Title: Wuthering Heights
Author: Emily Bronte
Publication date: 1874
Book's setting: 1765-1803
Random facts: This is why we don't marry our cousins.
Plot summary: Lockwood moves into a large estate in Yorkshire and pays his landlord a visit. His landlord is the dark and brooding Heathcliff who lives a secluded and strange life with his daughter-in-law Cathy and nephew Hareton. Lockwood is intrigued by the family and asks his housekeeper, Nelly, to hell his Heathcliff's story. Nelly, who was nanny to almost all the characters in Wuthering Heights, humors him and tells the dark and gothic story of Heathcliff and Catherine's love and destruction.
Favorite aspects: It was well written, that is undeniable. And it was sort of funny and quite enjoyable and I am actually glad I read it. It daunted me at first- 500 pages of gothic romance? But I am glad I did. Actually it was so engrossing I read it in a 12 hour day... after taking a week to get past the first two chapters. It was incredibly vivid, maybe one of the most vivid classics I have ever read. I could see all of the houses perfectly in my mind, the characters were very real, the moors were haunting and beautiful. If only I actually cared about whether anyone lived or died!
Least favorite aspects: I just didn't like the characters. I am a sucker for romances that start in childhood, I'm a sucker for love that boarders social class. So why didn't I care about Heathcliff and Cathy? Because they were idiots. Usually I like the underdog characters and I root for the selfish, proud ones. But Heathcliff and Cathy were just evil. They did absolutely everything they possibly could think of to piss each other off in life, and then continued to manage to piss each other off from beyond the grave. What sort of love story is that? They never even attempted to make the other happy. They were both convinced that the other one "belonged" to them and then when the other did not comply they went out and married other people, had other people's children, ran away, screamed, ran about the moors and almost died, actually died, etc. I mean, there is selfishness and then there is calculated evil. Was this supposed to be romantic, or is the idea that it is some sort of twisted conclusion that some emo girls decided?
Other works it reminded me of: Jamaica Inn by Daphne DuMaurier; The Star of Kazan by Eva Ibbotson; Downright Dencey by Caroline Dale Snedeker.
Sadie's merciless break-down: It's funny. Wuthering Heights, the book I didn't even want to read, became the perfect way to pimp out my favorite book of all time on this blog. That book would be Downright Dencey by Caroline Dale Snedeker, and its sequel, The Beckoning Road. The main difference between Wuthering Heights and Downright Dencey is that Dencey and Jetsam are Christians. I think that Cathy and Heathcliff are very good example as to how being a heathen means your life will suck forever. Both Heathcliff and Jetsam were adopted youths who had to fight to be respected in their worlds. Both Dencey and Cathy were desperately in love with them as children. Heck, even both heroines almost died trying to save the other. But there the two stories separate because Jetsam becomes a Quaker and he goes about his relationship in a mature way, despite the fierce and dangerous passion he feels for Dencey. If Dencey married The Earl of Starr just to spite Jetsam for going to sea then you would have Wuthering Heights. But love prevails in Downright Dencey. Love never prevails in Wuthering Heights and that is why I am hesitant to call it a romance novel. Not only does love never prevail, it's not even respected. Potential love affairs are squashed all over. Lovers are mocked. No one is happy in their relationships. Cathy and Heathcliff do everything in their power to make the other one miserable... but they are supposed to love each other? I don't understand. Wuthering Heights was an excellent books. (Downright Dencey is better. Read it. Now.) But whether or not it was good or not has nothing to do with my next point. I've heard this book talked about like a romance- a gothic romance, but a romance nonetheless. I didn't see that. People go on and on about the epic love in the novel and the great hero and strong heroine. NO. Heathcliff is a creep. Cathy is a manipulated brat. Any girl who finds Heathcliff attractive needs to be introduced to Joe Willard or something. Any girl who finds Heathcliff and Cathy romantic needs to go read some Jane Austen and cool down. It was a dark and exciting and enjoyable, but anyone who wanted to model their love life after ANY of the relationships in Wuthering Heights needs to CONSIDER THEIR CHOICES.
Recommendation rate: It was an excellent book and I enjoyed it. However if you are looking for romance RUN FAR AWAY. This is much more comparable to Vanity Fair than North and South. There is no redemption.
Oh gosh. Bravo for finishing it! I just couldn't do it. The desire to fling the thing against the wall won out over the urge never to leave a book unfinished.
ReplyDeleteYour review on the other hand, I absolutely adored. :D
Loved the review up until "The main difference between Wuthering Heights and Downright Dencey is that Dencey and Jetsam are Christians." - You do know that Emily Brontë was the daughter of a parson, right? And considering the times, there's nothing to suggest at least Cathy isn't a faithful Christian.
ReplyDeleteThe comment that really beggars belief, though is: "I think that Cathy and Heathcliff are very good example as to how being a heathen means your life will suck forever." - Err ... So by that definition, anyone not a follower of the Christian faith will have lives that suck? That's more than a bit presumptuous, not to mention just a taaaad offensive to the 5+ billion people of this planet who aren't Christians, and a majority of those I bet would not class their lives as being sucky.
Aside from that, I agree with your review. It's a well-written story about a bunch of unlikable people who live and die to make each other as miserable as possible. Anyone finding Heathcliff attractive should have their head examined. He's a sociopath!
Just because Emily was a Christian does not mean her characters follow that mold, no?
ReplyDeleteAnd the "suck forever" was a bit of sarcasm. Really what I meant was that sin (jealousy, pride) is always man's downfall. People who act badly set themselves up for bad things to happen.
I am fairly sure that Bronte was not trying to write a beautiful romance. I think it was supposed to be creepy and make you hate Heathcliff and want to slap Cathy. The only people who would call it a a nice romance would be some seriously stupid people.
ReplyDeleteI mean, I read this when I was like 12 and I was convinced Heathcliff was the son of Satan. So convinced. The story is meant to be gothic and dark and eerie and all that.