Lyn Pykett's feminist criticism of Wurthering Heights was very interesting to read because Pykett makes connections directly to the text that makes so much sense, that I feel silly for missing these points while actually reading the novel. A good example Pykett points out in the very beginning of her essay is the writing Lockwood finds by Catherine in his sleep quarters, “This writing was nothing but a name repeated in all kinds of characters, large and small -- Catherine Earnshaw, here and there varied to Catherine Heathcliff, and then again Catherine Linton. “(p.38). By the names that Catherine scratched into the paint in her room I feel that it shows that even as a young girl Catherine knew how her life would lay out. She was an Earnshaw and was nearly obligated to become a Linton, but she still had an adamant love for Heathcliff. This seems like a lot for a young girl to understand, but this is why Catherine is a strong character in the novel.
Without a doubt this essay addresses the relationship of Catherine and Edgar (which kind of relates back to Trista’s Marxists criticism blog). There is a quote on page 469 of Pykett essay that discusses Catherine’s struggle in marring a man she doesn’t love, “Because he is handsome and pleasant to be with...because he loves me...And he will be rich, and I shall like to be the greatest woman of the neighborhood, and I shall be proud of having such a husband.” (p.84). Catherine does not marry for romance, she marries for practicality. I find it interesting that Pykett says that Wurthering Heights strays away from traditional social norms by “exploring the consequences of the socially sanctioned choice” (p.469). Marriage is not an answer to Catherine’s problems, it only makes things worse when Heathcliff comes back into the picture. I feel like Emily Bronte displayed Catherine’s choice between two men in a non-romantic way, I feel that she took a very practical approach to forming Catherine’s decision.
Let me know what you guys think about Catherine’s relationships based on Pykett’s criticisms. Also this was probably my favorite literary criticism that I have read on Wuthering Heights. I feel that Bronte would have considered points made by this criticism when she wrote her novel.
