Sometimes 'madly in love' means just that: that love has rendered you literally mad. Sure, it makes 'Blank Space' look like a really level-headed approach to eros.īut that's the point. Heathcliff is amoral.īut that doesn't keep the love story in Wuthering Heights from being one of the most passionate love stories ever told-or one of the most often-adapted. We don't usually agree with critics from the 1850's but they were half right. Critics basically thought the book was a downer and some even characterized it as immoral. To set the record straight, Charlotte wrote the preface to the 1850 edition of Wuthering Heights and also took the opportunity to address some of the bad press the book had received. Turns out, Emily's sister Charlotte wrote Jane Eyre. Readers thought the book was by the same author who wrote Jane Eyre(which was more immediately embraced by the public because the characters are a lot more likable). In fact, when it first came out there was all sorts of confusion about the author, because Brontë published the book under the pseudonym Ellis Bell. Though Wuthering Heights is considered a classic, the book wasn't always so popular.

And, speaking of revenge, Heathcliff-who harbors more than one grudge against his adoptive family, the love of his life, and his neighbors-manages to make every revenge drama look like kids' play.

Catherine and Heathcliff's love exists on an entirely different plane: one that involves ghosts, corpses, the communion (or possession) of souls, and revenge. Wuthering Heights, published in 1847, revolves around the passionate and destructive love between its two central characters, Emily Brontë's headstrong and beautiful Catherine Earnshaw and her tall, dark, handsome, and brooding hero/devil, Heathcliff.įorget the romantic candlelit dinners, the wine, and the roses. Wuthering Heights, and its warped idea of true love, is often voted the #1 Greatest Love Story. Does that sound like kind of a horrific idea of love to you? We have bad news for you-you're almost totally alone in thinking that. It may not be the sentiment on most Valentines Day cards, but it sure is the pervasive opinion on l'amour in Wuthering Heights. How about this one: love is incestuous, psychologically damaging, manipulative, violent, digs up your corpse when you die, and wants to be haunted by your ghost forever and ever? Want more deets? We've also got a complete Online Course about Wuthering Heights, with three weeks worth of readings and activities to make sure you know your stuff.

Wuthering heights author emily