Wuthering Heights

[calzephyr]

I think, as long as I live, I'll never understand this story completely. One gets the impression that if only Heathcliff had some hobbies other than an unhealthy obsession with Catherine he have been a little happier in life. I read the book in high school and I didn't really get it then, so I found the PBS Masterpiece Theatre version at the library. The movie makes all the characters seem sympathetic in a way that I don't remember them being the book, and a lot of Heathcliff's cruelty is edited out from the movie, especially the death of Heathcliff's son. I guess I just can't feel for this tragic pair of lovers!

Comments

[troubleagain.livejournal.com]

HATEHATEHATE Wuthering Heights.

[calzephyr77.livejournal.com]

Yeah...I'll give the book another shot sometime, but maybe I'll enjoy another Bronte sister more :-D They can't all be bad!

[troubleagain.livejournal.com]

Oh, I absolutely ADORE Jane Eyre.

[silvermare.livejournal.com]

Wuthering Heights is not a love story. That's the first thing I had to accept in order to understand it. It's a study in cruelty.

Heathcliff in particular is a brilliant literary portrait of evil. When someone tries to interpret Wuthering Heights as a love story between Catherine and Heathcliff, they're doing a real disservice to the literature, in my opinion. When Heathcliff is interpreted as some sort of tragic hero with a broken heart, then I really question whether the interpreter understood the literature at all. Yes, Heathcliff and Catherine (the senior) really loved each other, but their relationship was not healthy. They were abusive. Furthermore, they were abusive toward others, as well.

I think that it really helps that I am a survivor of domestic violence and severe abuse, both in childhood and in adulthood. I have been in and out of survivor support groups since I was 14. I've heard a lot of stories from other people, too. That experience allowed me to see behaviors and patterns in Wuthering Heights that others miss (just as in society, a person from a relatively functional family misses the subtle signs of abuse in the house next door, while the neighbor across the street, who has been through some horrific experiences, sees it so clearly that she wonders why no one is intervening). It makes me wonder about Charlotte Bronte. Just what did she survive? Just what did she witness? Given that she was writing at a time when psychological profiling was somewhere between rudimentary and non-existent, and she would be unlikely to have access to what information did exist, I can only guess that she learned through direct observation, which is frightening to consider, given that she got so much of it spot on. Then again, I shouldn't be too surprised. At that time, it was legal (and sometimes even encouraged) for husbands to beat their wives and children. (Ever heard the phrase "spare the rod and spoil the child"? It was taken literally, and children were beaten on principle, to build character.) Such behavior sparks a chain reaction of emotional responses, some of which manifest in physical ways; it leads to corruption on many levels, even corruption of society itself, so that abuse becomes viral. To say that abusive relationships would be commonplace in such a culture is an understatement. They might have been the norm in some places, perhaps even expected. It wasn't until the 20th century that people started to really catch on to how sick, twisted, and damaging such cultures are. Unfortunately, once that juggernaut starts rolling, it's really hard to stop it! By comparison, it's easier to stamp out racial prejudice.

Now some of Charlotte's sketches were rather ridiculous, like Catherine going into emotional shock, suffering a shattered mind, having hallucinations, and then dying of a broken heart. That was pure artistic license at best and melodramatic nonsense at worst. Talk about a groaner! But her portrait of Heathcliff in particular was just plain scary.

If you read the book again from this perspective, I think it's going to make a lot more sense. Also, pay attention to how deftly Charlotte weaves an intricate plot line while creating character driven literature. From a writer's perspective, it's pure mastery! Now add to that the challenge of crafting a non-linear story in a meta-fiction format, and her work is even more astounding to me. I guess I admire her writing in the same way that an aspiring architect might be awed by Frank Lloyd Wright. LOL!

[silvermare.livejournal.com]

Whoops! I named the wrong Bronte sister! Charlotte Bronte wrote Jane Eyre. It was Emily that wrote Wuthering Heights. Oh well, just substitute Emily wherever you see Charlotte, I guess.