Love in Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights

Love apears differently in the two novels. I mean, in J E, love is something to fight for, but for which, Jane doesn't lose her autonomy as a woman. I love both books, and read them with pleasure, and I cannot decide which I liked best. However, I have to write for scholl, an essay about love in these two books, so people, I need your opinions.
I think that the 2 novels reflect the personality of the two sisters, Charlotte and Emily Bronte. Charlotte was a fighter, energic, with high principles, and Emily was introvert, she liked to read a lot and to meditate.
What do you think? How does love appear in Jane Eyre or in Wuthering Heights? :idea: :confused:

Wow! That's a quite good idea of essay. Well, I haven't read J E, but I have seen the film. I read "'Wuthering Heights''. Maybe a thing which will help you....concerning W H. The love between Katherine and Heatchliff is an uncommon love. Such as a diabolical one, beacuse they are kept under its power by a diabolical force, which doesn't make them happy, by contrary. They are soul-mates, so there appears a very rare and powerful love, which brings them together, but the society rules takes them apart. You could talk about the society rules in the case of the two books. The society which does a lot of mistakes; in this case, think of ''Indiana'' by George Sand. The male character, Ralph says: ''Why does society expect anyting from the part of a man who doesn't expect anything from it?''. I don't know the exact quote, but the idea is what I wanted to relieve. Well, these are some exemples. Maybe for other ideas, it could help you seeing ''W H'' (1939) with Laurance Olivier and Merle Oberon. A colossal film. Succes and write telling us how did it go the presentation of the project.

Two fine points and something to think about. Yes, downing has the right idea, with the diabolical romance of Heathcliff and Kathy, much the product of their enviroment and social restrictions. At some point Kathy hopes to marry above herself, or so her family hopes for her; at the same time she is really (knowing in her heart of hearts) that she is going against her nature to marry her cousin, and not Heathcliff. But actually that explanation is not so clearcut. You see, Healthcliff is wild and has grown up that way, so who is to say that they really would have made the ideal married couple? Perhaps with education for Heathcliff and better treatment by the step brother, he might have turned out fine, but really, by the end he is embittered and not such a desirable man for a husband as things go.
It is a good point to say that they were soul mates and undoubtably they did love each other with a very deep, almost "unworldly" love. Heathcliff is a very complex character, and for that matter so is Kathy. Remember, too, the isolaton the girls experienced living on the moors and how that affected the mood of the story. Interesting to know that Charlotte, also, was brought up the same as Emily, but she tended to be less pessimistic and there is more light in "Jane Eyre", and a half happy ending.
Of the two books I have to say I like "Jane Eyre" the best. I have read it twice now. "Wuthering Heights" I have read only once but seen two versions of the film...both good. Jane Eyre I have seen three versions on film....all quite good.

Both replies have helped me on my essay, thak you Downing and Jannine.
Btw Jannine, I read Jane Eyre twice as well, and Wuthering Heights only once, unfortunately I only saw the movie for Jane Eyre in only one version... :( :bawling:

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Originally Posted by Vertigo

Both replies have helped me on my essay, thak you Downing and Jannine.
Btw Jannine, I read Jane Eyre twice as well, and Wuthering Heights only once, unfortunately I only saw the movie for Jane Eyre in only one version... :( :bawling:

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You are welcome! Glad it helped you on your essay. I absolutely loved "Jane Eyre". What a great ending! There is a Hitchcock film done in black and white; there is a film starring William Hurt; finally, I believe, I also saw another film version with Timothy Dalton playing the lead. The last was a BBC production and quite good on several disks. Actually, they are are worth seeing. I saw "Wuthering Heights" with Olivier, the older black and white version, and I saw a newer version with a very young Timothy Dalton playing an amazing Heathcliff with mesmerizing eyes. I own that one.

Hopefully you can see these other films evenutally, too - stop :bawling:!!! :D

Well, I used in my essay what Downing and Janine told me, and more, it had 9 pages... BUT the teachers in my school thought it wasn't good enough... :flare: So I didn't get any award... so from now one no essay for school, only subjects to talk about online... :D Now I'm reading pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen) which i like very much, and saw about 5 versions of the film... So when I finish it, I'll come back with some new posts! :D :thumbs_up

I'm glad my idea helped you. It may be interesting to post your project(only if you want of course), to see it, and to understand why did your teachers thought it wasn't good enough. I also read ''P&P''. It's a very interesting read. I also saw 3 versions of the film. Have you seen the one from 1940,with Laurance Olivier? A very good one, my favourite.
Well, this would be all. Feel free to post as much as you want, I'll always try to help.

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Originally Posted by Vertigo

Love apears differently in the two novels. I mean, in J E, love is something to fight for, but for which, Jane doesn't lose her autonomy as a woman. I love both books, and read them with pleasure, and I cannot decide which I liked best. However, I have to write for scholl, an essay about love in these two books, so people, I need your opinions.
I think that the 2 novels reflect the personality of the two sisters, Charlotte and Emily Bronte. Charlotte was a fighter, energic, with high principles, and Emily was introvert, she liked to read a lot and to meditate.
What do you think? How does love appear in Jane Eyre or in Wuthering Heights? :idea: :confused:

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A very good question, but I will disagree with one thing you mentioned here:

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I think that the 2 novels reflect the personality of the two sisters, Charlotte and Emily Bronte. Charlotte was a fighter, energic, with high principles, and Emily was introvert, she liked to read a lot and to meditate.

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Personally, I don't think so that Wuthering Heights very much reflect the personality of its writer,by reading about Emily Bronte, I get that she was not coward, but a person who was struggling through life. On the other hand, if she has written a novel which shows the dark aspects of life doesn't mean that she herself was not a fighter. Writers don't necessarily write their own experiences in their novels. It really annoys me how people try to find similarities between the works of writers and their private lives.

Now, getting back on the original topic, I think that Emily Bronte has shown the actual side, though the dark side, of love, in which it can become need. On the other hand Jane Eyre is the same old story, a fight for love and glory. Jane Eyre, an orphan meets a man with whom she falls in love. After going through troubles and facing them bravely, the two people, Mr. Rochester and Jane get together. Heh, pretty to imagine.

I wouldn't call Jane Eyre a badly-written novel, for its good too, but for me the love portrayed in Wuthering Heights was more gripping; cruel and hard, but moving and arousing sympathy, telling us about the extremes of love in which love is more of desire. More human, and more realistic. I can never forget the story of this novel!

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Originally Posted by Vertigo

Well, I used in my essay what Downing and Janine told me, and more, it had 9 pages... BUT the teachers in my school thought it wasn't good enough... :flare: So I didn't get any award... so from now one no essay for school, only subjects to talk about online... :D Now I'm reading pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen) which i like very much, and saw about 5 versions of the film... So when I finish it, I'll come back with some new posts! :D :thumbs_up

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Well, you should not be mad at us. You should not take anything said on the forum as the Gospel truth. You have to read the novels and form your own opinion! You can't look to the forum for short cuts. You have to take the opinions of others, on this forum and elseware, as opinions only. Reading some critical analyasis of each book would help....but remember, those are also only opinions! A good biography of each author would probably reveal much to you; internet provides countless material. I disagree with Pensive here - many authors do take from life experiences, either from themselves or others, examples of this would be D.H.Lawence and Thomas Hardy. Lawrence actually lost many good friends writing about them. I am currently reading a biography of the author. A friend of mine knows much about Hardy's past and how he wrote about actual events. Authors write about what they know.

Love ,love love.So restless so different so human .By the way tHERE are two kind of love-a victorian love and a romantic one

well, both books are sort of characterizing a forbidden love. but Emily's is much more introspective, kept to one scene, and so the drama is self-contained and much more psychological. Charlotte's is caught up in society and that is the reason why the love is not allowed. but physical and outside bonds such as that of society are more easily breakable than those of the much more immediate and intimate psyche, so Jane ends up succeeding where Catherine and Heathcliff fail.

The two sisters always seem to be compared and their respective novels deemed opposites. Jane Eyre always appears to be seen the more light-hearted, more triumphant love story. Whereas The Heights seems to be about 'real' passion. However the differences in love seems to be in their value, the all consuming, passionate nature of love is seen in both (Heathcliff and Cathy and Jane and Edward) in my opinion, just in Wuthering Heights to more of an extent.
*( anyone find the fact that the whole teen world is obsessed by another Edward ironic?)
Jane is unique in she fears losing her identity, her strong-willed, individual character, by marrying Mr Rochester. Cathy appears to have no qualms defining herself as Heathcliffs lover. Whereas love is seen almost like a prize for Jane's uneventful life, in Wuthering Heights it seems to be valued more than life itself producing a need.
Basically the difference between needing love and merely wanting love.
It would also be interesting to argue who deserved love more Jane or Cathy?
Hmm...

JE as a character is reserved containing a wild passion within whereas Kathy does not quite manage this semblance of containment and is more carefree and coy, her passion struck me as more overt - like the ramblings moors she roved in. Jane could only sit quietly and sketch them.

I preferred JE

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Originally Posted by Pensive

I wouldn't call Jane Eyre a badly-written novel, for its good too, but for me the love portrayed in Wuthering Heights was more gripping; cruel and hard, but moving and arousing sympathy, telling us about the extremes of love in which love is more of desire. More human, and more realistic. I can never forget the story of this novel!

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I think so, the love described in Wuthering heights is much more realistic unless we were in an utobian society.

It is probably pointless to post a reply to anything so dated--but because I am a JE fan, I would like to comment: Wuthering Heights, written by Emily Brontë, is hardly comparable to Jane Eyre, written by her sister, Charlotte Brontë. It is purely a matter of personal preference; however, one novel does not allow for the love interests to meet in this life--only the next. There are also considerable hints in the novel that Heathcliff might have been Catherine's half-brother, which would make the love affair inappropriate. I have read many critiques about Wuthering Heights, but I cannot get enthusiastic about a novel where the two primary lovers might be related or who marry others only to destroy their lives.

Jane Eyre, however, is a more conventional love story--if you allow for the fact that people lie. The interesting component about Rochester is that he does perpetuate a fraud and there is no possible excuse for his behavior. He knew exactly who Jane was and that she would never submit to a lawless marriage. It opens the door to discussions of how Rochester got into the situation; deception was perpetuated long before Jane goes to Thornfield Hall and at what point he decides to pursue her. And although nothing really excuses his behavior, he genuinely loved Jane, which is something many have forgiven him for over a century and a half.

A comparison of Heathcliff and Rochester might make an interesting debate. I tried to like Heathcliff, especially on subsequent readings of the novel. Neither treated their respective wives very well.

Both authors were spinsters at the time of their novel's publication; although, Charlotte had developed an infatuation with M. Heger in Brussels. There is not real documentation that Emily was ever in love, although, Anne showed a preference for someone who died young. Charlotte later marries and was surprised that she found marriage not at all distasteful, in contrary to what she anticipated.

Your reply is interesting, although since I started the thread a lot has changed. Love is not any more the main focus I see in Jane Eyre, now I tend to concentrate more on Jane as the woman, the fighter. Also, Jean Rhys's Wide Sargasso Sea changed the way I read Jane Eyre. It's not just a nice story of a governess falling in love with the master of the 'maison', now there are years of colonialism behind it, Rochester is a mere manipulated 'daddy's boy' and Jane an ignorant (or by that matter, Charlotte Bronte herself.)

As I said, the theme of love in the two novels appealed for the 16 year old me, but now my thoughts have changed completely concerning the two books in discussion.

Apologies!

Both novels are entirely different in the way they tackle the idea of
emtions being expressed by the main characters in the novels.In Wuthering Heights we can see that both Cathrine and heathcliff are both anti-heros.They are quite different from the other two main characters in Jane Eyre.In Wuthering Heights ,Heathcliff leaves the grange at the very idea of hearing cathrine feeling degradation just at the cocept of marrying him, which is a contrast Jane Eyre novel doesnt really contain.

I am not sure Wuthering Heights is about love. I read it recently and it struck me more as a kind of evil fairytale than a love story.
But yes, if you consider it a love story, then it is very different, mostly because the characters are very different. Not only that he thinks she despises him and then gives her up. Or does he? Returned three years later he intimates that he wanted to gain his money for her. But why then would he not ask her to wait for him?

But even if somewhat predatory, love is never life’s enemy in Jane Eyre. And the love couple seems so much sounder. Even though Rochester raves for Jane, he still does not revenge himself on Adele or Richard Mason or anyone else. There is no intimation in the novel that he even lets Bertha pay for Jane’s escape.
And even playing with the idea that Edward Rochester had found Jane out in Morton I cannot really imagine him harassing a sickening Jane to death and then put the blame on her cousins. Quite the opposite – he knows after her escape he is culpable whatever has happened to her.
And I cannot imagine a fighter like Jane to be such a reed in the storm of her own life. I could imagine her married and then either in an early state asking Rochester to leave her alone or in a later state to elope with him but I can hardly imagine her refusing the need to choose.

But of course, if Catherine had told the story instead of Nelly, and if Mrs. Fairfax had told the story instead of Jane, what would it have looked like then?