’t care what you suffered. I care nothing for your sufferings. Why shouldn’t you suffer? I do!” - Catherine Earnshaw, 152
Well might Catherine deem that Heaven would be a land of exile to her, unless, with her mortal body, she cast away her moral character also. - Nelly Dean, assuming the role of narrator, 152
…and on my approaching hurriedly to ascertain if she had fainted, he gnashed at me, and foamed like a mad dog, and gathered her to him with greedy jealousy. - Nelly Dean, 154
“…Why did you betray your own heart, Cathy? I have not one word of comfort— you deserve this. You have killed yourself…wring out my kisses and tears. They’ll blight you— they’ll damn you.” “I love my murderer—but yours! How can I?” - Heathcliff, 154-155
In regards to the narration, I love Nelly Dean, especially when she portrays Heathcliff in a preternatural, primal light, it fits the dark, gothic mood and it adds a sparkle to his enigmatic, morally grey character.
I finish this review under the misty full moon, left with feelings of repulsion and curiosity towards Wuthering Heights.
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Toxic friendship
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Gaslighting, Classism
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Infidelity, Self harm, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Alcohol
Minor: Child death, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Gaslighting, Classism
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Kidnapping, Stalking, Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Xenophobia
Graphic: Mental illness, Terminal illness, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent
So let me say some basic and trite (but none the less true to how I feel) things about Wuthering Heights.
First and foremost, Brontë's toxic, passionate speeches from Heathcliff and Catherine (Sr.) about each other fuck severely. Catherine's "Nelly, I am Heathcliff" confession? Healthcliff's proclamation about the depth of Catherine's affection for him compared to Linton? The "You say I killed you - haunt me, then!" argument? All bangers. Go off, you absolute maniacs.
Secondly, and speaking of the haunting by Catherine of Heathcliff, the thread of her ghost trying to get into Wuthering Heights throughout the tale is sewn into the story with just enough detail to be compelling without being overwrought - from the early scene Lockhood witnesses all the way to Heathcliff's death under the open window. I especially like the lack of concrete proof of the ghost and the skepticism of the storytellers themselves.
And now, thirdly, the storytellers and the frame story in general have been fun to turn over in my head. From the beginning, I wondered, why are Lockwood and Nelly our narrators? I think there are dozens of valid answers to this question. Two of my favorites includeto create distance from the narrative to drop details & increase unreliability and to provide perspectives closer to the intended readers. I'm especially obsessed with Nelly Dean and the constant interjections of her opinions into her retelling.
Something specific to the audiobook version that I listened to - the Spotify version read by Billie Fulford-Brown - is that it was read fantastically. Fulford-Brown clearly had a great handle on the text, reading all the dialogue with accurate emotion. She also gave the characters distinct voices without being over-the-top. Her performance made Brontë's mid-19th century prose much more accessible.
Anyway. There's a lot more I could say about Wuthering Heights - for example, Brontë's descriptions of the moors are a masterclass in thematic use of setting - but I'll cut myself off here, lest I write a whole paper. Let me end by saying it's fucked up that Kate Bush managed to successfully summarize and convey the main storyline of such a complex book in a 4.5-minute song after only watching the last ten minutes of a movie adaptation.
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, Classism
Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Cursing, Racism, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement, Racial slurs, Kidnapping
it takes you on a truly immense character journey spanning 3 generations and 50 years - and doesn't start coming together till the last chapter or so.
overall, completely worthy of its legendary status. I felt like honestly it could have been longer/more fleshed out at the end, that's my only critique. The wrap up of the younger generations story and the breaking of the cycle of trauma felt possibly like something EB struggled to write, or express. Which to be fair, makes sense.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Classism
Moderate: Incest
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Gaslighting, Classism
Graphic: Bullying, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Pregnancy