Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Written by: Emily Bront

Type of Work: novel
Genres: gothic literature; Victorian; romance
First Published: 1847
Setting: the moors of Northern England
Main Characters: Heathcliff; Catherine Earnshaw; Edgar Linton; Cathy Linton; Hareton Earnshaw; Ellen (Nelly)
Dean
Major Thematic Topics: romantic love; brotherly love; love versus hate; revenge; crime and punishment; nature and
culture; class structure; good versus evil; chaos and order; selfishness; betrayal; obsession
Motifs: obsession; revenge; rebellion
Major Symbols: the houses; keys; archetypical characters
The three most important aspects of Wuthering Heights:
Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw are among the most famous fictional couples of all time. In fact, they
probably are second only to Romeo and Juliet in this regard. Unlike Shakespeare's lovers, who are kept apart by
the society in which they live, Catherine and Heathcliff are themselves responsible for their failure to fulfill
their love for one another. Their own passionate natures make their union impossible.
The novel contains a so-called framing device, which is a story that surrounds the primary narrative and sets it
up. Lockwood's visit to Wuthering Heights and the supernatural occurrence he witnesses there frame Nelly's
narration of the novel's main story.
Wuthering Heights is a gothic novel. Gothic novels focus on the mysterious or supernatural, and take place in
dark, sometimes exotic, settings. The double is a frequent feature of the Gothic novel, as well. In Wuthering
Heights, the love of Hareton and Cathy doubles that of Heathcliff and Catherine, and Linton doubles Edgar.
The novel itself consists of two entire stories, each consisting of seventeen chapters; the second half
of Wuthering Heights doubles the first.

Wuthering Heights was Emily Bront's only novel, and it is considered the fullest expression of her highly individual
poetic vision. Published in 1847, Wuthering Heights was the only novel Emily Bront published, and she died the
year after it came out. It is the story of Heathcliff, a dark outsider who falls in love with the feisty Catherine and rages
and revenges against every obstacle that prevents him from being with her.
Wuthering Heights is violent even by today's standards and is not only full of references to demons, imps of Satan, and
ghouls, but also depicts some pretty disturbing scenes of domestic violence. The supernatural plays a large part: ghosts
appear, and Heathcliff, characterized more than once as a vampire, refers to drinking blood, haunting, and all manner
of paranormal acts.
Though Wuthering Heights is considered a classic, the book wasn't always so popular. In fact, when it first came out
there was all sorts of confusion about the author, because Bront published the book under the pseudonym Ellis Bell.
Readers thought the book was by the same author who wroteJane Eyre which was more immediately embraced by
the public because the characters are a lot more likable. Actually Emily's sister Charlotte wrote Jane Eyre under the
pseudonym Currer Bell. To set the record straight, Charlotte wrote the preface to the 1850 edition of Wuthering
Heights and also took the opportunity to address some of the bad press the book had received. Critics basically
thought the book was a downer, and some even characterized it as immoral
Wuthering Heights expresses criticisms of social conventions, particularly those surrounding issues of gender: notice
that the author distributes "feminine" and "masculine" characteristics without regard to sex. Bront had difficulties
living in society while remaining true to the things she considered important: the ideal of women as delicate beings
who avoid physical or mental activity and pursue fashions and flirtations was repugnant to her. Class issues are also
important: we are bound to respect Ellen, who is educated but of low class, more than Lockwood.
Wuthering Heights does not belong to any obvious prose genre, nor did it begin an important literary lineage. None of
its imitations can approach its sincerity and poetic power. However, it has still been an important influence on English
literature. With the passing of time, an immense amount of interest has grown up about the Bront sisters, Charlotte,
Emily, and Anne, and they have achieved the status of the centers of a literary cult.