Wuthering Heights ~ Emily Brontë (1847)

Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights is globally recognised as a pinnacle of the Gothic novel; a type of story-telling inextricably linking horror, the wild and romance. The component of the novel which encapsulates this is the relationship of Cathy and Heathcliff: wild, unrestricted yet deeply romantic and weathered by tragedy. The story of Wuthering Heights revolves this, one of the most iconic romances of literature, and proves that love is not simple but is certainly worth the trials and heartbreak which inevitably follows. Set over a long space of time, the narrative span also allows readers to witness the development of its characters and in many senses, this is not for the better. A brutally honest allegory of the human condition, no character in Wuthering Heights is entirely righteous or pure. All have elements of darkness within them and this is reflected by the setting: the Yorkshire moors. Dangerous and barren yet beautiful, the Brontë sisters’ fascination with the rural setting strikes a contrast with the city landscapes which were favoured during the period, bringing literature back to its natural foundations present humanity in its true, wild form. The only sanctuary in this desert is the house, Wuthering Heights which forms its own character as like the ensemble, it changes in behaviour frequently. The house acts both as a sanctuary and as a prison and its tone is dependent on the ownership. The principle character which oversees this development in Ellen Dean, who reports the vast majority of the narrative and this is an area which has faced criticism and can also be confusing as it is not in fact Nelly who tells the story as it is framed by another figure. In the beginning of the story, Mr Lockwood arrives at Wuthering Heights and after a series of gothic events, he seeks to understand the history of the house and its inhabitants from its long serving house keeper. The story which is told by Nelly is framed by Lockwood, making him the overall narrator yet although this is an important role, he is lost during the narration and does not serve a significant purpose. Unlike some unreliable narrators which provide a vehicle for readers in the story, Lockwood abandons us and is therefore problematic and often confuses the story as we forget who the overall narrator is. This voice, however, is a minor part of the story and which it is not famed for Lockwood, the wild and fiercely passionate relationships which span beyond life are what identifies Wuthering Heights as a gothic novel and one of the most successful.