Barbara Nathan Hardy: Wuthering Heights (Emily Brontë). (1963, Blackwell)
94 pages
English language
Published Dec. 1, 1963 by Blackwell.
Psychologically interesting, dark tale.
This was the first Bronte book I have read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Emily Bronte illustrates how the affections felt between individuals have lasting, multi-generational implications, especially when love is unrequited. One salient theme in this book is how seeking revenge is dangerous and often causes more harm to the would-be avenger than to those whom he or she seeks to punish. Highly recommended!
I knew nothing about it going in and assumed I was in for a sort of [b:Pride & Prejudice|1885|Pride and Prejudice|Jane Austen|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320399351s/1885.jpg|3060926] rom-com... “Heathcliff” sounded like the name you’d give a sort of romance novel cover guy.
Nope nope nope. Imagine Hannibal Lecter directing the cast of Rocky Horror Picture Show to turn the camp down to 2 and do the play in the style of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf... at gunpoint.
“Cut!” Lecter slams his cognac down on the table in front of him, almost hard enough to shatter the glass. “Heathcliff, Martha, relax. You're almost there: a soupçon more Übermensch and less verklempt, capiche?” Heathcliff and Martha stand completely still, silent, staring at Lecter’s casually rocking pistol with wide eyes. “Riff Raff! What did I tell you: this scene needs more dead puppies. More! Dead! Puppies!” Riff Raff hurriedly limps off to the puppy vat, …
I knew nothing about it going in and assumed I was in for a sort of [b:Pride & Prejudice|1885|Pride and Prejudice|Jane Austen|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320399351s/1885.jpg|3060926] rom-com... “Heathcliff” sounded like the name you’d give a sort of romance novel cover guy.
Nope nope nope. Imagine Hannibal Lecter directing the cast of Rocky Horror Picture Show to turn the camp down to 2 and do the play in the style of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf... at gunpoint.
“Cut!” Lecter slams his cognac down on the table in front of him, almost hard enough to shatter the glass. “Heathcliff, Martha, relax. You're almost there: a soupçon more Übermensch and less verklempt, capiche?” Heathcliff and Martha stand completely still, silent, staring at Lecter’s casually rocking pistol with wide eyes. “Riff Raff! What did I tell you: this scene needs more dead puppies. More! Dead! Puppies!” Riff Raff hurriedly limps off to the puppy vat, stage right.
What a miserable collection of terrible people. Just simply the worst. Rarely am I so glad to get to the end of a book. I need at least one redeemable character, so I slogged on until the end, to be left wanting.
Glad to cross this classic off my list and move on to happier things! Well written but not enjoyable. 2 stars for longevity. No stars awarded for entertainment value.
How did I feel about this novel during my sixteenth summer? Too bad I didn't keep any sort of journal. I do remember liking it, and have vague memories of envisioning Heathcliff as some kind of suffering romantic.
This time, at more than three times that age, I still find it a compelling read, but not the one I'd expected. For one thing, I found Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw to be less than appealing, and felt very sorry for Edgar Linton, the man Catherine married. Their lives were fine after marriage, until Heathcliff returns to seek his revenge. He manages to ruin several lives and shorten the life of his beloved Catherine, in the bargain. His anger and hatred turn him into such a miserable, cruel villain that it is hard to retain any sympathy for him. Indeed, my sympathy was with everyone else.
However, after Heathcliff's unrequited love tragedy …
How did I feel about this novel during my sixteenth summer? Too bad I didn't keep any sort of journal. I do remember liking it, and have vague memories of envisioning Heathcliff as some kind of suffering romantic.
This time, at more than three times that age, I still find it a compelling read, but not the one I'd expected. For one thing, I found Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw to be less than appealing, and felt very sorry for Edgar Linton, the man Catherine married. Their lives were fine after marriage, until Heathcliff returns to seek his revenge. He manages to ruin several lives and shorten the life of his beloved Catherine, in the bargain. His anger and hatred turn him into such a miserable, cruel villain that it is hard to retain any sympathy for him. Indeed, my sympathy was with everyone else.
However, after Heathcliff's unrequited love tragedy has run its course, Emily Bronte does provide a happier echo for the ending with the next generation. The blossoming relationship between Catherine Linton and Hareton Earnshaw is actually quite romantic.
At times, it seemed that the Earnshaws and the Lintons were the only families on earth, because whatever happened that did not happen between them or at one of their estates seems very remote. There is a nearby town and church, but they are barely described.
It seems unfathomable to live such a dull, circumscribed life, but then, that was the life of the Bronte sisters. I'm grateful that they had such vivid imaginations! I enjoyed the way the story is told in flashback, by an unreliable narrator, servant Nelly Dean. It's a thought-provoking tale that I would recommend to most.
