Emily Bronte's novel was exceptional. I have read a few other gothic novels such as Frankenstein, and I did not particularly appreciate the genre. Even though there was no one specific character that I connected to in Wuthering Heights I still enjoyed the novel because of its many characters and their elaborate relations to each other. There were so many tragic relationships and love triangles, of sorts, I almost felt that I was reading a Shakespeare play versus a gothic novel.
Heathcliff is one of the most powerful characters that I have read about in a long time. The entire novel revolves around him. It begins with his arrival at Wuthering Heights, continues to reveal his devious plan to take control of Wurthering Heights (and subsequently Thrushcross), and then the novel ends with his death. Also as we have perviously discussed, but I feel should be mentioned again, the importance of weather in Wurthering Heights. Heathcliff is surrounded by the presence of bad weather. When Mr. Earnshaw bring him home for the first time it is a stormy night, then when Heathcliff dies he dies in a storm. A possible interpretation of this is Heathcliff's life was turbulent because he came into "the world" of Wurthering Heights and brought anger and confusion to the Earnshaw's (especially Catherine). Also just like the end of a storm Heathcliff was menacing, leaving a trail of debris behind.
Billi Jo,
ReplyDeleteIsn't it amazing how much discussion a 160+ year old novel can generate? I participated in a literary conference on Wuthering Heights and we discussed it every day for a week! I hated missing class on Tuesday because I know aspects were brought up that haven't even dawned on me.
What didn't you like about Frankenstein? I was thinking about reading it.