Literature Network » Emily Bronte » Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights


Advanced Search
Wuthering Heights (1847) - the story is narrated by Lockwood, a gentleman visiting the Yorkshire moors where the novel is set, and of Mrs Dean, housekeeper to the Earnshaw family, who had been witness of the interlocked destinies of the original owners of the Heights. In a series of flashbacks and time shifts, Brontë draws a powerful picture of the enigmatic Heathcliff, who is brought to Heights from the streets of Liverpool by Mr Earnshaw. Heathcliff is treated as Earnshaw's own children, Catherine and Hindley. After his death Heathcliff is bullied by Hindley, who loves Catherine, but she marries Edgar Linton. Heathcliff 's destructive force is unleashed, and his first victim is Catherine, who dies giving birth to a girl, another Catherine. Isabella Linton, Edgar's sister, whom he had married, flees to the south. Their son Linton and Catherine are married, but always sickly Linton dies. Hareton, Hindley's son, and the young widow became close. Increasingly isolated and alienated from daily life, Heathcliff experiences visions, and he longs for the death that will reunite him with Catherine.

Fan of this book? Help us introduce it to others by writing a better introduction for it. It's quick and easy, click here.

Please submit a quiz here.

Recent Forum Posts on Wuthering Heights

Was Heathcliff the Illegitimate Son of Old Earnshaw?

If this is true, and can be adequately advocated, it seems able to stand as a justification for the whole novel. What do you think?

Posted By imatitle at Wed 7 May 2008, 7:55 PM in Wuthering Heights || 3 Replies

This is Tormenting ME, HELP

"This secret truth would be something formulable as a univocal principle of plantation which would account for everything in the novel. The secret truth about Wuthering Heights, rather, is that there is no secret truth which criticism might formulate in this way. No hidden identifiable ordering principle which will account for everything stands at the head of the chain or at the back of the back. Any formulation of such a principle is visibly reductive. It leaves something important still unaccounted for." Wuthering Heights: Repetition and the "Uncanny" by J. Hillis Miller "What is it that, with this novel, the logical mind so conspicuously fails? What does this have to do with the gage or promissory note that both holds off death and risks death, puts one's death on the line, as a kind of mortgage insurance? Why is it that an interpretative origin, logos in the sense of ground, measure, chief word, or accounting reason, cannot be identified for Wuthering Heights? If such an origin could be found, all obscurity could be cleared up. Everything could be brought out in the open where it might be clearly seen, added up, paid off, and evened out. What forbids this accounting?" Ibid A teacher told me that in HIS OPINION - as if it were ONLY his - all the problems of the novel could be solved by interpreting Old Earnshaw's words "A gift from god" as a confession that Heathcliff is his illegitemate son, and since that would make him a half-brother to Catherine their union cannot be completed according to certain religious or evolutionary rules which the whole novel then would go to prove and to show the consequences of their transgression. (These are not his exact words, rather, their implication). What questions does this interpretation leave unanswered? I thought about it over and over and found nothing that would be "reduced" or left out by adopting this as the secret truth, the same Miller said is non-existent. This point could not have escaped the attention of a critic like Miller, and if he was so strongly advocating the absence of an all-inclusive justifying core, he would have deemed this point unable of achieving such a position. BUT WHY? If anything comes to mind as being left out by this interpretation please help. My torment has been that Miller presented his point with such a good show of reason, and that teacher with such an ego-centric confidence stole an opinion and made it his own, and that his easily-stolen opinion could with the same ease refute Miller's "good show of reason", for me at least, because I can't think of what this interpretation would leave out. Anything would be helpful. Thanks in Advance.

Posted By imatitle at Thu 1 May 2008, 8:20 PM in Wuthering Heights || 2 Replies

Wuthering Heights & Heathcliff as the inversion of a colonial master

I teach AP history, and my students are simply riveted in looking at Heathcliff -- not as as a Byronic hero -- but rather as an inversion of a colonial master. Any thoughts on his origins? Gypsy? African?

Posted By AP Teacher at Thu 17 Apr 2008, 1:05 PM in Wuthering Heights || 1 Reply

I'd Love Your Help :)

Hey, I hope joining this network will benefit me and I hope I can help some people as well. I am looking for the answer to one very important question and this is my last resort! In a month, I will have to hand in an essay comparing Wuthering Heights to a more contemporary/modern day novel. Because of the timeline, I obviously need to read Wuthering Heights, and just one other novel...I can't be choosing the comparitive work at the last minute. Does anyone know any good novels to compare, like by theme perhaps supernatural, love, byronic hero. And the book needs a lot of literary criticsm, I really thankyou for your help...the second book has to be similar, please I hope I have luck here (I am on the phone with a friend at the moment getting ideas as well so excuse my weird grammar and spelling..I can not multitask)

Posted By Soley101 at Sun 30 Mar 2008, 2:34 PM in Wuthering Heights || 0 Replies

Could anybody inform me where i can find wuthering heights movie online?

Plzz help me:bawling: :(

Posted By natasssha at Wed 19 Mar 2008, 1:41 PM in Wuthering Heights || 1 Reply

The ending

And by that I mean the ending proper, not Lockwood deciding that he'll be merrily on his way after hearing a novel's worth of woes, haha. I was just wondering whether people consider it an entirely happy ending or not. I mean, on the surface, it strikes me as perfect– an amalgamation of all of the previous generation's best qualities and attributes, since Catherine seems like the Lintons plus what one can only call balls, and Hareton seems like the Earnshaws plus common sense. I also think that Hareton's being named after the ancestor who built the house in the first place indicates that things have run full circle and it's a fresh slate for Wuthering Heights (albeit an incestuous one). On the other hand, it's still Wuthering Heights, and as such, I can't ignore the unsettling vibe that still lurks. I dunno, it's not something I can back up without actual constructive analysis, but part of me thinks that Bronte fools the reader into false security just like she fools us into making assumptions about Heathcliff. (On a rather random note, I also found Lockwood's thinking he had a chance with Cathy the Second rather hilarious.) So, thoughts, anyone?

Posted By Four Legs Good at Tue 11 Mar 2008, 5:33 PM in Wuthering Heights || 2 Replies

pls help! need help badly

kindly help me in answering this.... this is equal to 6 quizzes and i need to pass my english class badly because i am a graduating student... tnx!!:bawling: :bawling: :bawling: Wuthering Heights I. 1.)Discuss the roles of locks and keys in the novel 2.)Discuss the roles of windows in the Heights and in the Grange 3.)Analyze and discuss the supernatural portrayal in the novel 4.)Discuss the rigid structure of the language used by Bronte in the novel 5.)Discuss the climax of the novel II. Discuss the use of sources of imagery 1.) nature (use of animal,plants,fire,land,weather) 2.) supernatural (the angel and the devil, heaven and hell) III. take out 10 similes from the novel 10 personification 10 metaphors tnx for the help!!! ^^

Posted By rush_erica04 at Sun 10 Feb 2008, 2:32 AM in Wuthering Heights || 1 Reply

Heathcliff and Edgar

hello everyone, I have just come towards the end of emily brontes wuthering heights and i must admit so far it has been quite an adventure, i really did enjoy it. however i am due to sit an exam on wuthering heights in june of this year and therefore i am trying to understand the book and its carachters to the full.... That is why i am here, you see i have just read chapter 21 and noticed that when cathy bumped into here uncle heathcliff with nelly while searching for game all was revealed, she discovered the whereabouts of her cousin linton and also the hidden history of her father and his wife, her mother catherine. Heathcliff seems to twist the tale to such a degree that he is infact the victim of edgars narrow mind and fiery temper. At first i opposed this as from what i gathered edgar seemed to be the victim, but that made me think...edgar was quite bitter and resentful towards heathcliff after catherine came to live in the grange, and i feel heathcliff was treated somewhat unfairly. On the other side of the coin Edgar had to endure a man he hated wedding his sister out of spite. i guess what i am asking is, who out of the two is the victim and why. Is it heathcliff or is it Edgar linton?? Appriciate any light anyone has to shine on the issue. Jack

Posted By jackcoldrick at Mon 28 Jan 2008, 1:18 PM in Wuthering Heights || 18 Replies

Wutherin Heights and Jane Eyre...

Hi! I am supposed to write a paper on Emily Bronte and "Wuthering Heights" and I would like to focus on Emily's relationship with her sisters (in particular with Charlotte) and on the similarities which exist between Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre (I love both of them so, so much!)... I'm not sure whether it is a good choice or not, what do you think? So far, I have found these similarities: - both Heathcliff and Mr Rochester are Byronc heroes (I mean, both of them are proud, mysterious, aristocratic, overwhelmed by some crime or sin..) -social conventions and institutions represent an obstacle to their love ( Rochester's previous marriage, as well as the bleak outlook of Rochester getting married to Blanche Ingram- Catherin getting married to Linton in Wuthering Heights because he is the one that can guarantee her a comfortable life..) -both Rochester and Heathcliff can't stand living without their beloved, whereas Jane and Catherine seem to better tolarate it -final promise of redemption (in the end, love wins (even though in W.H it is not the one between Heathcliff and his Catherine..) and seems to erase all the sins and sorrows of the past) As far as Wuthering Heights is concerned, do you agree that in the novel: -nature mirrors the feelings of the character (romantic nature) -there are gothic elements (I think about the chapters in which Heathcliff's life with Isabella is described...it reminds me a lot of "the Castle of Otranto")? please, do not misunderstand my intentions..I'm not asking you to do my homework, I'm just interested in your opinion and lookin forward to getting pieces of advice so that I can improve my paper! thank you!:D

Posted By Silvia at Sun 27 Jan 2008, 10:07 AM in Wuthering Heights || 2 Replies

Wuthering Heights films

Hi, I want to watch one of Wuthering Heights' films, but there are so many versions I don't know which one to choose, so I'd like to know which one is the best one and especially which one sticks more to the book. Thanks in advance

Posted By kauk at Sun 30 Dec 2007, 7:12 PM in Wuthering Heights || 6 Replies

Post a New Comment/Question on Wuthering Heights



Attention Bookworms:

Buying from Amazon.com? Check out the Amazon Coupons first so you get the best deal.

Shakespeare wrote over 150 sonnets!
Join our Sonnet-A-Day Newsletter and read them all, one at a time.
Email:
As Seen In: USA Today "Hot Sites"