Wuthering Heights

by Emily Bronte

Diane Johnson (Introduction)

Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read

Wuthering Heights, first published in 1847, the year before the author's death at the age of thirty, endures today as perhaps the most powerful and intensely original novel in the English language. “Only Emily Brontë,” V.S. Pritchett said about the author and her contemporaries, “exposes her imagination to the dark spirit.” And Virginia Woolf wrote, “It is as if she could tear up all that we know human beings by, and fill these unrecognisable transparencies with such a gust of life that they transcend reality. Hers, then, is the rarest of all powers. She could free life from its dependence on facts, with few touches indicate the spirit of a face so that it needs no body; by speaking of the moor make the wind blow and the thunder roar.” 

This Modern Library edition contains a biographical note, a preface by the author's sister Charlotte Brontë, an Introduction by Diane Johnson, and commentary by George Henry Lewes, Virginia Woolf, and E. M. Forster. This edition also includes a Modern Library Reading Group Guide.

• ISBN10: 0375756442
• ISBN13: 9780375756443
• Publish Date: 28 November 2000 (first published 1 January 1847)
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Out of Print: 27 January 2022
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Random House USA Inc
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 464
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780375756443

Reviews

Weird but good.

[Bookstooge]

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Title: Wuthering Heights
Series: ----------
Author: Emily Bronte
Rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Classic
Pages: 339
Words: 119.5K

 

Synopsis:
 

From Wikipedia

In 1801, Lockwood, the new tenant at Thrushcross Grange in Yorkshire, pays a visit to his landlord, Heathcliff, at his remote moorland farmhouse, Wuthering Heights. There he meets a reserved young woman (later identified as Cathy Linton); Joseph, a cantankerous servant; and Hareton, an uneducated young man who speaks like a servant. Everyone is sullen and inhospitable. Snowed in for the night, he reads some diary entries of a former inhabitant of his room, Catherine Earnshaw, and has a nightmare in which a ghostly Catherine begs to enter through the window. Woken by Lockwood, Heathcliff is troubled.

Lockwood's housekeeper Ellen (Nelly) Dean tells him the story of the strange family.

Thirty years earlier, the Earnshaws live at Wuthering Heights with their children, Hindley and Catherine, and a servant — Nelly herself. Returning from a trip to Liverpool, Earnshaw brings a young orphan whom he names Heathcliff and treats as his favourite. His own children he neglects, especially after his wife dies. Hindley beats Heathcliff, who gradually becomes close friends with Catherine.

Hindley departs for university, returning as the new master of Wuthering Heights on the death of his father three years later. He and his new wife Frances allow Heathcliff to stay, but only as a servant.

Heathcliff and Catherine spy on Edgar Linton and his sister Isabella, children who live nearby at Thrushcross Grange. Catherine is attacked by their dog, and the Lintons take her in, sending Heathcliff home. When the Lintons visit, Hindley and Edgar make fun of Heathcliff and a fight ensues. Heathcliff is locked in the attic and vows revenge.

Frances dies after giving birth to a son, Hareton. Two years later, Catherine becomes engaged to Edgar. She confesses to Nelly that she still loves Heathcliff, and will try to help but cannot marry him because of his low social status. Nelly warns her against the plan. Heathcliff overhears part of the conversation and, misunderstanding Catherine's heart, flees the household. Catherine falls ill, distraught.

Edgar and Catherine marry, and three years later Heathcliff unexpectedly returns — now a wealthy gentleman. He encourages Isabella's infatuation with him as a means of revenge on Catherine. Enraged by Heathcliff's constant presence, Edgar cuts off contact. Catherine responds by locking herself in her room and refusing food; pregnant with Edgar's child, she never fully recovers. At Wuthering Heights Heathcliff gambles with Hindley who mortgages the property to him to pay his debts. Heathcliff elopes with Isabella, but the relationship fails and they soon return.

When Heathcliff discovers that Catherine is dying, he visits her in secret. She dies shortly after giving birth to a daughter, Cathy, and Heathcliff rages, calling on her ghost to haunt him for as long as he lives. Isabella flees south where she gives birth to Heathcliff's son, Linton. Hindley dies six months later, leaving Heathcliff as master of Wuthering Heights.

Twelve years later, Isabella is dying and the still-sickly Linton is brought back to live with his uncle Edgar at the Grange, but Heathcliff insists that his son must instead live with him. Cathy and Linton (respectively at the Grange and Wuthering Heights) gradually develop a relationship. Heathcliff schemes to ensure that they marry, and on Edgar's death demands that the couple move in with him. He becomes increasingly wild, and reveals that on the night Catherine died he dug up her grave, and ever since has been plagued by her ghost. When Linton dies, Cathy has no option but to remain at Wuthering Heights.

Having reached the present day, Nelly's tale concludes.

Lockwood grows tired of the moors and moves away. Eight months later he sees Nelly again and she reports that Cathy has been teaching the still-uneducated Hareton to read. Heathcliff was seeing visions of the dead Catherine; he avoided the young people, saying that he could not bear to see Catherine's eyes, which they both shared, looking at him. He had stopped eating, and some days later was found dead in Catherine's old room.

In the present, Lockwood learns that Cathy and Hareton plan to marry and move to the Grange. Joseph is left to take care of the declining Wuthering Heights. Nelly says that the locals have seen the ghosts of Catherine and Heathcliff wandering abroad together, and hopes they are at peace.

My Thoughts:
 

I enjoyed almost every page of this book even while I hated and despised almost every character in it. I think it takes some serious skill on Miss Bronte's part to have done such a thing.

I did find the plethora of characters to be a tad bit confusing, especially when different people had the same name and might, or might not be, related. It also didn't help that outside of Heathcliff and one or two others, everyone was cowardly, spiteful, selfish, venal and despicable. Remove cowardly and add brutal for Heathcliff.

I think a lot of why none of that got me down was that it was portrayed for what it was, ie, bad. Heathcliff and Catherine are not portrayed as lovers torn apart by fate yet destined for each other. Only someone who is insane, or a teenager filled with enough hormones to fill the sun, but I think the two are pretty close, could ever make that mistake. Everyone's bad decisions has consequences, not just for themselves but for everybody else around them.

Heathcliff uses his brutish strength and behavior to get what he wants while people like Edgar Linton allow him his way through their cowardice. Edgar has guns, he has weapons, but he's simply afraid to use them. Thus Heathcliff triumphs in terms of getting what he wants. Yet even he pays the price. His body gives out from such willful use. Yet through it all, I never even once was given the sense that the author thought this was the way it “should” be. Yes, it was the way it was, but it wasn't the way it should have been. Too many authors portray vile acts and character defects as things to be praised, as good instead of the filthy evil that they are. I also enjoyed how Bronte shows that people can change and that out of even horrible circumstances love and growth can occur.

I guess that is all I have to say. This was not a long book, nor a complicated one. If you wanted to dip your toes into the Bronte sisters' writings, I'd definitely recommend this one.

★★★★★

[nsperry92]

I’m sure the appropriate and responsible thing to do would be to leave a detailed review about the intricacies of this book. However, I feel that my review would not be accurate as I was distracted by the 5-Star sass and insults included in this book. Definitely writing these down for future reference.

[Michael @ Knowledge Lost]

Wuthering Heights must be one of the first novels where the protagonists can be considered antagonists or anti-heroes. It’s a story of love turning into bitter hatred. The orphan Heathcliff and Catherine were in love but when Catherine’s parents both die, Heathcliff runs away from Wuthering Heights. A few years later Catherine married Edgar and Heathcliff comes back (later that same year). In attempt to hide his broken heart Heathcliff marries Isabella but the pain continues to consume him turning him into a violent and emotional abusive man. The story follows the bitterness towards both families. The wounds were deep and their children Catherine and Linton were faced with the difficult task of mending the families division.

Emily Brontë really knows how to paint a picture with her writing. Wuthering Heights, though very dark is full of passion, love, hate and all emotions in between. The book keeps hinting at a silver lining but often holds it back making you want it more. Emily didn’t hold back when writing this book, she really puts a spot light on emotional abuse and hatred, even used the word ‘slut’ a few times in the book. The depiction of mental and physical cruelty in this book will make it difficult to read for some; you’ll either love or hate this book. While not all full of darkness, there’s a beauty in the story sometimes missed in books nowadays.

[Linda]

Yet another book for my MA class : Air as a Literary Elelment

[Bianca]

In every cloud, in every tree—filling the air at night, and caught by glimpses in every object by day—I am surrounded with her image! The most ordinary faces of men and women—my own features—mock me with a resemblance. The entire world is a dreadful collection of memoranda that she did exist, and that I have lost her!

[Sarah Says]

Almost demonic!! Their love is demonic, especially on Heathcliff’s side.
At times the book is filled with pointless ramblings and unlovable characters, but still you find you are compelled to read it till the end.

This is the second time I’ve read Wuthering Heights. The first time was when I was fifteen and now again at twenty seven. I’m glad I’ve read it a second time, I definitely appreciated it more and sometime down the track, perhaps in another twelve years, I’ll read it again.

While I was reading it I hated Heathcliff and Catherine but when all was said and done and I was reflecting to write this review I found myself growing fonder of them. I guess it would be wrong to hate them because their behaviour when it was there surroundings that made them behave so, BUT I really don’t want to excuse their disgusting behaviour.

This is definitely not a knight in shining armour love story or a light and happy one. Maybe because it’s not fairy tale it’s more true to real life? Because love can hurt and families can be horrid to one another. The real world sucks so I like my books to create an escape to a better place.
For me to fall in love with a book, I have to fall in love with the characters or at least like them.
I loved Elisabeth & Jane Bennet (oh and that divine Mr Darcy) so I Loved Pride & Prejudice.
I’ve got a thing for that power house Jack Reacher and hence enjoy Mr Child’s Reacher series.
Hell I even fell in love with Bella Swan, Edward Cullen and Jacob Black.

But what does Ms Bronte give us;

Heathcliff – Manic Evil Psychopath. He really is the main character for the most part. We find out all about his long twisted love affair and his sick fancy to destroy the happiness of everyone around him. I mean come on, the sick bustard gets Catherine’s coffin opened up eighteen years after her death just to look at her What The F#*k! Who does that? A crazy psychopath called Heathcliff driven by a demonic love, that’s who!!

Catherine (the 1st) – Well she isn’t much better than Heathcliff. She’s given everything under the sun and still carries on like a little bitch.

Edgar Linton – A bland stupid but sweet man

Hindley Earnshaw – Weak drunken waste of a man

Mr Lockwood – Nosy busybody, who the story could do without completely. He really is pointless! Just let Nelly tell the story without him at all. The dude moves into a new area and then sets about harassing his maid to give him all the gossip on his landlord and the Wuthering Heights residents. Yeah and that’s the whole premise for the retelling of the story.

Joseph – (I dislike this character the most) Mean spirited long winded god fearing douche bag without a heart.

Isabella Linton – Stupid stupid girl

Linton Heathcliff – Scared sickly traitorous whingeing wretch

The only characters to deserve compassion are: Nelly ‘Ellen’ Dean, Catherine (the 2nd) and Hareton Earnshaw – thank goodness they get a happy ending.
Now I’m being very harsh, I did actually enjoying reading this story and once it was over and I was reflecting on it, I decided I did in fact LIKE the book and yes one day I would read it again LOL.
So yes I did enjoy it, but I really can’t pin point why! I can bitch about the things that irked me. I can understand Cathy and Heathcliff, but I can’t love them. It’s nice to end with Nelly, Hearton and Cathy coming together. The last three or four chapters about them make reading the book worthwhile, at least that is how I felt after I immediately finished reading it. But still I’m drawn back to thinking about Heathcliff and Cathy. I will admit if I wasn’t for all the dark, hatred and mistreatment throughout the story the ending wouldn't have been so light, happy and wished for.

I think this book will always sit uneasily with me. I can’t decide if its 2 stars (it was ok) 3 stars (I liked it) or 4 stars (I really liked it) – It’s definitely not 1 star hate it or 5 star Love it, so at least I can narrow it down LOL. But I did like it so I’ll just go with 3 stars and leave it at that.

WOW I think I ramble on a bit too much here :-I my apologies people.

[celinenyx]

I'm so on the fence about Wuthering Heights. On one hand I loved the writing and the story, but on the other hand the story moved so slowly that I read it over a span of half a year. There was nothing that gripped me or made me continue, it's only because I've got such an expensive edition that I felt like I had to finish it.

The narrative technique in Wuthering Heights is interesting. In present day we have a conversation between the new inhabitant of the house and the housekeeper. The housekeeper tells the history of the house and the families that have occupied it. Near the end the story returns to the present day, which wraps up all story lines.

I hate Heathcliff. He didn't have a great childhood, but that didn't account at all for the cruel and terrible person he grew up to be. Some things he did were inexcusable to me, and I'm having a hard time to imagine how people can find him attractive. He's not a tortured hero, he's a villain with no redeeming qualities. Loving someone is not a redeeming quality. Just because a serial killer spoils his dog doesn't make him a good person - neither does Heathcliff's obsession with Cathy excuse anything he did.

For me Wuthering Heights is not a story of love, but a story of destruction. It's the tale of how two families become bonded in jealousy and hate, and destroy each other from the inside out. That being said, I loved how it ended on a positive note. After so much tragedy I could use some positivity.

[cherryblossommj]

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Also own, leatherbound [bc:Wuthering Heights|10514736|Wuthering Heights|Emily Brontë|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1358746194s/10514736.jpg|1565818] and included in [bc:The Bronte Sisters: Three Novels|15945610|The Bronte Sisters Three Novels (Barnes & Noble Leatherbound Classics Series)|Charlotte Brontë|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1363262651s/15945610.jpg|21696950]

This book is near and dear to my heart and IMHO is far better than Emily's more famous sister.