A novel that
is known to many but read by a lot less. Many people would recognise the
characters of Cathy and Heathcliff or would be able to picture the wild
Yorkshire moors which act as the backdrop of Wuthering Heights, or perhaps they may even recognise some of the
famous quotes. Rereading the novel at the age of twenty-four, recently turned
twenty-five, has enlightened and engaged me in a way that reading throughout my
teenage years did not quite manage.
Brontë's style
is quite like the subject matter of her story. The narrative tracks the lives
of Heathcliff and Catherine, who is essence, were fated to be inextricably
connected, but due to the pomp and circumstance of social status during
the Brontë era, their fated life together became a muddled mess. This
transgression from “what could, and should have been” is fundamentally what
distances this novel from being the quintessential marriage plot text.
Renowned as a
love story, Brontë's tale challenges the thematic structure of the
love story. She undermines this tradition, by creating protagonists that, while
you may route for them to have whatever happy ending they may be capable of, they
are denied this in light of their status as anti-heroes. Everything in the
manner of Brontë's writing style is targeted to distance the reader
from endorsing a utopian conclusion for Cathy and Heathcliff.
The story
begins with a framing narrative where a Mr Lockwood has rented Thrushcross
Grange, situated in a remote area of Yorkshire, amidst the evocative moors
prevalent throughout the tale. upon visiting with his landlord, Mr Heathcliff,
Mr Lockwood establishes a rather poor first impression of Heathcliff. At the
conclusion of this first acquaintance, Brontë begins in her
denigrative and regressive beastly descriptions used in regard to Heathcliff
throughout the course of the text. Consistently Heathcliff is distanced from
humanity: animalised both physically and metaphysically. The nature of
animalistic language metaphorically illustrates Heathcliff's moral deficiency
during the entire narrative, and this all begins with a rather simple
characterisation of Heathcliff's as similar to the 'misbehaviour
of a pack of curs' (p. 12).
Within this
very devolution of Heathcliff's humanity, Brontë establishes the
very literal question mark the hovers over Heathcliff throughout the entire
novel. His immediate description by Mr Lockwood follows as:
'He is a
dark-skinned gypsy in aspect, in dress and manners a gentleman - that is, as
much as gentleman as many a country squire, rather slovenly perhaps yet
not looking amiss with his negligence, because he has an erect and
handsome figure - and rather morose. Possibly some people might suspect him of
a degree of under-bred pride - I have a sympathetic chord within that
tells me it is nothing of the sort; I know, by instinct, his reserve springs
from an aversion to shoes displays of feeling - to manifestations of
mutual kindliness.' (p. 10-11)
Mr Lockwood
as the driver of the secondary framing narrative, provides the perspective
of Heathcliff for the reader. As readers, we are innately required to trust in
Mr Lockwood and his viewpoint of the world, which slowly unfolds as we read on.
This places the reader upon unstable terrain similar to the likes of The
Great Gatsby and Lolita. Unreliable narrators offer a
capricious narrative climate due to a number of reasons, similarly to The
Great Gatsby's Nick Carraway and Lolita's Humbert Humbert, Mr
Lockwood is a character within the story and therefore will always be somewhat
biased based upon his personal interactions with the character, his own agenda
and inherent ideological status. Furthermore, once Brontë establishes
the tertiary narrative level prevalent throughout the crux of the novel, that
of Nelly Dean's reported narrative to Mr Lockwood, the narrative destablishes
further. As Nelly Dean is an actively involved character
throughout each stage of the reported tale involving the lives,
and deaths, of Heathcliff, Cathy and Linton, she provides highly biased
narrative and clearly shows favouritism for specific “heroes” within the course
of her own associations with them.
One cannot
imagine the world of Wuthering Heights without picturing those evocative
Whilst the
novel is ingrained in romantic phrases and declarations, Brontë in a
highly intellectual move, establishes the text as a direct antithesis to
the fulfilling nature of quintessential Romantic tradition. Where
customary Romantic texts will permit unions between the two leads, and
conclude with an emotionally satisfying conclusion, such as
exemplified within the works of Jane Austen, where all characters are paired
off or in some way reach a moralistic conclusion, the nature of Wuthering
Heights denies that ultimate satisfaction. Cathy's dilemma is
the fundamental crux of the novel, and this unfulfilled relationship
has a resultant ripple impact on each and every character featured within
the text.
One cannot
escape the devastatingly romantic language used by Cathy and Heathcliff
when describing their feelings for one another. Whilst they are both
abhorrent human beings, often cruel, manipulative and in essence self-serving
to a vindictive degree, they were destined to be together and are victims
of the machinations of class hierarchy entrenched in their time.
Heart-wrenching language such as the following examples quite literally
indicates the painful nature of the deep love shared between Heathcliff and
Cathy:
'"Whatever
our souls are made of, his and mine are the same..."' (p. 64).
'"If all
else perished and he reminded, I should still continue to be; and,
if all else remained and he were annihilated, the Universe would turn to a
might stranger."' (p. 65).
'"I have
not broken my heart - you have broken it; and in breaking it, you have
broken mine."' (p. 125).
'"Be
with me always - take any form - drive me mad! Only do no leave me in this
abyss, where I cannot find you! Oh, God! It is unutterable! I cannot live
without my life! I cannot live without my soul!"' (p.129).
In
summary, Brontë's novel juxtaposes elements in a manner that is
both intellectually and aesthetically beautiful. Whilst the story
may not contain the epic and satisfying endings of which we as a reader
have become accustomed to through the likes of reading Charlotte Brontë
and Jane Austen, the text elevates the typical romantic plot line to a
status of new reality. Love in this story, is not a case where soul mates that
are destined always end up together. Emily Brontë presents her readership
with a Black Mirror-esque view of the typical Romantic period text,
unflinchingly looking into the roots of a romance and the impact of social
expectations and hierarchal discourse upon those connections. In a
world where a romantic gesture has been denigrated to a swipe right or wolf
whistle, this text permits the reader to venture into a world of heartbreak and
epic adoration, and in spite of the irredeemable nature of Cathy and
Heathcliff's characters, the reader can experience long lost love amidst a truly
remarkable landscape. With elements of the supernatural juxtaposed to the
paradigmatic realism any reader of Wuthering Heights is in for an
exciting depiction of a different time. I would thoroughly recommend this
text to anyone, not only because it is a book on the 1001 Books to Read
Before You Die list, or because it depicts a metamorphisis of the
typical marriage plot and this mutated creature lays beyond the reader
captivating any seeking a new and emboldening experience.
★★★★
★★★★
#WutheringHeights #Bronte
#novel #literature #epiclove #epicromance #lovesomuchithurts #beautiful
#writing #intelligent #dichotomies #opposites #challengenorms #CathyandHeathcliff
#fate #marriageplot #reading
No comments:
Post a Comment