Wuthering Heights Emily Bronte

Into which genre can Wuthering Heights be categorized? Is Wuthering Heights a Gothic novel? Romantic literature?

Gothic and Romantic Gothic A genre that creates terror and suspense, usually set in an isolated castle, mansion, or monastery populated by mysterious or threatening individuals. The term Gothic is also applied to medieval architecture, and Gothic fiction almost inevitably exploits claustrophobic interior architecture in its plotting—often featuring dungeons, crypts, torture chambers, locked rooms, and secret passageways. Romantic A late-eighteenth to early- nineteenth century movement that emphasized beauty for beauty’s sake, the natural world, emotion, imagination, the value of a nation’s past and its folklore, and the heroic roles of the individual and the artist.

Elements of Gothic Literature Setting in a castle o potentially ruined or haunted; may be occupied or abandoned o often contains secret passages, trap doors, secret rooms, dark or hidden staircases, and possibly ruined sections o may be near or connected to caves, which lend their own haunting flavor with their branchings, claustrophobia, and mystery An atmosphere of mystery and suspense o work is pervaded by a threatening feeling, a fear enhanced by the unknown. o plot itself often built around a mystery, such as unknown parentage, a disappearance, or some other inexplicable event

Elements of Gothic Literature An ancient prophecy o connected with the castle or its inhabitants (either former or present). o usually obscure, partial, or confusing. "What could it mean?" Omens, portents, visions o character may have a disturbing dream vision, or some phenomenon may be seen as a portent of coming events Supernatural or otherwise inexplicable events o dramatic, amazing events occur, such as ghosts or giants walking, or inanimate objects coming to life. o In some works, the events are ultimately given a natural explanation, while in others the events are truly supernatural.

Elements of Gothic Literature High, even overwrought, emotion o The narration may be highly sentimental, and the characters are often overcome by anger, sorrow, surprise, and especially, terror. o Characters suffer from raw nerves and a feeling of impending doom. o Crying and emotional speeches are frequent. Breathlessness and panic are common. Women in distress o As an appeal to the pathos and sympathy of the reader, the female characters often face events that leave them fainting, terrified, screaming, and/or sobbing. A lonely, pensive, and oppressed heroine is often the central figure of the novel, so her sufferings are even more pronounced and the focus of attention. The women suffer all the more because they are often abandoned, left alone (either on purpose or by accident), and have no protector at times.

Elements of Gothic Literature Women threatened by a powerful, impulsive, tyrannical male o One or more male characters has the power, as king, lord of the manor, father, or guardian, to demand that one or more of the female characters do something intolerable. The woman may be commanded to marry someone she does not love (it may even be the powerful male himself) or commit a crime. The metonymy of gloom and horror o Metonymy is a subtype of metaphor, in which something is used to stand for something with which it is closely related. For example, the film industry likes to use metonymy as a quick shorthand, so we often notice that it is raining in funeral scenes. Note that the following metonymies for "doom and gloom" all suggest some element of mystery, danger, or the supernatural.

Examples of Metonymy wind, especially howling rain, especially blowing doors grating on rusty hinges sighs, moans, howls, eerie sounds footsteps approaching clanking chains lights in abandoned rooms gusts of wind blowing out lights characters trapped in a room doors suddenly slamming shut ruins of buildings baying of distant dogs (or wolves?) thunder and lightning crazed laughter

Elements of Gothic Literature The vocabulary of the gothic. o The constant use of the appropriate vocabulary set creates the atmosphere of the gothic. Mystery: diabolical, enchantment, ghost, goblins, haunted, infernal, magic, magician, miracle, necromancer, omens, ominous, portent, preternatural, prodigy, prophecy, secret, sorcerer, spectre, spirits, strangeness, talisman, vision Fear, Terror, or Sorrow: afflicted, affliction, agony, anguish, apprehensions, apprehensive, commiseration, concern, despair, dismal, dismay, dread, dreaded, dreading, fearing, frantic, fright, frightened, grief, hopeless, horrid, horror, lamentable, melancholy, miserable, mournfully, panic, sadly, scared, shrieks, sorrow, sympathy, tears, terrible, terrified, terror, unhappy, wretched Surprise: alarm, amazement, astonished, astonishment, shocking, staring, surprise, surprised, thunderstruck, wonder Haste: anxious, breathless, flight, frantic, hastened, hastily, impatience, impatient, impatiently, impetuosity, precipitately, running, sudden, suddenly Anger: anger, angrily, choler, enraged, furious, fury, incense, incensed, provoked, rage, raving, resentment, temper, wrath, wrathful, wrathfully Largeness: enormous, gigantic, giant, large, tremendous, vast

Elements of Romantic Literature Emphasis of imagination and emotion over reason and formal rules o Intuition and “natural” feelings guide conduct instead of rational rules Awe of nature is emphasized o country life idealized; ills of society due to urbanization o the love of nature is not presented just in its tranquil and smiling aspects but also appears in its wild, stormy moods, Respects primitivism; values common, “natural” man and childhood o Hareton is the noble savage, and, depending on your reading of the novel, so is Heathcliff o When does the rift between Heathcliff and Catherine become evident?

Elements of Romantic Literature Interest in Medieval past, the supernatural, the mystical, the “Gothic,” and the exotic o the supernatural or the possibility of the supernatural appears repeatedly. Attraction to rebellion and revolution, especially concerned with human rights, individualism, and freedom from oppression o so great a focus is placed on the individual that society is pushed to the periphery of the action and the reader's consciousness o often elevates the achievements of the misunderstood, heroic individual outcast

Elements of Romance Emphasis on introspection, psychology, melancholy, and sadness o Heathcliff is the Byronic hero; both are rebellious, passionate, misanthropic, isolated, and willful, have mysterious origins, lack family ties, reject external restrictions and control, and seek to resolve their isolation by fusing with a love object,

Heathcliff: Hero or Villain?

Antihero Protagonist or notable figure conspicuously lacking heroic qualities Opposite of the archetypal hero, potentially antithesis

Byronic Hero “a man proud, moody, cynical, with defiance on his brow, and misery in his heart, a scorner of his kind, implacable in revenge, yet capable of strong and deep affection” (“Lord Byron (George Gordon)” from The Poetry Foundation) Rebel who does not possess “heroic virtue” and has many dark qualities Usually isolated from society as a wanderer or is in exile Moody by nature or passionate about a particular issue o Does not matter if social separation is imposed by external force or self- imposed Emotional and intellectual capacities superior to average man o With regard to intellectual capacity, self-respect, and hypersensitivity, he is “larger than life” o Force him to be arrogant, confident, abnormally sensitive, and extremely conscious of himself; may force rebellion against life itself o Rejects the values and moral codes of society and is often unrepentant by society’s standards

Byron’s Conrad That man of loneliness and mystery, Scarce seen to smile, and seldom heard to sigh— (I, VIII) He knew himself a villain—but he deem'd The rest no better than the thing he seem'd; And scorn'd the best as hypocrites who hid Those deeds the bolder spirit plainly did. He knew himself detested, but he knew The hearts that loath'd him, crouch'd and dreaded too. Lone, wild, and strange, he stood alike exempt From all affection and from all contempt: (I, XII) Excerpts from Lord Byron’s The Corsair

Byronic Heroes Twilight ’s Edward Cullen Harry Potter ’s Severus Snape Jane Eyre ’s Mr. Rochester Buffy the Vampire Slayer ’s Angel The Dark Knight ’s Batman V is for Vendetta ’s V Phantom of the Opera ’s Phantom Pirates of the Caribbean 's Captain Jack Sparrow Gone with the Wind ’s Scarlett O’Hara

Catherine Earnshaw Linton “Cathy” Catherine Linton Earnshaw

Hindley Earnshaw Hareton Earnshaw Ellen “Nelly” Dean

Edgar Linton Isabella Linton Heathcliff Linton Heathcliff

Themes (subjects for theme) Love Revenge Jealousy Motifs Doubles Windows Weather Importance Death Supernatural Physical setting

Essay Assignment Heathcliff is a complex character; on the basis of his actions alone, he might be considered evil or immoral. (Consider his function as a Byronic hero.) Explain both how and why the full presentation of the character in the work makes readers react more sympathetically than they otherwise might. Catherine’s mind is pulled in conflicting directions by two compelling desires, ambitions, obligations, or influences. Identify each of the two conflicting forces and explain how this conflict illuminates the meaning of the work as a whole. Choose one of the following topics to compose a 5-7 paragraph essay. Be sure to provide textual evidence and commentary to support your claims.

Essay Assignment Cont. Many plays and novels use contrasting places (for example, two countries, two cities or towns, two houses, or the land and the sea) to represent opposed forces or ideas that are central to the meaning of the work. Wuthering Heights contrasts two such places. Explain how the places differ, what each place represents, and how their contrast contributes to the meaning of the work. The British novelist Fay Weldon offers this observation about happy endings. "The writers, I do believe, who get the best and most lasting response from their readers are the writers who offer a happy ending through moral development. By a happy ending, I do not mean mere fortunate events -- a marriage or a last minute rescue from death -- but some kind of spiritual reassessment or moral reconciliation, even with the self, even at death.” Identify the "spiritual reassessment or moral reconciliation" evident in the ending of Wuthering Heights and explain its significance in the work as a whole. See File Manager for a detailed grading rubric.

“Antihero.” Merriam-Webster Web. 25 Aug “Characteristics of the Byronic Hero.” 25 Aug Harris, Robert. "Elements of the Gothic Novel." VirtualSalt. 15 June Web. 25 Aug Resources