Emily Brontë “Wuthering Heights” Book Review by Viktorija Tamašauskaitė

Wuthering Heights, the novel that no one expected to become such a popular book, was published in 1847 and written by one of the Brontë sisters – Emily.There is an interesting story behind Brontë women that caught my eye while researching about the novel “Wuthering Heights”. In the 19th century when Emily, Anne and Charlotte were trying to publish their novels, it was really hard for women to be taken as seriously as men in writing and publishing sphere. So they had to figure out what to do. And they did – sisters wend under the male pseudonyms Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell for a while. And when it was safe enough to announce who they really were it was a shock to all those people who liked their novels. I found it quite amusing because this fact represents not only the attitude towards women at that time but also shows the reader what he or she can expect to find in the book.
The novel “Wuthering Heights” itself, according to the critics (and I agree with them), is a masterpiece of Gothic love that includes moonless nights, supernatural encounters which helps to create the atmosphere of mystery, fear and makes the reader to want to know what happens next. “Wuthering Heights”, if I may say so,represents a passionate, intense and crazy love between Catherine Earshaw and Heathcliff. Love, which seemed doomed from the beginning.
When Catherine was little, one evening her father brought home an adopted child, which he took care of as any other child of his. Catherine and the adopted child, Heathcliff, grew together as their love for each other. Catherine and Heathcliff grew their interest in each other as well. It seemed wrong to love each other while living under the same roof. But when Catherine’s father died and she could be with Heathcliff for eternity, her brother, Hindley, bullied, humiliated him and finally told Heathcliff to go away because he has nothing to offer to his beloved sister. I found it too harsh because Heathcliff only wanted good for Catherine and her real brother was so stubborn that he couldn’t understand Heathcliff’s purest interests. So Heathcliff, after all that humiliation, went away with a belief that one day he could change his status and be more suitable man for Catherine. And he did change: Heathcliff returned as a rich and polished man to Wuthering Heights years later with the plan of revenge. As we can understand, he became not only rich and powerful but also full of anger.
Even though the story is tragic, chaotic and dark we still get the feeling of love which can conquer all. At first this novel might seem a little bit shallow. Yes, that happened to me and I am not proud of it. At first I read the blurb and thought that it would be another story of two people who cannot be together for some reason. But when I read the whole novel I thought to myself “And you thought it would be lame…”. In a way it was about two people who cannot be together because of the social status. But to me it seemed much deeper later. Brontë in “Wuthering Heights” introduced us not only to the feeling of wild and passionate love but also how money and society can change people’s attitudes towards each other and themselves. Money not always brings happiness: it often makes positive feelings go away and instead of those to feel greed and anger.

Well, at the end I would like to mention one last interesting fact: “Wuthering Heights” is considered to be one of the greatest English literature pieces of all as well as Emily Brontë is considered to be one the best writers of 19th century between women and men. And now, after I read one of her books, I will totally read more because I liked everything about “Wuthering Heights”: the idea, the style of writing and etc. I hope you will enjoy reading this novel too. 😉