Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte

READ FOR BOOKCLUB
Chosen by Nadine

A brooding tale of passion and revenge set in the Yorkshire moors

♥ Emily Brontë’s 1847 novel details the arrival at Wuthering Heights of a man named Heathcliffe and the close bond he forms with his benefactor’s daughter, Catherine Earnshaw. Class status divides them, and a saga of frustrated yearning and destruction follows, culminating in Catherine refusing to marry Heathcliff after her brother’s meddling. Heathcliffe departs the property only to return years later both educated and wealthy.

A second generation of family dramas and love interests abound, all the time with both Heathcliffe and the married Catherine at the periphery interferring with events.

We learnt that the novel was not well-known or liked initially and it took until after the author’s death for its true genius to be discovered. What was at first considered Victorian fiction was beginning to be re-classed as a combination of gothic and romantic fiction, unheard of at the time. The key question asked at this time was: who or what is Heathcliffe?

Expecting Victorian fiction, we were surprised to find something more in-depth and contemporary in nature and the gothic undertones almost went unnoticed until we pondered that very question at bookclub. Who or What is Heathcliffe? Heathcliffe and all the characters were more nuanced than Victorian characters. Rather than being able to categorise them as simply good or evil, characters had elements of both and were likeable even when nasty.

Breaking away from these traditional genre markers is what made the book feel contemporary due to mixed genre narratives being not uncommon these days. Perhaps this is what has given the book long-lasting appeal. Plus there is an exciting plot, moody settings and unique characters that break all past rules of characterisation. The ending (no spoiler) was once called the ‘most powerful and daring climax in English Literature’ and we agreed it was fitting.

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Published 1847
Thomas Cautley Newby
214 pages