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Analysis of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights

By NASRULLAH MAMBROL on March 25, 2019 • ( 3 )

Wuthering Heights is constructed around a series of dialectic motifs that interconnect and unify the elements of setting, character, and plot. An examination of these motifs will give the reader the clearest insight into the central meaning of the novel. Although Wuthering Heights is a “classic,” as Frank Kermode has noted, precisely because it is open to many different critical methods and conducive to many levels of interpretation, the novel grows from a coherent imaginative vision that underlies all the motifs. That vision demonstrates that all human perception is limited and failed. The fullest approach to Emily Brontë’s novel is through the basic patterns that support this vision.

Wuthering Heights concerns the interactions of two families, the Earnshaws and Lintons, over three generations. The novel is set in the desolate moors of Yorkshire and covers the years from 1771 to 1803. The Earnshaws and Lintons are in harmony with their environment, but their lives are disrupted by an outsider and catalyst of change, the orphan Heathcliff. Heathcliff is, first of all, an emblem of the social problems of a nation entering the age of industrial expansion and urban growth. Although Brontë sets the action of the novel entirely within the locale familiar to her, she reminds the reader continually of the contrast between that world and the larger world outside.

Aside from Heathcliff’s background as a child of the streets and the description of urban Liverpool, from which he is brought, the novel contains other reminders that Yorkshire, long insulated from change and susceptible only to the forces of nature, is no longer as remote as it once was. The servant Joseph’s religious cant, the class distinctions obvious in the treatment of Nelly Dean as well as of Heathcliff, and Lockwood’s pseudosophisticated urban values are all reminders that Wuthering Heights cannot remain as it has been, that religious, social, and economic change is rampant. Brontë clearly signifies in the courtship and marriage of young Cathy and Hareton that progress and enlightenment will come and the wilderness will be tamed. Heathcliff is both an embodiment of the force of this change and its victim. He brings about a change but cannot change himself. What he leaves behind, as Lockwood attests and the relationship of Cathy and Hareton verifies, is a new society, at peace with itself and its environment.

It is not necessary, however, to examine in depth the Victorian context of Wuthering Height s to sense the dialectic contrast of environments. Within the limited setting that the novel itself describes, society is divided between two opposing worlds: Wuthering Heights, ancestral home of the Earnshaws, and Thrushcross Grange, the Linton estate. Wuthering Heights is rustic and wild; it is open to the elements of nature and takes its name from “atmospheric tumult.” The house is strong, built with narrow windows and jutting cornerstones, fortified to withstand the battering of external forces. It is identified with the outdoors and nature and with strong, “masculine” values. Its appearance, both inside and out, is wild, untamed, disordered, and hard. The Grange expresses a more civilized, controlled atmosphere. The house is neat and orderly, and there is always an abundance of light—to Brontë’s mind, “feminine” values. It is not surprising that Lockwood is more comfortable at the Grange, since he takes pleasure in “feminine” behavior (gossip, vanity of appearance, adherence to social decorum, romantic self-delusion), while Heathcliff, entirely “masculine,” is always out of place there.

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Even Cathy’s passionate cry for Heathcliff, “Nelly, I am Heathcliff,” is less love for him as an individual than the deepest form of self-love. Cathy cannot exist without him, but a meaningful relationship is not possible because Cathy sees Heathcliff only as a reflection of herself. Heathcliff, too, has denied an important aspect of his personality. Archetypally masculine, Heathcliff acts out only the aggressive, violent parts of himself.

The settings and the characters are patterned against each other, and explosions are the only possible results. Only Hareton and young Cathy, each of whom embodies the psychological characteristics of both Heights and Grange, can successfully sustain a mutual relationship.

This dialectic structure extends into the roles of the narrators as well. The story is reflected through the words of Nelly Dean—an inmate of both houses, a participant in the events of the narrative, and a confidant of the major characters—and Lockwood, an outsider who witnesses only the results of the characters’ interactions. Nelly is a companion and servant in the Earnshaw and Linton households, and she shares many of the values and perceptions of the families. Lockwood, an urban sophisticate on retreat, misunderstands his own character as well as the characters of others. His brief romantic “adventure” in Bath and his awkwardness when he arrives at the Heights (he thinks Cathy will fall in love with him; he mistakes the dead rabbits for puppies) exemplify his obtuseness. His perceptions are always to be questioned. Occasionally, however, even a denizen of the conventional world may gain a glimpse of the forces at work beneath the surface of reality. Lockwood’s dream of the dead Cathy, which sets off his curiosity and Heathcliff’s final plans, is a reminder that even the placid, normal world may be disrupted by the psychic violence of a willful personality.

The presentation of two family units and parallel brother-sister, husband-wife relationships in each also emphasizes the dialectic. That two such opposing modes of behavior could arise in the same environment prevents the reader from easy condemnation of either pair. The use of flashback for the major part of the narration—it begins in medias res—reminds the reader that he or she is seeing events out of their natural order, recounted by two individuals whose reliability must be questioned. The working out of the plot over three generations further suggests that no one group, much less one individual, can perceive the complexity of the human personality.

Taken together, the setting, plot, characters, and structure combine into a whole when they are seen as parts of the dialectic nature of existence. In a world where opposing forces are continually arrayed against each other in the environment, in society, in families, and in relationships, as well as within the individual, there can be no easy route to perception of another human soul. Wuthering Heights convincingly demonstrates the complexity of this dialectic and portrays the limitations of human perception.

Bibliography Barnard, Robert. Emily Brontë. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. Benvenuto, Richard. Emily Brontë. Boston: Twayne, 1982. Berg, Maggie. “Wuthering Heights”: The Writing in the Margin. New York: Twayne, 1996. Davies, Stevie. Emily Brontë: Heretic. London: Women’s Press, 1994. Frank, Katherine. A Chainless Soul: A Life of Emily Brontë. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1990. Glen, Heather, ed. The Cambridge Companion to the Brontës. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2002. Liddell, Robert. Twin Spirits: The Novels of Emily and Anne Brontë. London: Peter Owen, 1990. Miller, Lucasta. The Brontë Myth. London: Jonathan Cape, 2001. Pykett, Lyn. Emily Brontë. Savage, Md.: Barnes & Noble, 1989. Rollyson, Carl, and Lisa Paddock. The Brontës A to Z: The Essential Reference to Their Lives and Work. New York: Facts On File, 2003. Vine, Steve. Emily Brontë. New York: Twayne, 1998. Winnifrith, Tom, ed. Critical Essays on Emily Brontë. NewYork: G. K. Hall, 1997.

Major works Poetry: Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell, 1846 (with Charlotte Brontë and Anne Brontë); The Complete Poems of Emily Jane Brontë, 1941 (C. W. Hatfield, editor); Gondal’s Queen: A Novel in Verse by Emily Jane Brontë, 1955 (Fannie E. Ratchford, editor). Nonfiction : Five Essays Written in French, 1948 (Lorine White Nagel, translator); The Brontë Letters, 1954 (Muriel Spark, editor).

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I found it very informative. Representation of the two worlds is amazing. Thanks a lot.

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Wuthering Heights

Introduction of wuthering heights, summary of wuthering heights, major themes in wuthering heights, major characters in wuthering heights, writing style of wuthering heights, analysis of literary devices in wuthering heights, related posts:, post navigation.

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Introduction & Overview of Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë


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Wuthering Heights Summary & Study Guide Description

First published m 1847, Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights ranks high on the list of major works of English literature A brooding tale of passion and revenge set in the Yorkshire moors, the novel has inspired no fewer than four film versions in modern times. Early critics did not like the work, citing its excess of passion and its coarseness. A second edition was published in 1850, two years after the author's death. Sympathetically prefaced by her sister Charlotte, it met with greater success, and the novel has continued to grow in stature ever since. In the novel a pair of narrators, Mr Lockwood and Nelly Dean, relate the story of the foundling Heathcliff s arrival at Wuthering Heights, and the close-knit bond he forms with his benefactor's daughter, Catherine Earnshaw. One in spirit, they are nonetheless social unequals, and the saga of frustrated yearning and destruction that follows Catherine's refusal to marry Heathcliff is unique in the English canon. The novel is admired not least for the power of its imagery, its complex structure, and its ambiguity, the very elements that confounded its first critics. Emily Brontë spent her short life mostly at home, and apart from her own fertile imagination, she drew her inspiration from the local landscape the surrounding moorlands and the regional architecture of the Yorkshire area-as well as her personal experience of religion, of folklore, and of illness and death. Dealing with themes of nature, cruelty, social position, and indestructibility of the spirit, Wuthering Heights has surpassed the more successful Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre in academic and popular circles.

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Wuthering Heights

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Wuthering Heights , novel by Emily Brontë , published in 1847 under the pseudonym Ellis Bell. This intense, solidly imagined novel is distinguished from other novels of the period by its dramatic and poetic presentation, its abstention from authorial intrusion, and its unusual structure.

The story is recounted by Lockwood, a disinterested party, whose narrative serves as the frame for a series of retrospective shorter narratives by Ellen Dean, a housekeeper. All concern the impact of the foundling Heathcliff on the two families of Earnshaw and Linton in a remote Yorkshire district at the end of the 18th century. Embittered by abuse and by the marriage of Cathy Earnshaw—who shares his stormy nature and whom he loves—to the gentle and prosperous Edgar Linton, Heathcliff plans a revenge on both families, extending into the second generation. Cathy’s death in childbirth fails to set him free from his obsession with her, which persists until his death. The marriage of the surviving heirs of Earnshaw and Linton restores peace.

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Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights was published in December 1847 under the pen name Ellis Bell. This literary classic is Emily Brontë’s only novel, and the book is currently widely appreciated as an exemplary sample of British Romantic literature. At the time of publication, most critical reviews of Wuthering Heights were disapproving at best and scathing at worst, so much so that her sister Charlotte Brontë, who wrote Jane Eyre under the pen name Currer Bell, was concerned that it might negatively impact the literary brand Charlotte and her sisters were trying to develop. Only the year before, in 1846, with their sister Anne Brontë, author of Agnes Grey under the pseudonym Acton Bell, Charlotte and Emily Brontë had published a joint collection of poetry titled Poems by Currer , Ellis and Acton Bell . Despite the negativity of the early reviews, Wuthering Height s is now celebrated as a unique work of literature, intriguing scholars and fans alike with its complexity and high emotion.

Most of the novel is told in retrospective narration by Nelly Dean , the housekeeper of Wuthering Heights, and in Nelly’s story-telling, the reader may hear interesting echoes of Emily Brontë’s own voice; after a brief and unsuccessful career as a governess in Brussels, Emily Brontë returned home to West Yorkshire where she put herself in charge of domestics at the Brontë family home. The Brontës lived in a parsonage in Haworth, the West Yorkshire village set in a moorland landscape in north of England. Some scholars believe other autobiographical elements beyond this identification with the narrator-housekeeper can be found in Wuthering Heights .For example, it is possible that Emily’s own jealousy of her brother Branwell’s elevated status in the family inspired the competitive childhood relationship between Hindley Earnshaw and the foundling Heathcliff . As well, the possibility does exist that a young Emily Brontë herself was shut into a room that was haunted, much like Lockwood was forced to sleep in Catherine’s old bedroom one fateful snowy night. Some scholars believe that Emily cultivated in her own psychology a kind of misanthropic darkness that links her inextricably with the character of Heathcliff.

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Wuthering Heights , a frame novel, contains clear evidence of the influence of second-wave Romanticism as exemplified by the poets Lord Byron, Percy Shelley, and John Keats. Gothic and supernatural elements—such as ghosts and mournful whispers from the past—bring fantasy and fairy tales to clash with real life. The role of the landscape of northern England plays a significant part in the emotionally intense lives of the characters. The residents of both Wuthering Heights and neighboring Thrushcross Grange seek to rise above the doldrums of their daily lives with books, hard labor, and tense exchanges with each other. Much like other Romantic characters in literature, they are all complex individuals with complicated motivations.

Nosy Nelly recounts what transpired in Wuthering Heights between the Lintons, the Earnshaws, and the Heathcliffs to Mr. Lockwood , a new tenant of the area. Lockwood frames Nelly’s tale—which is colored with her own perceptions and bias—and presents the account to the reader, also interjecting his own ideas about the characters and events. The core conflict revolves around the romance between the beautiful Catherine Earnshaw and the brooding Heathcliff. Lockwood meets Heathcliff firsthand as an adult when Lockwood approaches Thrushcross Grange to rent the manor, which Heathcliff owns. During his stay in the winter of 1801, Nelly explains how Catherine’s father brought Heathcliff to Wuthering Heights as an orphan boy. Subsequently, Catherine and Heathcliff spent their childhoods together and developed an affection for one another. Catherine’s brother, Hindley, resented Heathcliff’s relationship with his father, Mr. Earnshaw, and treated the orphan with disdain and cruelty.

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After his father’s death, Hindley returns from university with his wife, Frances, and becomes the sole proprietor of Wuthering Heights. Hindley uses his position as master to treat Heathcliff like a servant, inadvertently solidifying the emotional bond between his sister and Heathcliff. At that time, the well-to-do Lintons owned Thrushcross Grange and had two children, Edgar and Isabella. After a dog attack, Catherine stays at the Lintons to recover and draws the attention of Edgar. Meanwhile, Frances dies during childbirth, leaving Hindley to care for his newborn son, Hareton. Hindley becomes more tyrannical towards Heathcliff.

Nelly affirms that Catherine is in love with Heathcliff, yet despite her feelings, she marries Edgar, as dictated per class etiquette. Upon this news, Heathcliff leaves the moors for three years. When he returns, he is in possession of a mysterious sum of money and is committed to enact revenge against Hindley for the years of abuse. Heathcliff tricks Hindley, who has become a severe alcoholic, into losing his rights to Wuthering Heights—which Heathcliff swiftly acquires. Heathcliff then weds Isabella but treats her unkindly during their marriage.

Catherine gives birth to a daughter, named Catherine Linton, but the mother falls ill and dies. Heathcliff becomes unhinged, and Isabella flees to London. There, she gives birth to Heathcliff’s son, Linton Heathcliff .Over the next 13 years, Edgar and Nelly try to shield young Cathy from the turmoil that surrounds Wuthering Heights and its unstable owner, Heathcliff. Cathy eventually forms a clandestine friendship with Hareton, who has become gruff and uneducated as a result of Heathcliff’s mistreatment.

After Isabella’s death, Edgar brings his nephew, Linton Heathcliff, to Thrushcross Grange with the intent to raise him away from the vengeance of Heathcliff. This attempt is in vain, as Heathcliff ensures the marriage of Linton and Cathy as a means to acquire the Linton manor, Thrushcross Grange. Eventually both Edgar and Linton pass, and Heathcliff reigns as owner of the moors. He has essentially imprisoned Cathy and Nelly and treats Cathy as a servant. When Lockwood approaches Thrushcross Grange, he meets Cathy in this position. Nelly then imparts to him her version of the events, which causes him to leave the area. When he later returns, Nelly details the blossoming romance between Hareton and Cathy, who intend to wed. Heathcliff has recently passed and died a broken man, haunted and maddened by the loss of his true love, Catherine Earnshaw.

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wuthering heights introduction essay

Wuthering Heights

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Mr. Lockwood , an out-of-towner renting an estate called Thrushcross Grange, twice visits his landlord, Mr. Heathcliff , who lives at a nearby manor called Wuthering Heights. During the first visit, Heathcliff is gruff but compelling. During the second, Lockwood meets other mysterious residents of Wuthering Heights, is attacked by dogs when he tries to leave, and endures a ghostly visitation overnight. Lockwood asks the housekeeper at the Grange, Ellen Dean (a.k.a. "Nelly"), to tell him about Heathcliff and Wuthering Heights. She recounts a complicated story of two families, the Earnshaws and the Lintons.

Mr. Earnshaw , a gentleman, owns Wuthering Heights. He has two children, Hindley and Catherine , and adopts a third, Heathcliff. Hindley is jealous of Heathcliff because both his father and his sister are very fond of the youngster. To avoid strife, Mr. Earnshaw sends Hindley away to college, during which time Catherine and Heathcliff become extremely close. Mr. Earnshaw dies, and Hindley, with a new wife, returns to claim Wuthering Heights. Still bitter, Hindley forces Heathcliff to give up his education and treats him like a servant. Hindley's wife dies soon after giving birth to a baby boy, Hareton , however. Hindley descends into alcoholism, though he continues to abuse and mistreat Heathcliff.

Meanwhile, Heathcliff and Catherine grow interested in the Lintons, a well-to-do family who live at Thrushcross Grange. The Lintons have two children, Edgar and Isabella , who seem very cultured and refined to the somewhat wild inhabitants of Wuthering Heights. After suffering an injury while spying on the Lintons, Catherine Earnshaw spends five weeks with the Lintons, becoming close to Edgar. She finds Edgar's wealth and blonde beauty enticing, yet her feelings for Heathcliff are far more passionate. Even so, Catherine tells Nelly that she can't marry Heathcliff because of how Hindley has degraded him. Heathcliff overhears Catherine, and flees Wuthering Heights that night.

In Heathcliff's absence, a devastated Catherine marries Edgar Linton and moves to Thrushcross Grange. All is well—until Heathcliff returns, now rich and dignified, but just as wild and ferocious. Catherine is thrilled to see Heathcliff again. Edgar doesn't share her excitement. He tries to keep them apart, but Catherine continues to see Heathcliff despite her husband's disapproval. Heathcliff, meanwhile, moves into Wuthering Heights. Hindley, who has become a gambler, welcomes Heathcliff into his home because he lusts after Heathcliff's money.

Soon after, Catherine reveals to Heathcliff that Isabella has a crush on him. Not long after that, she observes the two of them embracing. The developing romance leads to a conflict between Edgar and Heathcliff, after which Edgar demands that Catherine choose between the two of them. Catherine responds by locking herself into her room and refusing to eat for three days. On the third day, she is frenzied and delusional and believes herself near death. That same night, Heathcliff elopes with Isabella.

Edgar nurses Catherine for two months. Her health improves somewhat, though not completely. She also discovers that she is pregnant. At Wuthering Heights, Heathcliff treats Isabella terribly from the moment after their wedding. Edgar, however, refuses to have any contact with Isabella, and fears that Heathcliff wed Isabella solely as a way to try to take Thrushcross Grange from the Lintons. Two months after the wedding, Heathcliff, concerned about Catherine's health, pays a surprise visit to Thrushcross Grange while Edgar is away. In a tearful reunion, Heathcliff and Catherine profess their continuing and eternal love for each other, but Edgar soon returns and Catherine collapses. That night, Catherine gives birth to a girl, Cathy , and dies a few hours later. Catherine is buried in a spot overlooking the moors where she used to play with Heathcliff as a child.

Two days later, Isabella escapes from Wuthering Heights and goes to town outside London, where she gives birth to Heathcliff's son, Linton . Hindley dies six months later, so deeply in debt to Heathcliff that Heathcliff becomes the owner of Wuthering Heights. Heathcliff then places Hareton into the same kind of servitude into which Hindley once placed him.

Twelve years pass. Cathy grows into a beautiful young woman, while Hareton grows into a rough youth. Isabella dies, and Edgar brings Linton back to Thrushcross Grange, but Heathcliff insists that Linton come to live with him at Wuthering Heights. Heathcliff then carefully and deliberately cultivates a friendship between the weak and spineless Linton and the strong-willed Cathy. Though Edgar at first forbids Cathy from seeing Linton at all, as his own health fails he relents and allows her to meet with Linton at Thrushcross Grange or on the moors. One day, while meeting with Linton on the moors, Heathcliff forces Cathy and Nelly to return with him and Linton to Wuthering Heights. He confines Cathy and Nelly in the house until Cathy marries Linton, which she ultimately does. Cathy escapes from Wuthering Heights long enough to be with her father as he dies, but is soon taken back to Wuthering Heights by Heathcliff. Edgar is buried next to Catherine. Linton dies soon after that, and Heathcliff, because of careful legal maneuverings, now owns both Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange. Cathy reluctantly lives with Heathcliff and Hareton (whom she constantly mocks for his illiteracy) at Wuthering Heights. This brings the story up to the present, when Lockwood has rented Thrushcross Grange.

Lockwood goes back to London, but passes through the region six months later. Much to everyone's surprise, Cathy and Hareton have fallen in love. Cathy has realized Hareton's nobility and kindness beneath his lack of education. Heathcliff, who sees strong a resemblance in both Hareton and Cathy to Catherine, no longer feels the need for revenge. He dies and is buried beside Catherine (on the side opposite where Edgar is buried). Cathy and Hareton, at last free of interfering adults, plan to marry and move to Thrushcross Grange.

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Wuthering Heights

by Emily Bronte

Wuthering heights essay questions.

Analyze the relationship between Lockwood and Heathcliff.

Heathcliff is Lockwood's first introduction to the passionate, terrifying world of Wuthering Heights. Early in the novel, Lockwood frequently confuses himself and Heathcliff. At one point, he backtracks on his description of Heathcliff because he “bestow[s] [his] own attributes too readily on him” (5-6). However, Heathcliff's rudeness to Cathy Linton and his servants, along with Ellen's narrative, eventually convince Lockwood to despise Heathcliff like most of the other characters. Nevertheless, the identification between the two characters remains important because it cements Heathcliff's status as one of the novel's protagonists (in the sense that the narrative sometimes seems to favor his perspective).

Interpret the novel’s dream sequences. Why are they important?

Dreams in Wuthering Heights foreshadow future events, but they also reveal important information about the characters' current situations. For example, Lockwood's nightmare about Cathy Linton trying to get into Wuthering Heights foreshadows the young girl's eventual reconciliation with the place, via her relationship with Hareton (although this reconciliation comes only after many months of misery, which may be represented by the wounds she gets from the broken glass). However, her fearsome apparition in the dream also reflects her current psychic desperation. Similarly, Catherine's early dream of choosing the moors over heaven foreshadows her eventual burial (and the importance her buried corpse will have for Heathcliff) but also her current preference for worldly pleasure over future happiness.

What is the significance of the frame story?

Wuthering Heights is narrated through many layers of mediation. Not only does Ellen Dean narrate most of the story to Lockwood, but occasionally Ellen herself was not present at important events, and only hears about them secondhand––so we hear what happens through two layers of narration. Examples of this include Cathy's explanation of her correspondence with Linton and Cathy's narration of her first visit to Wuthering Heights. The fact that the story is so potent despite these multiple layers of mediation speaks to the extraordinary power of love and emotion in this isolated society.

Analyze the story’s setting. What role does it play in Wuthering Heights ?

The natural world of the moors is not merely a setting––it also sets the mood of the novel and exerts a noticeable influence on the characters' choices and personalities. The frequently inhospitable weather establishes the conflict between humanity and nature that becomes an important theme; the frequent blizzards and thunderstorms ensure that the characters constantly struggle for survival against the elements. Moreover, the characters at Wuthering Heights are frequently characterized as 'wild,' which suggests that their dramatic natural surroundings have somehow seeped into the personalities.

Discuss Emily Brontë’s portrayal of religion in the novel.

There are distinctly Gothic elements to Brontë's portrayal of Christianity in Wuthering Heights . A riot in a church figures prominently in Lockwood's nightmare in Chapter 3, and Joseph's proselytizing eventually takes on a sinister element as it becomes clear that he is just as cruel and self-centered as any other character in the novel. Only Ellen seems to take Christianity seriously, reminding Heathcliff to make his peace with God when it becomes clear that he is dying. However, Heathcliff ultimately rejects this solace. For the Earnshaws and the Lintons, religion is a weak force that is largely irrelevant to their lives outside the strictures of society.

When Wuthering Heights was first released, many readers were shocked by its graphic, violent imagery. Why might the violence be important to the story?

It is important to note that Wuthering Heights features not only extensive physical violence, but also extreme emotional cruelty. These elements serve to demonstrate the potential of the human spirit to be debased by its conditions; although Heathcliff is able to love Catherine in his early life, the compassion and gentleness is slowly drained from him because of his abuse by Hindley. Violence, then, is set up as a counterpoint to love, and as Cathy and Hareton demonstrate at the end of the novel, love is the only thing that can redeem their world from the horrific violence that fills it.

Discuss the relationship between gender and power in Wuthering Heights .

Brontë seems to delight in confusing gender roles. Catherine Earnshaw roams free on the moors and works with Heathcliff in the fields, conduct that would have been considered highly unbecoming for a lady at this time, even in rural Yorkshire. In contrast, Linton is characterized as "delicate [and] effeminate" (200). It seems that transcending gender boundaries allows characters to become more powerful; Linton uses his weak health to manipulate others, and Isabella realizes that wielding a knife could give her the means to escape her unhappy marriage.

Discuss the role of books and literacy in Hareton and Cathy Linton’s relationship.

From its earliest stages, Hareton and Cathy Linton's relationship is colored by the fact that she can read and he cannot. She drives him away by teasing him about his inability to read, and her decision to teach him to read is what eventually resolves their differences and allows them to love one another. Cathy's reading lessons can also be seen as rehabilitating Hareton after his unhappy childhood with Heathcliff, who purposely prevented him from learning to read in hopes of getting revenge on Hareton's father, Hindley.

What is Heathcliff’s role in the story? Is he a protagonist or an antagonist?

Heathcliff can be considered both a protagonist and an antagonist. He is a protagonist in the sense that the novel is structured around his life––Ellen's narrative begins when Earnshaw brings Heathcliff home from Liverpool, and it ends at Heathcliff's death, suggesting that he was the main character all along. Likewise, Heathcliff is the main person to pique Lockwood's curiosity when he first visits Wuthering Heights. However, Heathcliff can also be considered an antagonist in that he actively works to undermine many of the novel's more likeable characters, including Edgar, Hareton, and Cathy Linton. Moreover, the novel is never related from his perspective; for the most part, the narrator Ellen can only speculate on his thoughts and feelings.

Catherine Earnshaw, Heathcliff, Linton, and Cathy Linton all tend to dwell on their personal ‘heavens.’ What might the significance of this be?

Heaven is an important concept for each of these characters, and their idea of a perfect world reveals their true personalities. Catherine admits that she would rather be on the moors than in heaven, and Heathcliff rejects the idea of a traditional heaven in favor of his remains mingling with Catherine's beneath the earth. The similarities between their ideas of heaven reveal the compatibility of their personalities, and also their tendency to locate themselves in opposition to conventional society. Linton and Cathy Linton both consider heaven to be a beautiful day outdoors, but the differences between their fantasies––Linton wants to lie in the grass, while Cathy would prefer to climb trees––reveal the fundamental differences in their respective characters.

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Wuthering Heights Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Wuthering Heights is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Why does Cathy have a hybrid character in Wuthering heights?

Cathy is a hybrid, embodying the virtues of both households, genuinely caring for the sick, but also capable of exercising her own will and judgement and going out onto the moors unsupervised.

Catherine Earnshaw is Mr. Earnshaw's daughter and Hindley's sister. She is also Heathcliff's foster sister and love interest. She marries Edgar Linton and has a daughter, also named Catherine. Catherine is beautiful and charming, but she is never...

Spending the night at Wuthering Heights, Lockwood... Select one: a. has to be rescued from the dogs by Zillah the housekeeper. b. sleeps in Catherine Earnshaw’s room and reads her journal. c. sees a ghostly apparition and refuses its plea to “let me in!”

I would say "E". Lockwood experiences a nightmare that feels like an apparition.

Study Guide for Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights study guide contains a biography of Emily Bronte, literature essays, a complete e-text, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

  • About Wuthering Heights
  • Wuthering Heights Summary
  • Wuthering Heights Video
  • Character List

Essays for Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte.

  • Heathcliff's Obsessions
  • The Setting in Wuthering Heights
  • Mirrors, Windows, and Glass in Wuthering Heights
  • The Problem of Split Personalities in Wuthering Heights
  • The Main Characters in Wuthering Heights and Their Resemblance To Children

Lesson Plan for Wuthering Heights

  • About the Author
  • Study Objectives
  • Common Core Standards
  • Introduction to Wuthering Heights
  • Relationship to Other Books
  • Bringing in Technology
  • Notes to the Teacher
  • Related Links
  • Wuthering Heights Bibliography

E-Text of Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights e-text contains the full text of Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte.

  • Chapters 1-5
  • Chapters 6-10
  • Chapters 11-15
  • Chapters 16-20
  • Chapters 21-25

Wikipedia Entries for Wuthering Heights

  • Introduction
  • Publication history
  • Critical response

wuthering heights introduction essay

Wuthering Heights - Free Essay Examples And Topic Ideas

Wuthering Heights is a novel by Emily Brontë, known for its tragic love story, complex characters, and exploration of social class distinctions. Essays on this novel might explore the gothic and romantic elements, the symbolic use of the natural environment, or the psychological complexities of characters like Heathcliff and Catherine. Other discussions could delve into the novel’s commentary on social mobility and morality, or its influence on Victorian literature and subsequent literary trends. A vast selection of complimentary essay illustrations pertaining to Wuthering Heights you can find in Papersowl database. You can use our samples for inspiration to write your own essay, research paper, or just to explore a new topic for yourself.

A Deeper Meaning of Wuthering Heights

A symbol is a thing that represents or stands for something else and suggests a larger significance. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte is full of significant symbols that are important to analyze in order to understand the novel to its fullest. From the ghosts, to the architecture and furnishings (décor) of the two main houses in the novel; and to the moors; this book is full of dark but symbolic aspects. To give readers a realistic point of view, the […]

‘Byronic Hero’ in Wuthering Heights

Haunting and filled with unconventional love, the gothic tragedy Wuthering Heights is a prime example of Emily Bronte’s obsession and inspiration with George Gordon’s own character. The satanic characteristics and lack of “heroic virtue” gives the Byronic Hero a twist compared to a morally sound hero (Thorslev 187). Lord Byron’s extensive collection of poems provided a template for Bronte to include a perfect Byronic Hero in her novel. Inspired by the Byron myth and his personality, Heathcliff and his dark […]

Destructive Love in Novel Wuthering Height

"In the novel, Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, two families, the Lintons and the Earnshaws, are forced together which causes conflict described as destructive love, mostly caused by the raging love Heathcliff has for Catherine throughout the novel. Emily Bronte was born July 30, 1818 in Yorkshire, England she was one of three english sisters. Her and her sisters had books published in the mid-1800’s. She is the daughter of Maria Barnwell and Patrick Bronte. She was a poet and an […]

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Emily Brontë’s “Wuthering Heights”

Throughout Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, several characters exhibit a palpable hatred not for men or for women in particular, but for the general population; such misanthropy contributes a curious depth to the novel that could hardly be accomplished otherwise. However, with the multitude of circumstances in which these individuals are granted latitude to express their cynicism, the reader begins to subconsciously decipher the misanthropic qualities and rank characters, compartmentalizing them by level of misanthropy. The most naturally antagonistic character, Heathcliff, […]

Revenge and Justice in Wuthering Heights

"There is a blurred line between revenge and justice. Is revenge, justice? Is revenge, justified? The difference, may be nothing but a shuffling of the same words to make oneself feel morally sound. If we can agree on the idea that revenge is a feeling or act of retribution, and also that justice is no more than a ‘just’ act of retaliation, then we can begin to question the fine structure of moral values and how that affects the definition […]

Discussion of Nature Vs Nurture is the Eerlasting Issue

Genetic Development Nature vs Nurture is the everlasting issue of one’s genetics or outside environmental influence on one’s behavior and actions. One’s nature refers to the hereditary or genetic factors one is born with that influences who one is as a person. However, one’s nurture refers to the outside environmental factors that controls who one becomes. Although outside factors such as one’s childhood experiences, people one associates themselves with, and/or trauma can influence one’s decision making. Their naturally born, or […]

The Romantic-Gothic Nature of Wuthering Heights

Section 25 Throughout the class period, we have talked about several different genres that have caught my eye in terms of relatability and interests. One of those genres is the Gothic period. There are many books that are considered part of this era such as, Dracula, Frankenstein, and Jane Eyre, but the one that tops them all is Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. Wuthering Heights brings to the surface many different parallels for the more romantic aspects of the book […]

Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights

The origins of an individual usually serves as a solid indication of their inherent nature and works of literature throughout history have utilized the origins of characters to manipulate the nature of the plot and the conflicts that comprise the narrative. Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights is an intense tragedy that is driven by the complexities of love and betrayal as a man named Heathcliff, with an abnormal origin, explores the relationship he has with the only woman he truly ever […]

Behind the Life of Emily Brontë and her Works

During the Victorian period, the inequalities between genders were tense because the gap distinction was increasing. Women were tired of the discrimination and the injustice that society was implementing on their shoulders. The frustration of pretending to be the submissive wife and hiding under male pen names to have their works published was pushing women to their limit. Females such as the Brontë sisters used pen names because they knew the receiving backlash inputs them into the group of outcasts. […]

Wuthering Heights Plot Summary

The book Wuthering heights begins at a place called Thrushcross Grange, a manor house that a man named Lockwood rents and describes as a misanthropist’s heaven. This is where he meets his landlord named Heathcliff, a rich man who lives close by in a house called Wuthering Heights. Lockwood has his suspicions about the servants and people that live in there. One night he couldn’t leave because the snow was so bad and kept piling up so he spent the […]

Character Heathcliff in Emily Bronte’s “Wuthering Heights”

Of all the characters in Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, Heathcliff is arguably the most fierce and combative as well as the most complex. Branded as a demon even in childhood, Heathcliff develops into a sadistic, cruel, and almost cliché gothic villain in the second half of the novel (John Coper Powys). However, it would be an oversight to fail to examine the correlation of both the role of his horrible childhood and social exclusion as a demonized member of the […]

Destructive Love is an Emotional Process

"Destructive love is an emotional process of tearing down the love and affection between 2 people in a relationship. The idea of knowing the difference between having a disagreement that is trying to clear up something in comparison to a disagreement that is destructive toxicity can come. The theme of destructive love between different relationships in Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, Shakespeare's Hamlet Robert Browning's My Last Duchess results in the characters having […]

“Wuthering Heights” and “Rebecca” Analysis

Not every romantic novel is about true love. Books such as Wuthering Heights and Rebecca are far from being romantic. From romance comedies to gothic romance, the novels have plots that are quite different from the normal storyline. These novels are more mysterious and full of suspense. Clearly, authors Daphne du Maurier and Emily Brontë wanted a romantic plot that was unusual and unexpected from readers. Luckily, many people who read either Rebecca or Wuthering Heights were quite surprised with […]

Meaning of Love and its Unintended Consequences in “Wuthering Heights”

True love is often pictured as the cliched ending of romance novels or movies with the scene of the girl riding off into the sunset with the perfect prince on a white stallion. In The Notebook, Allie Hamilton and Noah Calhoun had the fairy-tale ending with their happily ever after, but does life really end like that? Would one give up everything just to be with their true love? In Wuthering Heights, the true love between Heathcliff and Catherine was […]

Abuse and Trauma in Wuthering Heights

In the novel Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, characters are subject to different types of abuse/trauma both mental and physical. This mental and physical stress affects characters such as Catherine Earnshaw, Isabella and Heathcliff in various manners, such as in their daily interactions with others and themselves. How they handle this stress varies among each character, they each choose a distinct type of coping mechanism to help them get through the day. Bronte grew up between 1818 and 1848 during […]

Wuthering Heights Break Assignment

In the novel Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, revenge is an eminent theme. One of the main Heathcliff, is illustrated as a hermit and after of people. He’s greedy and is always looking for ways to complicate the lives of people around him. He gets more and more revengeful as the story progresses. Every action Heathcliff does is destined to hurt the Earnshaw and Linton families, and take ownership over everything. All of these revengeful thoughts and desires actually makes […]

Rage and its Power in Bronte’s Emily

Falling madly in love, then traumatized by betrayal, leading to rage and pain is all experienced by a special character named Heathcliff, in Emily Brontë’s famous novel Wuthering Heights. He is the one who sits at the center of the story. Heathcliff, a resentful and revenge seeking man is the chosen character, to analyze and illustrate from the novel. As an orphan, he was fostered by Mr. Earnshaw and taken to Wuthering heights which is image of a mansion like […]

Wuthering Heights Written by Mary Shelley

"In Wuthering Heights written by Mary Shelley portrayed a similarities and differences between the two families, the Earnshaw and the Lintions, in order to show how they interact with each other. Shelly tries to show the readers how these two families become the major issue of the novel. Shelly try to demonstrates the differences that exists between the social class whereas Lintion’s family is rich and the Earnshaw family is poor. The Linton family is established as an gentry of […]

Emily Bronte’s Novel Wuthering Heights

In 1847, when a novel by Emily Brontë Wuthering Heights was published, feminism or gender equality was an unknown concept, and it was just beginning to emerge as it seemed to be a radical idea to many people. Brontë can be therefore considered a proto-feminist. Women in the Victorian period belonged mainly to the domestic sphere, and the public sphere was for their husbands. All characters in the novel live in a patriarchal society, in women are submissive to men […]

Wuthering Heights Reading Journal: Chapter 29

Chapter 29 Edgar has passed away, leaving the title of Thrushcross Grange master unfilled. Nelly, Edgar’s servant, seeks a new job at Wuthering Heights as a servant for Heathcliff but he denies. Right before the death of Edgar, his daughter Cathy forcedly marries Linton, Heathcliff’s son. The marriage gives Linton and Heathcliff say over the Grange estate after Edgar’s death, therefore making Heathcliff the new master, replacing Edgar. Now the master, Heathcliff use the Grange as a space to rent […]

Wuthering Heights Novel

The five examples that I have come across with, that represent the gothic theme in the novel from chapter 1 through 10 are weather, supernatural, revenge, suffering, and death. One day a huge snowstorm has approached that prevent Mr. Lockwood from leaving, and no one seems to be interested in helping him to reach home, Mr. Heathcliff shows no hospitality and “Gnasher and Wolf—become so excited by the scene that they floor Lockwood, giving him a bloody nose”(chapter 2). Weather […]

Essay about Abuse Cycle

Each person has a different personality. Some people are influential, impulsive, perfectionist, and/or strong-willed. One of the components that influence someone’s personalities is their environment. Just like in “Wuthering Heights” Heathcliff’s abusive environment at such a young age leads him to have an aggressive abusive behavior towards others. When most people think of the word environment they usually just think about their home they live in. But this word actually mean way more than that. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary […]

Novel “Wuthering Heights” by Emily Bronte

Wuthering Heights takes place in the early 19th century. During this time, women were considered second-class citizens. They had the responsibility for the care of their family, as a wife and a mother, and the household. Outside of the home setting, women had no real significance as they were only expected to have a minimum education and were not encouraged to pursue a professional career. Men were highly relied on by women to be the ""power force."" Women did not […]

Wuthering Heights Reading Journal: Chapter 11

Chapter 11 Nelly, the servant from Thrushcross Grange heads over to Wuthering Heights hoping to talk to Hindley, Heathcliff’s ultimate enemy but cannot. The next day at the Grange she, along with Catherine see Heathcliff with his new “lover” Isabella. Catherine, who loves Heathcliff but is married to Edgar Linton, confronts him asking for her true feelings and offers to allow the marriage if their love is true. Heathcliff becomes disgusted at the idea of marrying Isabella, confessing his hate […]

Heathcliff in “Wuthering Heights”

Symbols - mostly settings Wuthering Heights - an old farmhouse that Heathcliff and Catherine grew up together symbolizes energy, excitement and affection. Thrushcross Grange is the house owned by the Lintons and later visited by Lockwood. It symbolizes a place with disciplined, elevated and civilized culture. Moors- A place where great adventures dwell in Catherine’s and Heathcliff’s memories. It symbolizes ferocious tendencies and exciting and mysterious mood of the unknown. The moor helps establish a certain mood in the novel […]

The Analysis of Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights is a remarkable piece of literature, the books character development is one of it’s most appealing features. For example, we all know about Heathcliff, the young boy taken in by Mr. Earnshaw who he raised as his own son and grew to love him more than his actual son. Initially, only Mr. Earnshaw cared for Heathcliff, but soon, his daughter would madly with him, and he with her. There love for one another grew as they did, they […]

Novels – Plot of the Story

"The majority of the time, novels will use hate to create havoc in the plot of the story. Wuthering Heights uses Heathcliff’s hate toward the other characters to insert conflict in the story. Wuthering Heights illuminates the source of Heathcliff’s hate as well as the effect it has on the other characters throughout the story. Heathcliff’s relationships with other characters also suggest the theme that hate only breeds hate. Heathcliff never finds peace through his revenge. With every act of […]

Emily Bronte – Facts of Life

"Emily Bronte was born on July 30, 1818, in a village located in Thornton, Yorkshire, England. She had five other siblings but sadly lost her mother to cancer when she was only three years old. Emily was extremely shy and loved animals. She had a passionate nature and wrote several poems with her two sisters in 1845. They published the poems under pseudonyms, which began her literary endeavors. Emily began her teaching career at Law Hill School in November of […]

Devon Komar Honors English

The book is set in an extremely secluded area within England. This suits Lockwood extremely well, as he defines himself as a “misanthropist”. Lockwood states, “‘Wuthering’ being a significant provincial adjective, descriptive of the atmospheric tumult to which its station is exposed in stormy weather. Pure, bracing ventilation they must have up there at all times, indeed: one may guess the mower of the north wind blowing over the edge…” (2). This shows that the property is often exposed to harsh […]

The Extraordinary Life of Novelist and Poet Emily Brontë

“Emily Brontë has become mythologized both as an individual and as one of the Brontë sisters” ("Overview of Emily Brontë"). Emily made her way as an individual with the release of her best selling and only novel, Wuthering Heights, in 1847. Life before Emily found her passion in writing was chaotic. Emily’s life was unusual and often unhappy, but everything changed when she learned how to sit down and write ("Overview of Emily Brontë"). Emily Brontë is an English novelist […]

Originally published :December 1847
Author :Emily Brontë
Genre :Tragedy, gothic
Adapted from :Wuthering Heights
Text :Wuthering Heights online
LC Class :PR4172.W7 2007
Characters :Heathcliff, Catherine Earnshaw, Catherine Linton

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Wuthering Heights Essay

Wuthering Heights is a book by Emily Bronte. It is a story of love and revenge, and is set on the Yorkshire moors. Wuthering Heights is often seen as a classic novel, and is widely studied in schools.

Wuthering Heights is a book by Emily Bronte. It was published in 1847, and is generally considered to be her masterpiece. The story is set on the Yorkshire moors, and tells the tale of love and revenge. Wuthering Heights is now seen as a classic novel, and is still studied by students all over the world. Emily Bronte is considered to be one of the greatest English authors of all time.

If you’re looking for a great book to read, then Wuthering Heights is definitely worth a look. It’s a complex story, but it’s well worth the effort. Emily Bronte is an excellent author, and Wuthering Heights is sure to captivate you from beginning to end. So if you’re looking for something exciting and engrossing, be sure to check out Wuthering Heights! You won’t regret it.

Wuthering Heights is the tragic story of Heathcliff, an orphaned boy who becomes obsessed with Catherine Earnshaw and her wealthy guardian.

Wuthering Heights is a book that you can’t help but be pulled into, with its powerful descriptions of the bleak Yorkshire moors and the passionate characters who inhabit them.

Emily Bronte wrote Wuthering Heights when she was just nineteen years old, and the book is considered to be one of the most original and accomplished of all Victorian novels. Wuthering Heights has been banned, admired, dissected, and adapted countless times, and it still remains one of the most loved – and most hated – books in the world. If you’re looking for a book that will keep you engrossed from beginning to end, Wuthering Heights is definitely it. So if you’re ready to be taken on a dark and twisting journey, then buckle up and prepare to read Wuthering Heights.

The love between Catherine and Hareton Hindley’s son, which is a more delicate and kind version of the love between Cathy and Heathcliff, is poised to have a happy conclusion.

Wuthering Heights is a story of love and revenge, and tells the tale of two families, the Earnshaws and the Lintons. The love that develops between young Catherine and Hindley’s son, Hareton, is a paler and gentler version of the love between Cathy and Heathcliff, and it’s poised for a happy ending. However, Heathcliff returns after many years away, seeking revenge on those who have wronged him. Wuthering Heights is a rich and dark novel, full of passion and violence.

Although Heathcliff still loves as fiercely as he once loved Cathy, his actions are now driven by a thirst for vengeance. He resorts to exacting some form of retribution from everyone who, in his opinion, has wronged him: Hindley (and his descendants) for mistreating him, and the Lintons (Edgar and Isabella) for taking Cathy away from him.

Wuthering Heights is a novel of passion, mystery, and revenge. It tells the story of two families, the Earnshaws and the Lintons, who live on opposite sides of Wuthering Heights, an isolated house on the Yorkshire moors. The Earnshaws are a poor family; the Lintons are wealthy landowners.

Heathcliff, an orphan brought up by Hindley Earnshaw, falls in love with Cathy Linton and they run away together. When Cathy returns to Wuthering Heights after four years away, she finds that she is now married to Edgar Linton. Heathcliff plots to destroy his rival and take Cathy back for himself. Wuthering Heights is a story of unrequited love, passion, and revenge.

The novel was written by Emily Bronte, who was born in 1818 and died in 1848, shortly after Wuthering Heights was published. It is one of three novels she wrote (the other two are The Tenant of Wildfell Hall and Agnes Grey), but it is the only one that was published during her lifetime. Wuthering Heights is considered to be a classic of English literature. It has been adapted for stage, television, and film many times.

Some famous adaptations include Wuthering Heights (1939), starring Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon; Wuthering Heights (1970), starring Timothy Dalton and Anna Calder-Marshall; Wuthering Heights (1992), starring Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche; and Wuthering Heights (2009), a three-part television adaptation starring Tom Hardy and Charlotte Riley.

The central theme of the book is the dualism of good and evil. She has emphasized this area through piety, love, vengeance, and obsession. At first, there appears to be a leaning toward either goodness or evil among various figures.

Heathcliff, for example, represents the dark side of human nature with his anger, jealousy, and thirst for revenge. On the other hand, Catherine Earnshaw is a good person with strong morals. However, as the novel progresses, Heathcliff manages to corrupt Cathy and Edgar Linton, making them just as wicked as he is. Wuthering Heights is a story about the fall of man and how evil can take over when people give in to their desires. Bronte has shown how good can eventually overcome evil if people are willing to fight for it.

Wuthering Heights contains a number of prominent themes, including revenge and justice, which represent significant experiences, personality flaws, and the path of devastation. Heathcliff starts his existence in Wuthering Heights with an open heart but grows enraged after being mistreated by Edgar and Hindley.

Wuthering Heights is a novel about passionate love, cruel revenge, and the power of nature to erode human happiness. Wuthering Heights is a novel full of passion and emotion. The characters in the novel are motivated by intense feelings such as love, hate, jealousy, and vengeance. Emily Bronte has written Wuthering Heights as if it were a poem. This makes the story more powerful and moving.

The language is descriptive and lyrical which helps to set the mood for the reader. Wuthering Heights is a timeless classic that has been enjoyed by readers for many years. It is a must-read for all fans of romance and mystery. Wuthering Heights will leave you with a feeling of sadness and happiness all at the same time. It is a beautiful story that will stay with you long after you have finished reading it.

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Wuthering Heights

The love Heathcliff and Cathy share is filled with violent passion and adds to the gothic theme of the novel. However, when denied the love of his life, Heathcliff sets out on a series of revenge. He takes revenge on most of the characters and does so at times in a rather violent manner. So Heathcliff should be a hated character, so why isn’t he?. Well, Brontë structures the novel to bring forth first the cold hearted and rough Heathcliff and then by means of Nelly Dean’s narrative, she manages to give a justification as to why he became that way.

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  1. Analysis of Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights

    The fullest approach to Emily Brontë's novel is through the basic patterns that support this vision. Wuthering Heights concerns the interactions of two families, the Earnshaws and Lintons, over three generations. The novel is set in the desolate moors of Yorkshire and covers the years from 1771 to 1803. The Earnshaws and Lintons are in ...

  2. Wuthering Heights Study Guide

    Full Title: Wuthering Heights. When Published: 1847. Literary Period: Victorian. Genre: Romanticism / Realism / Gothic (e.g., mysterious family relationships, vulnerable heroines, houses full of secrets, and wild landscapes) Setting: Yorkshire, England, late 18th to early 19th century. Climax: Heathcliff and Catherine's tearful, impassioned ...

  3. Wuthering Heights Analysis

    Analysis. An essential element of Wuthering Heights is the exploration and extension of the meaning of romance. By contrasting the passionate, natural love of Catherine and Heathcliff with the ...

  4. Wuthering Heights

    Emily Brontë's only completed novel, Wuthering Heights was first published in 1847 and tells a tale of love and revenge set against the backdrop of the wild Yorkshire moors. When Mr. Earnshaw brings home an orphaned boy named Heathcliff, his daughter, Catherine, develops a close bond with the young boy—but her brother, Hindley, resents and mistreats him.

  5. Wuthering Heights

    Introduction of Wuthering Heights. Wuthering Heights was written by Emily Bronte, a great name among the Bronte sisters.This story is known as the masterpiece of English Literature and was published in 1847 under her pen name "Ellis Bell." However, the book did not receive acclaim during that time because of the challenge that it posed to the Victorian ideas about class, morality, and ...

  6. Wuthering Heights Critical Overview

    Critical Overview. Initial reception to the publication of Wuthering Heights in 1847 was overwhelmingly negative. Published in a volume that also included her sister Anne Brontë's first novel ...

  7. Wuthering Heights

    First published m 1847, Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights ranks high on the list of major works of English literature A brooding tale of passion and revenge set in the Yorkshire moors, the novel has inspired no fewer than four film versions in modern times.Early critics did not like the work, citing its excess of passion and its coarseness. A second edition was published in 1850, two years ...

  8. Wuthering Heights

    novel by Brontë. Wuthering Heights, novel by Emily Brontë, published in 1847 under the pseudonym Ellis Bell. This intense, solidly imagined novel is distinguished from other novels of the period by its dramatic and poetic presentation, its abstention from authorial intrusion, and its unusual structure. The story is recounted by Lockwood, a ...

  9. Wuthering Heights

    Wuthering Heights is the only novel by the English author Emily Bront ... in an essay on dialect and speech, examines some of the changes Charlotte made. Critical response ... Introduction and notes by Ian Jack, Hilda Marsden, and Inga-Stina Ewbank. Journal articles

  10. Wuthering Heights Key Ideas and Commentary

    Wuthering Heights is an exposed, cold farmhouse; Thrushcross Grange is an orderly gentleman's home with plush furnishings, warm fires, and an enclosed park. The houses, instead of places of ...

  11. Wuthering Heights Summary and Study Guide

    Subscribe for $3 a Month. Wuthering Heights, a frame novel, contains clear evidence of the influence of second-wave Romanticism as exemplified by the poets Lord Byron, Percy Shelley, and John Keats. Gothic and supernatural elements—such as ghosts and mournful whispers from the past—bring fantasy and fairy tales to clash with real life.

  12. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë Plot Summary

    Wuthering Heights Summary. Mr. Lockwood, an out-of-towner renting an estate called Thrushcross Grange, twice visits his landlord, Mr. Heathcliff, who lives at a nearby manor called Wuthering Heights. During the first visit, Heathcliff is gruff but compelling. During the second, Lockwood meets other mysterious residents of Wuthering Heights, is ...

  13. Whispers of the Moors: The Eerie Echoes of Passion in Wuthering Heights

    Essay Example: In the windswept corners of the Yorkshire moors, where nature's raw power mirrors the untamed emotions of its inhabitants, Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights unfolds as a haunting tale of love and vengeance. But what if we ventured beyond its traditional interpretation, exploring

  14. Wuthering Heights Summary

    Wuthering Heights Summary. W uthering Heights is a multigenerational story of love and revenge that revolves around the inhabitants of a desolate farmhouse called Wuthering Heights. Here are some ...

  15. Wuthering Heights Essays

    Wuthering Heights. Wuthering Heights is essentially a romantic novel in which the author, Emily Bronte, brings two groups of people with different backgrounds into contact with each other. Close analysis of the novel reveals a key theme. When the reader examines the...

  16. Wuthering Heights Essay Questions

    Wuthering Heights Essay Questions. 1. Analyze the relationship between Lockwood and Heathcliff. Heathcliff is Lockwood's first introduction to the passionate, terrifying world of Wuthering Heights. Early in the novel, Lockwood frequently confuses himself and Heathcliff. At one point, he backtracks on his description of Heathcliff because he ...

  17. Wuthering Heights

    36 essay samples found. Wuthering Heights is a novel by Emily Brontë, known for its tragic love story, complex characters, and exploration of social class distinctions. Essays on this novel might explore the gothic and romantic elements, the symbolic use of the natural environment, or the psychological complexities of characters like ...

  18. Wuthering Heights Essay Essay

    Wuthering Heights Essay. Wuthering Heights is a book by Emily Bronte. It is a story of love and revenge, and is set on the Yorkshire moors. Wuthering Heights is often seen as a classic novel, and is widely studied in schools. Wuthering Heights is a book by Emily Bronte. It was published in 1847, and is generally considered to be her masterpiece.

  19. Wuthering Heights Style, Form, and Literary Elements

    The critic David Daiches notes in his introduction of Wuthering Heights the "fascinating counterpoint" of "end retrospect and present impression," and that the strength of the story relies on ...

  20. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

    Wuthering Heights (1847) by English novelist Emily Bronte is the sole novel upon which her fame rests. Using intense symbolism, Bronte weaves her gothic novel as a tale of love, passion, hatred ...

  21. Wuthering Heights Essay, Wuthering Heights

    Wuthering Heights is Emily Brontë's only novel. Brontë wrote the gothic yet tragic novel in 1847 under the pseudonym Ellis Bell and received a great deal of criticism for the violent nature of the character of Heathcliff that she created. Wuthering Heights is still known today as one of the most tragic romantic, gothic novels in literary ...

  22. Wuthering Heights Critical Essays

    I. Thesis Statement: In Wuthering Heights, Brontë depicts the clash between good and evil in human nature. II. Thrushcross Grange and Wuthering Heights as representatives of good and evil. A. The ...