Emily Brontë: Wuthering Heights: Critical Studies

Penguin Critical Studies

by Rod Mengham

Hailed by The Times Educational Supplement as "superb", Penguin Critical Studies is a distinguished series of critical essays on the major works of literature. Ideal for students as well as serious readers.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Literature, Literary Criticism

128 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1989

Reviews

[Sonali Chakravorty]

This book is hailed as one of the most popular romance novels - the idea of doomed love, a rude hero with a broken heart, a practical heroine who chose money over love. The themes in this book have been taken and reused to death over generations and they never grow stale. That is the power of Wuthering Heights!
I love both Emily and Charlotte's books as they seem as current and relevant today as they were all those years ago!

[Stephen Franks]

It all looks so different (and the 'impossibility' of their love makes sense) if you buy into the notion that Heathcliff and Catherine are actually half-brother and sister......

[Adela Cc]

fascinating read, brought on so many perspectives i never considered (this is why we need to read what people smarter than us wrote about our favorite books) and solidified the opinion that emily brontë was a damn genius. not to mention it was extremely refreshing for me because i feel like this novel in particular has such bad-faith takes online that end up oversimplifying it to a tragic extent given its complexity. i think as a response to how simplified this novel has been by hollywood by focusing only on the relationship between heathcliff and cathy (and cosmeticizing this relationship) as a response it’s now often common to see people describing this book as “just awful people being awful to eachother, no one has any redeeming qualities” which in my mind is just as gross an oversimplification.

a definite highlight for me was the comment about the reversed cat-mouse simile between cathy and edgar BLEW MY MIND. emily brontë your mind 🤧

[Cassie]

I had heard for years the reference to Kathrine & Heathcliffe linked in the category of romance couples. I watched the Laurence Olivier movie and cried at his loss. Then I read the book. I was appalled at the way Katherine treated Heathcliffe! Then I discovered that most movies only end with Katherine's death which is not the end of the story, it's the middle. Heathcliffe is a horrible human being! He may be pining away, literally insane with the loss of Katherine, but they way he treats the people he is in charge of (including Katherine's own daughter) is not enjoable to read! I have determined that the Bronte sisters must have had horrible, depressing, abusive lives for all they've written. I'll stick with my tried and true Jane Austen for true romantic couples.

[a]

Interesting insight into the book!! Also made me realize Nelly’s kind of a bad person 💔

[Janet Little]

A good long read. The preface to my copy states that Emily Bronte was inspired by Sir Walter Scott, and it was interesting to discover similarties.

[Kelly]

SO dark and depressing.

[Joséphine gagnon]

«Les hauts de hurle-vent» est un livre très intéressant pour plusieurs aspects. Mon appréciation du roman tourne particulièrement autour de trois aspects précis.

Le style de l’auteure:
Le vocabulaire choisis par Emily, a beaucoup retenue mon attention de façon très positive. Je trouve qu’il rendait la lecture plus agréable et captivante. Bien sûr des fois je devais chercher quelques mots dans le dictionnaire,se qui m’a fait en apprendre davantage.

Les personnages:
La plupart du temps lorsqu’il y’a une grande diversité de personnes, je trouve cela mélangeant. Mais cette fois c’était différent,Emily a su bien les décrire de façon à bien les imaginer et à bien les comprendre. L’autrice anglaise a su parfaitement les mettre en vie.

La complexité du récit:
Le récit était complet tout les éléments était là. Il y avait une multitude de détails, se qui a rendu la lecture captivante et facile de compréhension.

[Diego]

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë: "A dark and passionate tale of love and revenge, 'Wuthering Heights' is a haunting exploration of human emotions. Emily Brontë's unique narrative style and unforgettable characters create a powerful and enduring work of literature."

[pupper (a)]

A secondhand critical literary study, annotated by the previous owner, or more commonly known as me reading someone’s thoughts on the book, but also someone’s thoughts on someone else’s thoughts on the book

[lizzy]

the most lit book on the planet slaps to the moon and back. cathy and heathcliff are the only straights allowed thanks

[Allison Eisnor]

Definitely a must read for everyone

[Mark Abernathy]

Excellent required reeding!

[Aimee Rust-rinehart]

Worst bore I ever read

[Sarah Boules]

There is no world in which I wouldn't love this book and have reread it at least 15 times. It is a classic for a reason.

[Reader]

Good to read

[Teaghan VH]

The first 100 pages are incredibly long, but the drama between the families is wonderful. Hard to read for sure but 100% classic

[Sherry Boak]

I don't know. I may need to read again. Or not. I can't decide how I feel about this book.

[Michelle Goans]

Bronte is a great writer and the story is interesting but the characters are all terrible people which leaves you not wanting to cheer anyone on.

[Cornerofmadness]

Another reread for my vampire genre class, as there are not only the vampiric relationships going on but hints of vampirism surrounding the deaths of the main characters. I hated this novel back in my undergrad days and in the reread I still hate it. I have no pity for any of them.

I find it an utterly unconvincing love story. Catherine is a user. Heathcliff is a sociopath. Now, if I had to pity anyone besides Cathy II, Hareton & Linton in the second half of the novel, it would be Heathcliff. Abandoned beggar then treated like crap by Catherine’s brother, the servants (Nell running hot and cold throughout), and even by Catherine herself, it’s not a wonder they managed to create a sociopath (if in fact they are created and not just born that way). Heathcliff never stood a chance but it doesn’t excuse his own sadism. This is just an all around unpleasant story and I’ve never understood the love for it. Sorry, I don’t. Catherine gets exactly what she gives. Her husband is no better and her brother reaped what he sowed. Even Isabella was warned but didn’t heed it, though I did feel a little sorry for her. I was wondering though if Cathy II has never heard of going out a window or poison but I have to remember when this was written and how helpless women were seen as being

[Melissa]

I first read this book in 8th grade, though, I remembered little of it this second time around. I was surprised at how quickly I got past the style of writing and into the story. The history behind the book intrigues me. Wuthering Heights was first published in 1847, and Emily Bronte died just a year later in 1848. This was her only novel. I might rent the movie, but I'm scared to because I don't want to ruin the picture of Thrushcross Grange and the Heights that I've created in my mind! I also feel that I have developed an entirely new vocabulary of words thanks to Joseph and Hareton.

[Natali]

I read this book during my senior year of high school. Loved it. Loved every page. Tortured romance at its best.

There have been some really great songs written about this book during the modern rock era. For example:

Michael Penn - No Myth
http://skreemr.com/link.jsp?id=665243...

Kate Bush - Whuthering Heights
http://skreemr.com/link.jsp?id=6B5844...

[Jeffrey]

This book reminded me of Edgar Allen Poe. There Ghosts at the start and end. Catherine and Heathcliff were very controlling but the others in the story let it happen. The story did strike a cord since Heathcliff was adopted and thought to be a gypsy. It got me thinking about the whole adoption process.

[Dan]

One of my firm favourites completely down to Heathcliff. He has style, passion and no last name. Wow. And the way he acquires property points to him being a master monopoly player. Great book, consistently interesting, it is a thumping narrative. Great. If you haven't been introduced to Heathcliff yet, then go and read this book!

[Eric Danielson]

i really thought fischa was quite the antoginist. She never fails to impress me. She is always in the right spot at the right time, and loves to chat with her fantasy man through the moon. Which remindes me of the song that is like. somethin somethin somethin and a silver spoon. And then it keeps going. i think its by Cat Stevens. He's so great.

[Carissa Doucette]

Well I didn't like this book at all! Wuthering Heights is suppose to be a love story but the main characters fought all time. If your "lovers" why would you call each others names? This book was very difficult to read and it didn't capture my attention at all. The furious bipolar love is not really a love story. She flirted with another guy just to make her man jealous. This is a crazy book lol.

[J.C. Paulk]

Even though it isn't well written structurally, there are few books that have characters that can stay with you for years. There are few books that have a story where the emotion is so easily accesible. This is one of them.

[Beth]

The psychology used in between character is amazing to me, it was really complex. I thought that it was really slow to start with but I got to where I had to finish it and see what Heathcliff was going to do next.

[John Mazzoni]

Oh dear me, I am really such a girl, although I am a male, to be sure, lol. Is it really so wrong to be enfactuated with lovely stories full of loveable characters reading books to eachother within books? If so, this book, among many others, would simply be to hard to give up :)

[Lani Ayers]

I finally finished it and I completely agree with Charlotte Bronte when she said "for everyone who has read it, it is a never to be forgotten story." I might not of thought it as a happily ever after or even a ok after but it was definitely an amazing story.