TITLE OF THE BOOK: Wuthering
Heights
AUTHOR: Emily
PUBLISHER: Thomas Cautley Newby
NUMBER OF PAGES: 464
YEAR PUBLISHED: 1847
READING LEVEL: Adult/Young
Adult
GENRE: Classic, Fiction, Romance, Gothic
BOOK SUMMARY: A story
within a story. Wuthering Heights is a passionate story of the toxic love
between Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff. When first published, this poetic masterpiece
was extremely controversial for its immorality and its physical and mental
cruelty. It has stood the test of time and is truly one of the most influential
classics ever written.
3.75 Stars
OUR GROUP REVIEW: Ashley did such a great job moderating
Wuthering Heights. We actually had a
little bit of mixed reviews on this book though. Some people really loved it
and others not so much. The ratings ranged from a 2 to a 4.5 stars. Although some people didn’t love the book, we
all agreed and knew this book would make for some awesome discussion.
We discussed
why Wuthering Heights has been one of the most influential books in literature.
This book was published over 150 years ago. At the time it was pretty risque and
pushed a lot of boundaries. It got many mixed reviews, many people thinking it
had too much cruelty, vengeance, inhumanity, and diabolical hate. It was also
written extremely well, especially for its time. Even though it was written
really well, some people didn’t like it because of how it was written. It was a
different time and the language was different so it’s not as easy to
follow.
We talked
about the narration of the book from both Lockwood and Ellen’s point of view. There
were things about this type of narration we liked, but the story coming from
Ellen’s point of view wasn’t as believable. It would be almost impossible for
her to remember every detail and conversation that she did. She also wouldn’t have
been there for a lot of the interactions. Her point of view could have been
misinterpreted. It posed a good question though. How different would your
personal story be depending on who is telling it?
Of course
we talked a lot about all the different characters and all the relationships.
We thought it was interesting how the author made most of the main characters
very unlikable. We discussed whether or not Catherine and Heathcliff’s relationship
was actually love or not. They were so obsessed with each other in such a
selfish and toxic way that it was hard to consider it true love. They were both
competitive in there love almost like they were in a battle of who loves who
more and they had an ownership over one another. They obviously had a passion
for each other though and were connected in an intimate way.
Then there
is Edgar and Catherine. Their relationship was very opposite from Heathcliff
and Catherine. Edgar came with high social standing. He was reliable, easy,
selfless, and predictable. Although times have changed so much and so many
things are different now, some things haven’t changed. We discussed the fact
that sometimes now we have the same decisions as Catherine did with her
relationships. Did we choose a relationship with passion and unpredictability or
one with stability and honesty? Did we take money and the sense of security
into play with the people we had serious relationships with? We also debated on
if we rooted for Heathcliff or Edgar.
Although
there was a little bit of mixed reviews on this book it really was so much fun
to talk about. There were so many different discussion points and the
characters were so complex we could have talked about them all night. It’s so
fascinating how so much has changed in society and what was acceptable and
unacceptable as compared to now. After you read the book we highly recommended watching
the PBS masterpiece version of Wuthering Heights. It’s a great adaptation of
the book.
For some
awesome in depth questions and where Ashley got some of her discussion points click
here.
ABOUT
THE AUTHOR: Emily had an interesting
life. I loved learning more about her story and her interesting family of
writers.
Born
in Thornton, Yorkshire, England, on July 30, 1818, Emily Jane Brontë lived a
quiet life in Yorkshire with her clergyman father; brother, Branwell Brontë;
and two sisters, Charlotte and Anne.
The sisters enjoyed writing
poetry and novels, which they published under pseudonyms. As "Ellis
Bell," Emily wrote Wuthering Heights (1847)—her only
published novel—which garnered wide critical and commerical acclaim. Emily
Brontë died in Haworth, Yorkshire, England, on December 19, 1848—the same year
that her brother, Branwell, passed away.
'Wuthering Heights'
Some of Emily's earliest known works involve
a fictional world called Gondal, which she created with her sister Anne. She
wrote both prose and poems about this imaginary place and its inhabitants.
Emily also wrote other poems as well. Her sister Charlotte discovered some of
Emily's poems and sought to publish them along with her own work and some by
Anne. The three sisters used male pen names for their collection—Poems by
Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell. Published in 1846, the book only sold a few
copies and garnered little attention.
Again publishing as Ellis Bell, Brontë
published her defining work, Wuthering Heights, in December 1847.
The complex novel explores two families—the Earnshaws and the Lintons—across
two generations and their stately homes, Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross
Grange. Heathcliff, an orphan taken in by the Earnshaws, is the driving force
between the action in the book. He first motivated by his love for his
Catherine Earnshaw, then by his desire for revenge against her for what he
believed to be rejection.
At first, reviewers did not know what to make
of Wuthering Heights. It was only after Brontë's death that the
book developed its reputation as a literary masterwork. She died of
tuberculosis on December 19, 1848, nearly two months after her brother,
Branwell, succumbed to the same disease. Her sister Anne also fell ill and died
of tuberculosis the following May.
Interest in Brontë's work and life remains
strong today. The parsonage where Brontë spent much of her life is now a
museum. The Bronte Society operates
the museum and works to preserve and honor the work of the Brontë sisters.
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