WUTHERING HEIGHTS

By Emily Bronte

Wuthering Heights is the tale of Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, of their love, their hate, of their good times and the not so good times, their childhood and their youth, of their lives and their death. The story revolves around Earshaws, habitants of Wuthering Heights and their neighbours, the Lintons from Trushcross Grange.

The narrative is non-linear and the 2 narrators- Lockwood (tenant of Heathcliff at Trushcross Grange) and the house-maid, Ellen Dean keep going back and forth in time while narrating the story of the last 30 years or so. It's a novel told in a series of narratives, and interestingly, these narratives are themselves told to the narrator (Lockwood). The novel, at times slightly incomprehensible (Joseph's crap).

Not to be missed or misunderstood are the larger than life characters of the novel. Agreed, it's a work of fiction but Wuthering Heights in particular is more fiction than a fiction. Atleast, I couldn't identify with any character in the novel. Not even Ellen Dean for that matter. Though, many will argue that she was the most sane among others, but in my opinion, even she was no where close to being imaginable or real. Another remarkable thing is the author's style of writing in a 'detached' yet 'beautiful' manner. With the author's detailed description of the surroundings, they could very well be imagined and lived.

Something that definitely deserves a mention are the supernatural hints (presence of Catherine's ghost) thrown in and some questions that were left unanswered (Heathcliff's transformation to a gentleman and the source of his wealth). As far as the former is concerned, I believe the author took it a bit too far (even further from reality) and for the latter, I believe, all questions raised should better be answered by the author. Again, some may argue that such open-ended conclusions and unanswered questions give the readers a chance to form their own conclusions but I think differently.

Wuthering Heights was first published in 1847 under the pseudonym Ellis Bell. Later, the second edition was edited by Emily Bronte's sister Charlotte.

The Last Word:
An interesting read, thanks to an innovative narrative!