*Spoilers*
The windswept moors are the unforgettable setting of this tale of the love between the foundling Heathcliff and his wealthy benefactor’s daughter, Catherine. Through Catherine’s betrayal of Heathcliff and his bitter vengeance, their mythic passion haunts the next generation even after their deaths. Incorporating elements of many genres—from gothic novels and ghost stories to poetic allegory—and transcending them all, Wuthering Heights is a mystifying and powerful tour de force.
Wooo, welcome to the second post of the series! I have a couple books I have to read for my English class this year and I thought it would be fun review them here! I can remove the filter I use in class and really let my true feelings show about the certain books! The Great Gatsby was the first up (you can read the here if you are so inclined!) and this time, it’s Wuthering Heights. I would like to start off by saying that I didn’t really like it, so I am going to be negative haha.
This book was boring. That was my first thought when I finished it. I found the writing to be incredibly tedious, so I wasn’t bored the whole way through thankfully. But at the end, it just didn’t wow me. The story was there and it is what it is and I have no strong feelings towards it. It’s like “yep, I read it” and nothing else. And the two narrators felt so random to me? I don’t completely understand why the two POVs were two people who were basically a step removed from the story. I would have liked to inside the heads of a lot of other characters.
I think some of my dislike of this book comes from how we discussed it in class. There were a few good discussion points that I would have enjoyed exploring deeper, but they brushed over. And then there was some problematicish things said and I’m still not a fan of a guy in my class haha. If I had read this in a class I liked more, would I have more positive thoughts? Maybe, but I’m not really sure.
This book presents problems like nature vs nurture and complicated family relationships. These were the points that I found a little bit interesting. I feel like there’s a lot of talk about there and it’s actually kinda interesting to think about. And when looking at the book from those viewpoints, I can see why this book is studied and has stood the test of time. But can we please add in some books without so many toxic males? With Heathcliff, you can see where he is coming from and you know what made him progress the way he did. To a point. I still don’t like him. I don’t understand the decision to leave out what happened to him after he left. I personally think that context would have added so much to the story.
Historical fiction isn’t really my cup of tea in the first place, so it’s no surprise that the time period threw me off. It’s just so old. And I feel so removed from everything that happens. Plus, for background, my class learned about The Cult of True Womanhood and I thought it was going to be a bunch of awesome girls, hexing horrible men, and being awesome. It was basically the complete opposite and I was so bummed! Though, it did give me a great book idea, so there is one plus. Anyway, the language used did take some getting used to and I feel like there is such a slim chance of teens today connecting with these characters or the situations they are going through.
There were little nuggets of this story that I liked, but overall it wasn’t something I thoroughly enjoyed. And I can kinda see why this book is studied so much, though I don’t agree with some parts. Did you enjoy Wuthering Heights more than I did? I would love to hear your thoughts!
Thank you for reading!
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