WutheringHeights，theonlyfictionofEmilyBronte,waspublishedin1847.Itisastoryaboutloveandrevenge.Afterfinishingthenovel,mostpeopleincludingmewouldappreciateHeathcliffforhispure,simpleanduntamedlovewhichwouldneverchangeuntildeath.Ontheotherhand,itisdifficulttounderstandhisabnormal,callousandhisloveforCatherine.Heathcliffwasanilliberalandunscrupulousperson.HelovedCatherineandwaswillingtogiveupeverythingforher.InthenorthofEnglandwherethewindblewhard,theblackanddirtychild,Heathcliff,fellinlovewithalittlegirl,Catherinewhogavehimloveandalsomisery.
WecansupposethatifHeathcliffdidn’tleave,andhelivedwithCatherine,weretheyhappyWeretheyateaseWhatlifedidtheyliveCantheyruncrazilyonthewildlandCatherinelookeddownuponHeathcliff’scowardice,onceshetalkedaboutHeathclifftoIsabella:TellherwhatHeathcliffis:anunreclaimedcreature,withoutrefinement,withoutcultivation:anaridwildernessoffurzeandwhinstone.Butshehadneversuspectedhercourage.ShelovedHeathcliffundoubtedly,butshewasafraidtobewithhim.Heathcliffhadquestionedher:Youteachmenowhowcruelyou"vebeen--cruelandfalse.WhydidyoudespisemeWhydidyoubetrayyourownheart,CatherineIftheylovedeachother,whydidcheattheirheartComparedwithCatherine,isHeathcliffmoreforgivableforhisinsistenceandself-abased
Intheend,Catherinedied.Shewas19,andHeathcliffwas20.However,thestorywasnotend.AfterCatherine’sdeath,Heathcliffwasnotlikable.Hismaniacrevengeseemednoendless.Heeventookvengeanceontheirchildren.IsthisloveIsthisresentmentDidHeathcliffloveCatherinemoreorhehatetheworldmoreWhatdidherevengeforDoesforCatherineorhimTheytorturedeachother,buttheystilllovedeachother.Wecannotfindouttheanswer.Butwecanknowthatatlast,theyfinallystayedwitheachotherandnoonecantakethemapart.Andifshehadbeendissolvedintoearth,orworse,whatwouldyouhavedreamtofthen"Isaid.Ofdissolvingwithher,andbeingmorehappystill!"heanswered.Nomatterhowmuchmisunderstanding,regretandpaintheyreceivedbefore,nowtheyrestinpeace.JustlikeCatherinesaid:Whateveroursoulsaremadeof,hisandminearethesame。
WhenIfinishedreadingthisbookandbegintochewtheprofoundmeaningandtheessenceinthisbook,IfindthatIhavelearnedalotoflifetruth.Formypart,loveistolearntolerance.Ifyoureallyfallinlovewithsomeone,youwillunderstandifsheorhecangethappinessandhaveeverlovedyou,thatisenough.Readingaclassicisareallytiredandjoyfulthing.WhenIammovedbythefigure’semotion,Iwillfeelsadandalsogainenlightenment.Inaddition,whichmovesmemostisthatitteachesmetokeepthedignityoflifeandtheheartoffreedom.Nomatterhowausterethechallengewemeet,weshouldyearnforfreedom.
myfeelingsafterreadingwutheringheights
wutheringheightsisawell-writtentragedyoflove。afterreadingthewholestory，iwouldliketotalkaboutthemaincharactersofthestorycatherineearnshawandheathcliff。catherineearnshawandheathcliffloveeachotherverymuch，buttheydonothavetherightattitudetowardslove，whichleadstothetragedy。
incatherineslife，shemadeaveryfoolishdecision---marryingtoedgar。infact，herloveforedgarcanneverbeparedtothatforheathcliff。shedidso，becauseshethoughtthewealthofedgarwouldbeusefultoheathcliff。butinreality，itdidnotwork。shedidnothaveagoodunderstandingoflove，whichissomethingpureandsaint。ifanyoneaddanypurposeintolove，loveitselflostitsmeaning。catherineswrongdecisionhurttwopeoplewholoveher，andevendestroyedthehappinessoftheiroffspring。
heathcliffisamanfullofretaliation。helovedcatherineverymuch，butwhathedid，onthecontrary，addedtothemiseryofcatherine。inmyopinion，ifhereallylovedcatherine，heshouldnotwalkintocatherineslifeagainafterhisdisappearance。furthermore，afterthedeathofcatherine，whatheathcliffdidbroughtagonytocatherinesdaughter，aswellashisownson。
afterreading，ihaveabetterunderstandingoflove。ifyoulovereallysomeone，hisorherhappinessisthethingthatmostmatters。
Publishedin1847，WUTHERINGHEIGHTSwasnotwellreceivedbythereadingpublic，manyofwhomcondemneditassordid，vulgar，andunnatural–andauthorEmilyBrontewenttohergravein1848believingthatheronlynovelwasafailure。Itwasnotuntil1850，whenWUTHERINGHEIGHTSreceivedasecondprintingwithanintroductionbyEmily’ssisterCharlotte，thatitattractedawidereadership。Andfromthatpointthereputationofthebookhasneverlookedback。TodayitiswidelyrecognizedasoneofthegreatnovelsofEnglishliterature。
Evenso，WUTHERINGHEIGHTScontinuestodividereaders。Itisnotaprettylovestory;rather，itisswirlingtaleoflargelyunlikeablepeoplecaughtupinobsessivelovethatturnstodarkmadness。Itiscruel，violent，darkandbrooding，andmanypeoplefinditextremelyunpleasant。Andyet–itpossessesagrandeuroflanguageanddesign，asenseoftremendouspityandgreatlossthatsetsitapartfromvirtuallyeveryothernovelwritten。
Thenovelistoldintheformofanextendedflashback。Afteravisittohisstrangelandlord，anewcomertotheareadesirestoknowthehistoryofthefamily–whichhereceivesfromNellyDeans，aservantwhointroducesustotheEarnshawfamilywhoonceresidedinthehouseknownasWutheringHeights。Itwasonceacheerfulplace，butOldEarnshawadopteda“Gipsy”childwhohenamedHeathcliff。AndCatherine，daughterofthehouse，foundinhimtheperfectcompanion:wild，rude，andasproudandcruelasshe。ButalthoughCatherineloveshim，evenrecognizeshimashersoulmate，shecannotlowerherselftomarrysofarbelowhersocialstation。Sheinsteadmarriesanother，andinsodoingsetsinmotionanobsessionthatwilldestroythemall。
WUTHERINGHEIGHTSisabitdifficultto“getinto;”theopeningchaptersaresodarkintheirportraitoftheendresultofthisobsessivelovethattheyaresomewhatoff-putting。Buttheyfeedintotheflowoftheworkinaremarkableway，settingthestageforoneofthemostremarkablestructuresinallofliterature，astorythatcirclesuponitselfinaseriesofrepetitionsasitplaysoutacrosstwogenerations。CatherineandHeathcliffareequallyremarkable，bothviciousandcruel，andyetneverabletoshedtheirimpossiblelovenomatterhowbrutallyonemaywoundtheother。
Asthenovelcoilsfurtherintoalcoholism，seduction，andoneofthemostelaboratelyimaginedplansofrevengeitgathersintoaghostlytone:Heathcliff，driventomadnessbyawomanwhoisnottherebutwhoseemsreflectedineverypartofhisworld–dragginghercorpsefromthegrave，hearinghercallingtohimfromthemoors，escalatinghisbrutalitynotforthesakeofbrutalitybutsothathermemorywillneverfade，sothatshemayneverleavehisminduntildeathitself。Yes，thisismadness，insanity，andthereisnopeacethissideofthegraveorevenbeyond。
Itisastunningnovel，frightening，inexorable，unsettling，filledwithunbridledpassionthatmakesonecringe。Evenifyoudonotlikeit，youshouldreaditatleastonce–andthosewhodolikeitwillreturntoitagainandagain.
TheGothicSettinginWutheringheights
Afterallthisterm’slearningonEnglishliterature,Wutheringheightmaybethemostimpressivenoveltome.SoIwilldiscusssomethingspecialinthisbook,thegothicsetting.
Whatisgothicsetting
Gothicsettingisoneofthefictiongenreswhichfirstbeginatthemiddleof19centuryinEngland.Sa一vage,mystery,terror,backward,dark,familycurse,supernaturalandsuspensearethesignalfeaturesofthiskindoffictiongenre.Itmainlytalkssomethingaboutthedarksideofsocietysuchasfamilyhatredandsuccessionrace.Thestoryinthisstyleusuallyhappensinremoteplacethatfarawayfromcity.
WhatdoweknowaboutgothicsettinginWutheringheights
Infact,whatimpressesmemostinthisnovelisthedescriptionoftheenvironment.Itisfullofgothicsetting.WecanfindthatthereisnosunshineinWutheringheightsalltheyeararound,thehazeandatmospheretheremakepeoplefeelmysteryanddepressive.Theweatherisalwayschangingaccordingtotheplot.Whenthereissomethingbadlyhappen,theenvironmentwillbeinfluenced.Forexample,raincomesatonceafterCatherine’sbetray.WhenitcomestoCatherine’sdeath,itchangesquicklyandsuddenlytohea一vyrainandstrongwind.Allinall,Ithinkallthisgothicsettingistoshowthefeelingofwriter.
Thegothicsettinginthebooknotonlyshowsusthemysteryoftheenvironment,butalsotellsusthesocietystageandthedifferentlifestylebetweendifferentclassesinthatperiod.ToCatherine,HeathcriffwhobelongstothelowerclassrepresentsspirituallovewhileLintonintheupperclassrepresentsmaterial.Sheisinadilemmatomakeadecision.Ononehand,allofusknowCatherinelovesHeathcriffdeeply.Ontheotherhand,Lintoncangiveherthelifesheexpects,arichandcomfortablelifeandberespectedbypeople.Materialwinsintheend.
Whatdowelearnfromthisnovel
Trueloveormaterial,thisisaquestion.Inthenovel,Catherinesacrificeherlovetopursueacomfortablelive.ActuallymaterialisusuallythefirstchoiceIthinkwhenmostofthewomencometothisdecision.Thiswasoneofthehotesttopicat2010afterawomensaidonTVshewouldrathertocryinaBMWthantolaughonabicycle.Whatshesaidlikedabigstonethrownintoapeacefullake.CanmoneyreallyreplaceloveAlotofpeopleargueonthisquestionwhetheritisworthyofsacrificingontheInternet.
AsfarasI’amconcerned,nothingcantaketheplaceofourlove.Thoughmaterialisnecessary,toomuchmoneycannotmakepeoplehappier.Itisordinaryforustopersueabetterlife.Butdowereallyha一vetosacrificeourloveWhycan’twemakeourlifecomfortablethroughourhandsorwithourlover.Maybewewillcometosometrouble.Butalltheseobstaclesarejusttomakeusstronger.Thoughtheprocessisdifficult,itmaybethemostpreciousmemoryandourtreasuresafterovercomingallthisdifficulties.
Publishedin1847,WUTHERINGHEIGHTSwasnotwellreceivedbythereadingpublic,manyofwhomcondemneditassordid,vulgar,andunnatural–andauthorEmilyBrontewenttohergravein1848believingthatheronlynovelwasafailure.Itwasnotuntil1850,whenWUTHERINGHEIGHTSreceivedasecondprintingwithanintroductionbyEmily’ssisterCharlotte,thatitattractedawidereadership.Andfromthatpointthereputationofthebookhasneverlookedback.TodayitiswidelyrecognizedasoneofthegreatnovelsofEnglishliterature.
Evenso,WUTHERINGHEIGHTScontinuestodividereaders.Itisnotaprettylovestory;rather,itisswirlingtaleoflargelyunlikeablepeoplecaughtupinobsessivelovethatturnstodarkmadness.Itiscruel,violent,darkandbrooding,andmanypeoplefinditextremelyunpleasant.Andyet–itpossessesagrandeuroflanguageanddesign,asenseoftremendouspityandgreatlossthatsetsitapartfromvirtuallyeveryothernovelwritten.
Thenovelistoldintheformofanextendedflashback.Afteravisittohisstrangelandlord,anewcomertotheareadesirestoknowthehistoryofthefamily–whichhereceivesfromNellyDeans,aservantwhointroducesustotheEarnshawfamilywhoonceresidedinthehouseknownasWutheringHeights.Itwasonceacheerfulplace,butOldEarnshawadopteda“Gipsy”childwhohenamedHeathcliff.AndCatherine,daughterofthehouse,foundinhimtheperfectcompanion:wild,rude,andasproudandcruelasshe.ButalthoughCatherineloveshim,evenrecognizeshimashersoulmate,shecannotlowerherselftomarrysofarbelowhersocialstation.Sheinsteadmarriesanother,andinsodoingsetsinmotionanobsessionthatwilldestroythemall.
WUTHERINGHEIGHTSisabitdifficultto“getinto;”theopeningchaptersaresodarkintheirportraitoftheendresultofthisobsessivelovethattheyaresomewhatoff-putting.Buttheyfeedintotheflowoftheworkinaremarkableway,settingthestageforoneofthemostremarkablestructuresinallofliterature,astorythatcirclesuponitselfinaseriesofrepetitionsasitplaysoutacrosstwogenerations.CatherineandHeathcliffareequallyremarkable,bothviciousandcruel,andyetneverabletoshedtheirimpossiblelovenomatterhowbrutallyonemaywoundtheother.
Asthenovelcoilsfurtherintoalcoholism,seduction,andoneofthemostelaboratelyimaginedplansofrevengeitgathersintoaghostlytone:Heathcliff,driventomadnessbyawomanwhoisnottherebutwhoseemsreflectedineverypartofhisworld–dragginghercorpsefromthegrave,hearinghercallingtohimfromthemoors,escalatinghisbrutalitynotforthesakeofbrutalitybutsothathermemorywillneverfade,sothatshemayneverleavehisminduntildeathitself.Yes,thisismadness,insanity,andthereisnopeacethissideofthegraveorevenbeyond.
Itisastunningnovel,frightening,inexorable,unsettling,filledwithunbridledpassionthatmakesonecringe.Evenifyoudonotlikeit,youshouldreaditatleastonce–andthosewhodolikeitwillreturntoitagainandagain.