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I believe that Wuthering Heights was such a beautifully written piece of literature. I have never wept more in any book either. I began reading this book believing that Heathcliff was the passionate hero; but I was shocked to find out his true nature. Althought he is the passionate one, he is not a hero in the way he treats others. I was very impressed with Wuthering Heights and I am going to read it again as soon as I possibiliy can.
I feared I was the only one who enjoyed this book enough to read it more than once! In fact, I read this book every winter. It's sortof hard to read it in the summer, I mean, the setting and all doesn't lend itself to blistering heat waves. Well, neither do the plot or characters! I would love some opinions regarding the parallels that I drew between the setting and the dispositions of the characters. It is pretty fascinating that that a description of the Heights could double as a description of Heathcliff and the whole Earnshaw clan. And I also picked up on how even the dogs reflected the violent nature of the story line. What do you think?
Loved it, I've read it 3 times so far. I have to say though, I don't think Heathcliff is all bad, I think he would have turned out a lot differently had he never loved Catherine.
I liked it very much too. I agree with you. When I started the novel, I also felt that Heathcliff will turn out as a kind hero but the story turned out to be unexpected.
Heathcliff is a byronic hero, which means that the reader is inclined to feel sympathy for him. Maybe he would be different had he never loved Catherine. But different for the better? I think not. His death is remarkable in that he is the only character who stood unredeemed in the end. He continued to persecute everyone around him and with respect to sympathy, his story is profound.
I love this book! I can't read it again though. It's very gut wrenching and painful to read. I loved that tormented feeling I had while reading this the first time, and I don't think I'll be able to feel that again if i re-read it.
Hey guys go check out the forum I started on Heathcliff's 3 year absense. Check out the response I got!!!
I really liked the book from the stance that it is a beautiful work of art, but over-all I thought that it was super depressing and not realistic. For Catherine's misplaced love to have so effectedHeathcliff, I think is over the top. I mean, yes if I hear the one I love tell another that I am too gross and uneducated for me, I will be sad, but it wouldn't turn a person to such measures of cruelty that Heathcliff went to to get revenge.
I sure will go look at your thread sdr4jc.
am i the only person in the world who doesn't like this story? just wondering. :banana: look at the banana dance!
It's one of the few 19th Century Chick Lit (!) novels I really enjoyed.
wolfester I agree with you. I hated this book and don't plan on ever reading it again. :nod:
Can anyone tell me what this story is about?
Has all the trappings of a great work, I'd say. Singular plot, intriguing construction of story line, impressive language and best of all, the mind-blowing dialogues, especially Heathcliff's. This is the best: "The nuisance of her presence outweighs the gratification to be derived from tormenting her." (There is an assole sitting next to me who is relentlessly nagging me, - someone like the umble Uriah Heep in Dickens' David Copperfield - so I think I'll go have a fag just to get this leech off my back. How am I saying this if he is sitting next to me? Well, he can't read English!)
It's surprising how well written this novel is, considering Bronte's age of death, she wouldn't have experienced half of the things she's writing about.
Though strangely, the dark aspect of the novel doesn't drive readers away like expected, it comples them to read on. It grips them until the end, where the reader is locked within the emotions of the characters, and sighs a breath of relief as Hareton and Cathy make up for the mistakes of Catherine and Heathcliff.
An amazing piece of writing, one of the best :P
Wuthering Heights, to me, is overrated. How come this piece of work is termed a classic and has stood through times? Is it simply because there were not much writers in the world before? Or that literature is predominantly western, especially in the academe?
I think that there were a lot of times when the reason is weak for certain characters to act as they have. For example, that Catherine would love such a cousin, against all odds, who's demanding and sickly and uninteresting. Emily Bronte wasn't able to convince me of Catherine's reason behind loving Linton Heathcliff; more so, to marry him under pressure, and even to say she would willingly marry Linton. As a reader, I didn't feel the love; only that the writer wants a tragic story. Even Catherine Linton's decision to accompany Linton Heathcliff to the house, resulting in their detainment in Wuthering Heights, was so plainly stupid. I didn't even feel bad for them that they were detained, coz it was just all stupid. And Heathcliff was so triumphant in all the evil that he has planned, it's actually like a telenovela.
The whole novel was atmospheric. Bronte was good in describing landscapes and making the reader feel how time crept ever so leisurely and slowly in those days. However, the tragedy of the story was not convincing. It didn't make me feel for the characters. I am from theatre and hence I can easily place myself in the characters, but in this book, I just felt so distant from them, even looked down on them. The pathos was so stupid. It's not intelligent tragedy. It is helpless, unthinking tragedy. The characters were tragic because they were so dumb to act as they had.
Heathcliff's wrath was so external. It was so vengeful that it's like food that's overly flavored you can't taste it anymore. The focus was so much on Heathcliff's anger and regrets that his character even became predictable- -even without depth. He seemed like a villain with no other preoccupation but to hurt others coz he was hurt too- -exactly like a telenovela. It's not much of the character, but of how it was written. In fact, I could say the plot and the characters were predictable as I was reading it.
Under another pen, the plot and the characters would have been given justice. It could have been a good book. But, to my judgement, it fell short.
Hey everyone.. I was wondering if anyone would be so kind enough and help me with 5 questions that I have for homework on this book.. I had a really hard time reading this book .. I have very bad comprehension skills.. Can anyone help me please..
I would really appreciate it.
WELL.its very dramatic novel with agothic element gousts and staff............
amazing one .
i also want to mention a thing that the main charecter heathclif his aim to revenge from the lintons
,espaciealy edgar throug his sister isabella using her as tool of revenge?
do you agree on that, share your opinions pls!! thanks.:yawnb: :yawnb:
Hey, can I help? What're the questions? :)Quote:
Originally Posted by tearzofaprinces
*Sigh*
:rolleyes: *cough*over*cough*rated*cough*
sorry, I sort of disliked the book
No one should expect to like every classic book but that doesn't stop them being classics. I enjoyed "Pride and Prejudice" but not "Emma" but it doesn't make it bad or over-rated.Quote:
Originally Posted by Shakti V.
Wuthering Heights is a classic not only because it is a fascinating story, cleverly constructed and with characters that you (obviously not you personally) care about, but it was unique at that time, a book with a plot and characters that were not seen in other literature. I have read it many times and written a website about it: I wouldn't have done if it wasn't something special.
I still think it has great psychological relevance today, which is why it is such a great novel in my eyes. However, I sympathise with you, Shakti V., because, like PaulT, there are classic novels I don't really like either. Hope you find something you enjoy for your next classic read!
Does anybody think that some characters in particular are a little melodramatic?
This has to be the first book where I have developed no attactment to any of the characters whatsoever. Accept maybe Heathcliff... he intrigues me.
hey i want some one to help me . i didn't read this novel but i think it's soo romantic> i once heared a qoute from it which means "True love faces every thing and does not change whatever happen" please i want the qoute as Emily wrote it. i'll appreciate that
Hey nouna77, is this what you meant?
"My love for Linton is like the foliage in the woods: time will change it, I'm well aware, as winter changes the trees. My love for Heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks beneath: a sourse of visible delight, but necessary."
I'm still unsure what you mean exactly... there are many quotes throughtout the novel which might mean what you search for, but if I can be of any help I will try :)
Every time I watch the Movie , I ready the Novel , i feel as it is the first time , lol , It's a wonderfull Novel written between the victorian period and the modern period .
I don't know what does Lady W mean by melodramatic?
I am sorry
A very good job on the website.Quote:
Originally Posted by PaulT
A question - why did you limit the crticisms to 1848 ? I think that modern critiques add to the appreciation of the novel. They also tend to place into a fuller perspective the author and the work.
The main reason is that the early criticisms were easily available to add to the website. But I think they were also very important because they were people's reaction to a new book. They did not look upon it as a "classic" unlike modern critics, nor did they know much (or anything) about Emily, her life and her character. It's impossible for a modern critic to divorce himself from that knowledge.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peripatetics
I think what makes Heathcliff so interesting is that he is not a one-dimensional character. I always think maybe he would have been able to live a normal life if Catherine hadn't given up on him. Then I think of my daughter being formerly engaged to a guy like that know I would and say, "She dodged a bullet on that one!" News flash to all the boys: unfortunately, girls sometimes do like the troubled, dark types. Not sure why?
Lynne if you will scan the posts about Rochester in Jane Eyre, you will find confirmation if not an explanation.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lynne Fees
Out of all the novels I have read out of the 15 years I have spent on this planet, Wuthering Heights is by far my favourite. It's romantic, dramatic, depressing- all the things I love in a book :)
What does everyone think of the ending of wuthering heights? Does anyone agree with me that heathcliff was able to see cathys ghost? and if so, what do you think Bronte was tring to say?
So you wrote that website. Well done!Quote:
Originally Posted by PaulT
My own sentiments exactly. I would add that the Catherine Earnshaw is an admirable character of superhuman dimensions. She still resonates in my mind, years after reading the book.Quote:
Originally Posted by PaulT