呼啸山庄中英文双语介绍

呼啸山庄英语版介绍Wuthering Heights, written by Emily Bronte, is a classic English novel published in 1847. The intense and passionatestory of love and revenge has made it one of the most famous and enduring works of literature.Set in the unforgiving moors of Yorkshire, England, Wuthering Heights tells the story of the turbulent relationship between Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw. The two main characters are brought together as children when Catherine's father, Mr. Earnshaw, brings Heathcliff, a young boy he found abandoned on the streets of Liverpool, home to live with them. Despite being treated as an equal by Mr. Earnshaw, Heathcliff faces constant abuse and mistreatment from Catherine's jealous brother, Hindley.One of the most striking themes in Wuthering Heights is the destructive power of love and obsession. Bronte explores the psychological impact of unresolved love, showing how it candrive people to madness and self-destruction. The moors, with their wild and untamed nature, serve as a metaphor for the wild and uncontrollable emotions of the characters.Additionally, Wuthering Heights examines the consequences of social class and the limitations it places on individuals. The conflicts between the wealthy Lintons and the lower-class Earnshaws and Heathcliff reveal the rigid social hierarchies ofVictorian England and the impact they have on the characters' lives.Wuthering Heights has had a significant influence on literature and popular culture. Its exploration of taboo and unconventional love has made it a favorite among readers who enjoy tales of passionate and tragic romance. Many adaptations of Wuthering Heights have been made into films, television series, and even a musical.。

（呼啸山庄）Wuthering-Heights-英文介绍及赏析第一篇：(呼啸山庄)Wuthering-Heights-英文介绍及赏析呼啸山庄Wuthering Heights transcends its genre in its sophisticated observation and artistic subtlety.The novel has been studied, analyzed, dissected, and discussed from every imaginable critical perspective, yet it remains unexhausted.And while the novel’s symbolism, themes, structure, and language may all spark fertile exploration, the bulk of its popularity may rest on its unforgettable characters.As a shattering presentation of the doomed love affair between the fiercely passionate Catherine and Heathcliff, it remains one of the most haunting love stories in all of literature.Today, Wuthering Heights has a secure position in the canon of world literature, and Emily Brontë is revered as one of the finest writers—male or female—of the nineteenth century.Like Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights is based partly on the Gothic tradition of the late eighteenth century, a style of literature that featured supernatural encounters, crumbling ruins, moonless nights, and grotesque imagery, seeking to create effects of mystery and fear.But Wuthering Heights transcends its genre in its sophisticated observation and artistic subtlety.The novel has been studied, analyzed, dissected, and discussed from every imaginable critical perspective, yet it remains unexhausted.And while the novel’s symbolism, themes, structure, and language may all spark fertile exploration, the bulk of its popularity may rest on its unforgettable characters.As a shattering presentation of the doomed love affair between the fiercely passionate Catherine and Heathcliff, it remains one of the most haunting love storiesin all of literature.Analysis of Major Characters Heathcliff Wuthering Heights centers around the story of Heathcliff.The first paragraph of the novel provides a vivid physical picture of him, as Lockwood describes how his “black eyes” withdraw suspiciously under his brows at Lockwood’s approach.Nelly’s story begins with his introduction into the Earnshaw family, his vengeful machinations drive the entire plot, and his death ends the book.The desire to understand him and his motivations has kept countless readers engaged in the novel.Heathcliff, however, defies being understood, and it is difficult for readers to resist seeing what they want or expect to see in him.The novel teases the reader with the possibility that Heathcliff is something other than what he seems—that his cruelty is merely an expression of his frustrated love for Catherine, or that his sinister behaviors serve to conceal the heart of a romantic hero.We expect Heathcliff’s character to contain such a hidden virtue because he resembles a hero in a romance novel.Traditionally, romance novel heroes appear dangerous, brooding, and cold at first, only later to emerge as fiercely devoted and loving.One hundred years before Emily Brontë wrote Wuthering Heights, the notion that “a reformed rake makes the best husband” was already a cliché of romantic literature, and romance novels center around the same cliché to this day.However, Heathcliff does not reform, and his malevolence proves so great and long-lasting that it cannot be adequately explained even as a desire for revenge against Hindley, Catherine, Edgar, etc.As he himself points out, his abuse of Isabella is purely sadistic, as he amuses himself by seeing how much abuse she can take and still come cringing back for more.Critic Joyce Carol Oates argues that Emily Brontë does the same thing to the reader that Heathcliff does to Isabella, testingto see how many times the reader can be shocked by Heathcliff’s gratuitous violence and still, masochistically, insist on seeing him as a romantic hero.呼啸山庄It is significant that Heathcliff begins his life as a homeless orphan on the streets of Liverpool.When Brontë composed her book, in the 1840s, the English economy was severely depressed, and the conditions of the factory workers in industrial areas like Liverpool were so appalling that the upper and middle classes feared violent revolt.Thus, many of the more affluent members of society beheld these workers with a mixture of sympathy and fear.In literature, the smoky, threatening, miserable factory-towns were often represented in religious terms, and compared to hell.The poet William Blake, writing near the turn of the nineteenth century, speaks of England’s “dark Satanic Mills.” Heathcliff, of course, is frequently compared to a demon by the other characters in the book.Considering this historical context, Heathcliff seems to embody the anxieties that the book’s upper-and middle-class audience had about the working classes.The reader may easily sympathize with him when he is powerless, as a child tyrannized by Hindley Earnshaw, but he becomes a villain when he acquires power and returns to Wuthering Heights with money and the trappings of a gentleman.This corresponds with the ambivalence the upper classes felt toward the lower classes—the upper classes had charitable impulses toward lower-class citizens when they were miserable, but feared the prospect of the lower classes trying to escape their miserable circumstances by acquiring political, social, cultural, or economic power.Catherine The location of Catherine’s coffin symbolizes the conflict that tears apart her short life.She is not buried in the chapel with the Lintons.Nor isher coffin placed among the tombs of the Earnshaws.Instead, as Nelly describes in Chapter XVI, Catherine is buried “in a corner of the kirkyard, where the wall is so low that heath and bilberry plants have climbed over it from the moor.” Moreover, she is buried with Edgar on one side and Heathcliff on the other, suggesting her conflicted loyalties.Her actions are driven in part by her social ambitions, which initially are awakened during her first stay at the Lintons’, and which eventually compel her to marry Edgar.However, she is also motivated by impulses that prompt her to violate social conventions—to love Heathcliff, throw temper tantrums, and run around on the moor.Edgar Just as Isabella Linton serves as Catherine’s foil, Edgar Linton serves as Heathcliff’s.Edgar is born and raised a gentleman.He is graceful, well-mannered, and instilled with civilized virtues.These qualities cause Catherine to choose Edgar over Heathcliff and thus to initiate the contention between the men.Nevertheless, Edgar’s gentlemanly qualities ultimately prove useless in his ensuing rivalry with Heathcliff.Edgar is particularly humiliated by his confrontation with Heathcliff in Chapter XI, in which he openly shows his fear of fighting Heathcliff.Catherine, having witnessed the scene, taunts him, saying, “Heathcliff would as soon lift a finger at you as the king would march his army against a colony of mice.” As the reader can see from the earli est descriptions of Edgar as a spoiled child, his refinement is tied to his helplessness and impotence.Charlotte Brontë, in her preface to the 1850 edition of Wuthering Heights, refers to Edgar as “an example of constancy and tenderness,” and goes on to su ggest that her sister Emily was using Edgar to point out that such characteristics constitute true virtues in all human beings, and not just in women, as society tended to believe.However, Charlotte’s readingseems influenced by her own feminist agenda.Edg ar’s inability to counter Heathcliff’s vengeance, and his naïve belief on his deathbed in his daughter’s safety and happiness, make him a weak, if sympathetic, characterThemes, MotifsThemes Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work.Moreover, Catherine and Heathcliff’s love is based on their shared perception that they are identical.Catherine declares, famously, “I am Heathcliff,” while Heathcliff, upon Catherine’s death, wails that he cannot live without his “soul,” meaning Catherine.Their love denies difference, and is strangely asexual.The two do not kiss in dark corners or arrange secret trysts, as adulterers do.Given that Catherine and Heathcliff’s love is based upon their refusal to change over time or embrace difference in others, it is fitting that the disastrous problems of their generation are overcome not by some climactic reversal, but simply by the inexorable passage of time, and the rise of a new and distinct generation.Ultimately, Wuthering Heights presents a vision of life as a process of change, and celebrates this process over and against the romantic intensity of its principal呼啸山庄characters.As members of the gentry, the Earnshaws and the Lintons occupy a somewhat precarious place within the hierarchy of late eighteenth-and early nineteenth-century British society.At the top of British society was the royalty, followed by the aristocracy, then by the gentry, and then by the lower classes, who made up the vast majority of the population.Although the gentry, or upper middle class, possessed servants and often large estates, they held a nonetheless fragile social position.The socialstatus of aristocrats was a formal and settled matter, because aristocrats had official titles.Members of the gentry, however, held no titles, and their status was thus subject to change.A man might see himself as a gentleman but find, to his embarrassment, that his neighbors did not share this view.A discussion of whether or not a man was really a gentleman would consider such questions as how much land he owned, how many tenants and servants he had, how he spoke, whether he kept horses and a carriage, and whether his money came from land or “trade”—gentlemen scorned banking and commercial activities.Considerations of class status often crucially inform the characters’ motivations in Wuthering Heights.Catherine’s decision to marry Edgar so that she will be “the greatest woman of the neighborhood” is only the most obvious example.The Lintons are relatively firm in their gentry status but nonetheless take great pains to prove this status through their behaviors.The Earnshaws, on the other hand, rest on much shakier ground socially.They do not have a carriage, they have less land, and their house, as Lockwood remarks with great puzzlement, resembles that of a “homely, northern farmer” and not that of a gentleman.The shifting nature of social status is demonstrated most strikingly in Heathcliff’s trajectory from homeless waif to young gentleman-by-adoption to common laborer to gentleman again(although the status-conscious Lockwood remarks that Heathcliff is only a gentleman in “dress and manners”).第二篇：呼啸山庄英文赏析Wuthering Heights which has long been one of the most popular and highly regarded novels in English literature, it has a secure position in the canon of world literature.As a shattering presentation of the doomed love between the passionateCatherine and Heathcliff, it remains one of the most haunting love stories in all of literature.In Wuthering Heights, Nature is represented by the Earnshaw family and especially Catherine and Heathcliff.These characters are governed by their emotions, not by reflection or ideals of civility.Wuthering Heights symbolized a similar wildness.On the other hand, Thrushcross Grange and the Linton family represent culture, refinement, convention, and cultivation.Wuthering heights, through a love tragedy, presented a picture of deformity of the social life and Outlines a kind of humanity twisted by society and all kinds of terrible events.The story ended with Heathcliff’s suicide.He died for love and his death shows his love to Katherine.He gave up the revenge to the younger generation after he knew that young Catherine and Harleton had fallen in love with each other shows that he was kind in nature.It was the cruel reality that twisted his humanity and made him become brutal and heartless.This kind of recovery of humanity was sublimation in spirit and it glared a kind of humanitarian ideal of the author and endows the terrible love tragedy some hope.Theref ore, Heathcliff’s change of “love---hate---revenge---a recovery of humanity” is not only the essence of the novel but also a clue throughout the whole novel.According to the clue, the author arranged an unpredictable scene for us.Sometimes it was the moor full of clouds, sometimes it was courtyard with a sudden rain and wind.The story has always been shrouded in a kind of mysterious and horrible atmosphere.The novel is actually structured around two parallel love stories, the first half of the novel told about the love between Catherine and Heathcliff, while the rest dramatic second half told developing love between young Catherine and Harleton.In contrast to the first, the latter tale ends happily,restoring peace and order to Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange.The most important feature of young Catherine and Harleton’s love story is that it involves growth and change.Early in the novel Harleton seems brutal, savage, and illiterate, but over time he becomes a loyal friend to young Catherine and learns to read.Catherine and Heathcliff’s love, on the other hand, is rooted in their childhood and is marked by the refusal to change.In choosing to marry Edgar, Catherine seeks a more genteel life, but she refuses to adapt to her role as wife, either by sacrificing Heathcliff or embracing Edgar.Catherine and Heathcliff’s love is based on their shared perception that they are identical.As Catherine declares, “I am Heathcliff,” while Heathcliff, upon Catherine’s death, said that he cannot live without his “soul,”meaning Catherine.Catherine’s betrayal and her bitter destiny was the turning point of the whole story.It made Heathcliff change his love to hate.After Catherine died, the hate became the motivation of his revenge.He successfully attained his objective.Not only he let Edgar and the Linton died in desolation and possessed their property but also let their innocent younger generation experience the hardships.This kind of crazy revenge clearly showed his uncommon and rebellious behavior.This special spirit of revolt was formed by the special environment and his special character.Heathcliff’s love tragedy was a tragedy of the society and that time.Wuthering Heights was known as “most strange novel” in the history of English literature and it was an unpredictabl e “strange book”.The reason is that it was different from the sentimentalism that lies in the works of the same age.It replaced the deep sadness and depression with intense love, brutal hate and ruthless revenge.It just like a strange lyric poem, imagination and intensive emotionexisted among the words and between the lines and it had a kind of amazing artistic power.第三篇：呼啸山庄英文赏析[定稿]Wuthering Heights which has long been one of the most popular and highly regarded novels in English literature, it has a secure position in the canon of world literature.As a shattering presentation of the doomed love between the passionate Catherine and Heathcliff, it remains one of the most haunting love stories in all of literature.In Wuthering Heights, Nature is represented by the Earnshaw family and especially Catherine and Heathcliff.These characters are governed by their emotions, not by reflection or ideals of civility.Wuthering Heights symbolized a similar wildness.On the other hand, Thrushcross Grange and the Linton family represent culture, refinement, convention, and cultivation.Wuthering heights, through a love tragedy, presented a picture of deformity of the social life and Outlines a kind of humanity twisted by society and all kinds of terrible events.The story en ded with Heathcliff’s suicide.He died for love and his death shows his love to Katherine.He gave up the revenge to the younger generation after he knew that young Catherine and Harleton had fallen in love with each other shows that he was kind in nature.It was the cruel reality that twisted his humanity and made him become brutal and heartless.This kind of recovery of humanity was sublimation in spirit and it glared a kind of humanitarian ideal of the author and endows the terrible love tragedy some hope.Th erefore, Heathcliff’s change of “love---hate---revenge---a recovery of humanity” is not only the essence of the novel but also a clue throughout the whole novel.According to the clue, the author arranged an unpredictable scene for us.Sometimes it was the moor full ofclouds, sometimes it was courtyard with a sudden rain and wind.The story has always been shrouded in a kind of mysterious and horrible atmosphere.The novel is actually structured around two parallel love stories, the first half of the novel told about the love between Catherine and Heathcliff, while the rest dramatic second half told developing love between young Catherine and Harleton.In contrast to the first, the latter tale ends happily, restoring peace and order to Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange.The most important feature of young Catherine and Harleton’s love story is that it involves growth and change.Early in thenovel Harleton seems brutal, savage, and illiterate, but over time he becomes a loyal friend to young Catherine and learns to read.Catherine and Heathcliff’s love, on the other hand, is rooted in their childhood and is marked by the refusal to change.In choosing to marry Edgar, Catherine seeks a more genteel life, but she refuses to adapt to her role as wife, either by sacrificing Heathcliff or embracing Edgar.Catherine and Heathcliff’s love is based on their shared perception that they are identical.As Catherine declares, “I am Heathcliff,” while Heathcliff, upon Catherine’s death, said that he cannot live without his “soul,” meaning Catherine.Catherine’s betrayal and her bitter destiny was the turning point of the whole story.It made Heathcliff change his love to hate.After Catherine died, the hate became the motivation of his revenge.He successfully attained his objective.Not only he let Edgar and the Linton died in desolation and possessed their property but also let their innocent younger generation experience the hardships.This kind of crazy revenge clearly showed his uncommon and rebellious behavior.This special spirit of revolt was formed by the specialenvironment and his special character.Heathcliff’s love tragedy was a tragedy of the society and that time.Wuthering Heights was known as “most strange novel” in the history of English literature and it was an unpredic table “strange book”.The reason is that it was different from the sentimentalism that lies in the works of the same age.It replaced the deep sadness and depression with intense love, brutal hate and ruthless revenge.It just like a strange lyric poem, imagination and intensive emotion existed among the words and between the lines and it had a kind of amazing artistic power.第四篇：呼啸山庄英文读后感呼啸山庄英文读后感The book,Wuthering Heihts written in 1847,by Emily Bronte.It is a very good novel.The story in this novel deeply moved everyone who had read it and the structure of this novel is very fresh.At first I will tell you the main plot about Wuthering Heights.The story is narrated by Lockwood, a gentleman visiting the Yorkshire moors where the novel is set, and of Mrs Dean, housekeeper to the Earnshaw Family, who had been witness of the interlocked destinies of the original owners of the Heights.Described the love and enmity between Earnshaw and Linton’s family, especially Heathcliff and Catherine’s deeply love.Heathcliff is brought to Heights from the streets of Liverpool by Mr Earnshaw.Heathcliff is treated asEarnshaw’s own children, Catherine and Hindley.Heathcliff is bullied by Hindley after Earnshaw death and his lover Catherine marries Edgar Linton for many factors.This made Heathcliff mad, his destructive force is unleashed and his first victim is his beloved, Catherine, who dies giving birth to a girl, another Catherine(Kathy).Edgar’s sister, whom he had married, flees tothe south.Their son Linton and Kathy are married, but always sickly Linton dies.After that, Hareton, Hindley’s son and the young widow fall in love.Increasinglyisolated and alienated from daily life, Heathcliff experiences visions, and he longs for the death that will reunite him with Catherine.The story is wonderful, and the structure is also extremely excellent.The author Emily Bronte use a series of flashbacks and time shifts draws a powerful picture of this story.Because of its wonderful story, excellent structure and graceful language, the book left a deep impression on me.From this book, we understand the deeply love and enmity.We find that the enmity always touched by deeply love at the end of the story, true feelings and true love always moved everyone.So we must treat others with true feeling s.That’s all I want to say about Wuthering Heights.It’s really a good book.Readers will really gain much from this book.|第五篇：《呼啸山庄》英文读后感《呼啸山庄》英文读后感Published in 1847, WUTHERING HEIGHTS was not well received by the reading public, many of whom condemned it as sordid, vulgar, and unnatural--and author Emily Bronte went to her grave in 1848 believing that her only novel was a failure.It was not until 1850, when WUTHERING HEIGHTS received a second printing with an introduction by Emily's sister Charlotte, that it attracted a wide readership.And from that point the reputation of the book has never looked back.Today it is widely recognized as one of the great novels of English literature.Even so, WUTHERING HEIGHTS continues to divide readers.It is not a pretty love story;rather, it is swirling tale of largely unlikeable people caught up in obsessive love that turns to dark madness.Itis cruel, violent, dark and brooding, and many people find it extremely unpleasant.And yet--it possesses a grandeur of language and design, a sense of tremendous pity and great loss that sets it apart from virtually every other novel written.The novel is told in the form of an extended flashback.After a visit to his strange landlord, a newcomer to the area desires to know the history of the family--which he receives from Nelly Deans, a servant who introduces us to the Earnshaw family who once resided in the house known as Wuthering Heights.It was once a cheerful place, but Old Earnshaw adopted a Gipsy child who he named Heathcliff.And Catherine, daughter of the house, found in him the perfect companion wild, rude, and as proud and cruel as she.But although Catherine loves him, even recognizes him as her soulmate, she cannot lower herself to marry so far below her social station.She instead marries another, and in so doing sets in motion an obsession that will destroy them all.WUTHERING HEIGHTS is a bit difficult to get into;the opening chapters are so dark in their portrait of the end result of this obsessive love that they are somewhat off-putting.But they feed into the flow of the work in a remarkable way, setting the stage for one of the most remarkable structures in all of literature, a story that circles upon itself in a series of repetitions as it plays out across two generations.Catherine and Heathcliff are equally remarkable, both vicious and cruel, and yet never able to shed their impossible love no matter how brutally one may wound the other.As the novel coils further into alcoholism, seduction, and one of the most elaborately imagined plans of revenge it gathers into a ghostly tone Heathcliff, driven to madness by a woman who is not there but who seems reflected in every part of his world--dragging her corpse from the grave, hearing her callingto him from the moors, escalating his brutality not for the sake of brutality but so that her memory will never fade, so that she may never leave his mind until death itself.Yes, this is madness, insanity, and there is no peace this side of the grave or even beyond.It is a stunning novel, frightening, inexorable, unsettling, filled with unbridled passion that makes one cringe.Even if you do not like it, you should read it at least once--and those who do like it will return to it again and again。

呼啸山庄故事梗概英文短## Summary of Wuthering Heights.English Answer:Wuthering Heights is an 1847 novel by Emily Brontë. The novel tells the story of Heathcliff, a mysterious and vengeful orphan who is adopted by Mr. Earnshaw and brought to live at Wuthering Heights, a desolate moorland house. As Heathcliff grows up, he falls in love with Earnshaw's daughter, Catherine, but their relationship is forbidden by her brother, Hindley. After Earnshaw's death, Hindley abuses Heathcliff and Catherine, eventually driving Heathcliff away. Catherine later marries Edgar Linton, a wealthy and kind-hearted man, but she dies after giving birth to their daughter, Cathy. Heathcliff returns to Wuthering Heights and begins his revenge on those who have wronged him. He marries Hindley's widow, Isabella, and uses her as a pawn to torment Hindley. He also takes over Wuthering Heights and makes Edgar's life miserable. AfterEdgar's death, Heathcliff kidnaps Cathy and forces her to marry his son, Linton. Heathcliff dies shortly after, haunted by the ghosts of Catherine and Edgar. The novelends with Cathy and Hareton, Heathcliff's illegitimate son, finding peace and happiness together at Wuthering Heights.中文回答：呼啸山庄是艾米莉·勃朗特于 1847 年创作的一部小说。

《呼啸山庄》简介1801年，洛克乌先生来到山庄拜访希克厉先生，要租下他的画眉山庄，希克厉先生对他很粗暴，还有一群恶狗向他发起进攻。

但他还是又一次造访希克厉先生，他遇到了行为粗俗，不修边幅的英俊少年哈里顿恩肖，和貌美的希克厉先生之子的遗孀。

由于天黑又下雪希克厉先生不得不留他住了下来，夜里他做了一个奇怪的梦，梦见树枝打在窗齿打碎玻璃，想折断外头的树枝，可手指却触到一双冰凉的小手，一个幽灵似的啜泣声乞求他放她进来。

她说她叫卡瑟琳·恩萧，已经在这游荡了20年了，她想闯进来，吓得洛克乌失声大叫。

希克厉先生闻声赶来，让洛克乌出去，他自己扑倒在床上，哭着叫起来：“卡茜，来吧！啊，来呀，再来一次！啊，我心中最亲爱的！卡瑟琳，最后一次！”可窗外毫无声息，一阵冷风吹灭了蜡烛。

第二天，洛克乌先生来到画眉山庄，向女管家艾伦迪恩问起此事，女管家便讲了发生在呼啸山庄的事情。

呼啸山庄已有300年的历史，以前的主人欧肖夫妇从街头捡来一个吉普赛人的弃儿，收他做养子，这就是希克厉。

希克厉一到这家就受到才先生的儿子享德莱的欺负和虐待，可享德莱的妹妹卡瑟琳却与希克厉疯狂地相爱了。

老主人死了之后，已婚的享德莱成了呼啸山庄的主人。

他开始阻止希克厉和卡瑟琳的交往，并把希克厉赶到田里去干活，不断地差辱他，折磨他，他变得不近人情，近乎痴呆，卡瑟琳也变得野性十足。

一次，他们到画眉山庄去玩，卡瑟琳被狗咬伤，主人林敦夫妇知道她是欧肖家的孩子，就热情地留她养伤，而把希克厉当成坏小子赶跑了。

卡瑟琳和林敦的儿子埃德加、女儿伊莎贝拉成了好朋友。

卡瑟琳住了五个长星期回来后，变成温文尔雅，仪态万方的富家小姐。

当他再次见到希克厉时，生怕他弄脏了自己的衣服。

希克厉的自尊心受到了伤害，他说：“我愿意怎么脏，就怎么脏。

”他发誓要对享德莱进行报复，他心中的野性和愤恨全部对准享德莱。

1778年6月，享德莱的妻子生下哈里顿恩肖后因肺病死去，亨德莱受了很大的打击，从此变得更加残忍，更加冷酷无情。

呼啸山庄（Wuthering Heights）英文简介1. IntroductionWuthering Heights is a classic novel written by Emily Bronte in 1847. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest works of English literature. The story is set in the Yorkshire moors and explores themes of love, revenge, and the destructive power of obsession. The novel has had a lasting impact and continues to be studied and analyzed by scholars and readers alike.2. Plot SummaryThe story follows the lives of the Earnshaw and Linton families over the span of several generations. The novel begins with the introduction of Mr. Lockwood, a new tenant at Thrushcross Grange, who becomes curious about the mysterious history of the neighboring Wuthering Heights.He learns that Wuthering Heights was once the home of the Earnshaw family, including Heathcliff, a dark and brooding young man who was adopted by Mr. Earnshaw. Heathcliff’s relationship with his adoptive sister, Catherine Earnshaw, forms the central love story of the novel.Despite their deep love for each other, Catherine eventually marries Edgar Linton, a wealthy man from a neighboring family, for social and financial reasons. This decision sets off a chain of events that brings tragedy and turmoil to all the characters involved.The novel is structured as a series of narrations and flashbacks, allowing the reader to gain insight into the thoughts and motivations of the characters. The story is complex and multi-layered, with themes of unrequited love, betrayal, revenge, and the destructive nature of obsession.3. Themes3.1 Love and PassionLove and passion are central themes in Wuthering Heights. The story explores the intensity and destructiveness of passionate love, as well as the consequences of denying one’s true feelings. The relationship between Heathcliff and Catherine embodies this theme, as their love for each other is deep and tumultuous.3.2 RevengeRevenge is another important theme in the novel. Heathcliff, consumed by his love for Catherine and his feelings of betrayal, seeks revenge against those he believes have wronged him. This leads to a cycle of violence and destruction that spans generations.3.3 Class and Social StatusClass and social status play a significant role in Wuthering Heights. The divide between the wealthy Linton family and the working-class Earnshaws is a source of tension and conflict throughout the story. The novel explores how societal expectations and pressures can impact personal relationships and individual happiness.4. Legacy and ImpactWuthering Heights has had a profound impact on literature and popular culture. It is considered a classic of English literature and has been widely studied and analyzed by scholars. The novel’s complex characters, intricate plot, and exploration of themes such as love, revenge, and social class continue to resonate with readers today.The novel’s influence can be seen in numerous adaptations and reinterpretations in various forms of media, including film, television, and theater. It has inspired countless authors and continues to be a source of inspiration for contemporary storytelling.In conclusion, Wuthering Heights is a timeless and enduring novel with a rich and captivating story. It explores timeless themes such as love, revenge, and social class, and has had a lasting impact on literature and popular culture. It is a must-read for anyone interested in classic literature and the complexities of human relationships.。

呼啸山庄简介英文版Emily Brontë's "Wuthering Heights" is a wild, passionate tale of love and revenge set in the Yorkshire moors. It follows the tumultuous relationship between Heathcliff, an orphan adopted by the Earnshaw family, and Catherine, the daughter of the household. Their bond is as intense as the stormy landscape they call home.As a child, Heathcliff is bullied by Catherine's brother, Hindley, but Catherine herself sees something special in him. Their friendship deepens into a love that defies social norms and family expectations. However, when Catherine marries Edgar Linton, a wealthy and gentlemanly neighbor, Heathcliff is devastated.Driven by jealousy and rage, Heathcliff plots revenge against those who have wronged him. He rises from poverty to become a wealthy landowner, but his heart remains as cold and empty as the winter moors. He marries Isabella, Edgar's sister, in a calculated move to get closer to theLinton estate, but his cruelty towards her and her son Linton is unforgiving.Meanwhile, Catherine's spirit lingers in the halls of Wuthering Heights, unable to rest in peace. Her ghostly presence haunts Heathcliff, reminding him of the love they once shared. As the years pass, Heathcliff's vengeful heart begins to soften, and he realizes that true happiness cannot be found through revenge. But it's a bittersweet ending, as Catherine's spirit finally finds peace,。

《}呼啸山庄》英文概要A story of Love and Revenge------The Impression of Wuthering Heights Good morning, Mr. Wu. I am Yang Yu. Last week, I have read this novel. Now let me share you with it.In the north of England, a little boy named Heathcliff was taken by Mr Dean to Wuthering Heights. His daughter Catherine and Heathcliff became friends and fell in love, but Catherine’s brother Hindley hated him.One day, Heathcliff went out with Catherine in secret and met Edgar. Edgar admired Catherine's beauty and asked her to marry him. Heathcliff knew this by chance and left in the end. Catherine married Edgar in a sad mood.A few years later, Heathcliff returned gracefully. Edgar's sister, Esabella, fell in love with Heathcliff. Heathcliff bought Wuthering Heights and married Esabella. However, after marriage, Esabella found that Heathcliff was not a gentle man at all and Catherine was also dying of grief, leaving a baby girl Katie.When Edgar was in danger, Heathcliff forced Katie to marry his son. A few days later, Edgar died and Heathcliff became the master. His son died soon after his marriage.By this time, Hindley’s son Hareton was already a young man. Despite being deprived of the right to education, he was honest and graceful. Katie fell in love with him. Heathcliff knew this and decided to break up them. However, when he looked at them again, the scene of Catherine's love for him came to him. At that moment，his hatred vanished, his love revived and he couldn’t bear revenge. He's going to find Catherine. Finally, He died on a snowy nigh.After reading it, I am sorry about this tragedy. Meanwhile, I have a better understanding of love and revenge. If you really love someone, his or her happiness is the thing that most matters. Don’t let revenge blind your eyes.That’s all. Thank You!。

Wuthering Heights■ 1 Mr Lockwood visits Wuthering HeightsI have just returned from a visit to my landlord，Mr Heathcliff．I am delighted with the house I am renting from him．Thrushcross Grange is miles away from any town or village．That suits me perfectly．And the scenery here in Yorkshire is so beautiful！Mr Heathcliff，in fact，is my only neighbour，and I think his character is similar to mine．He does not like people either．‘My name is Lockwood，’I said，when I met him at the gate to his house．‘I'm renting Thrushcross Grange from you．I just wanted to come and introduce myself．’He said nothing，but frowned，and did not encourage me to enter．After a while，however，he decided to invite me in．‘Joseph，take Mr Lock wood's horse！’he called．‘And bring up some wine from the cellar！’Joseph was a very old servant，with a sour expression on his face．He looked crossly up at me as he took my horse．‘God help us！A visitor！’he muttered to himself．Perhaps there were no other servants，I thought．And it seemed that Mr Heathcliff hardly ever received guests．His house is called Wuthering Heights．The name means‘a windswept house on a hill’，and it is a very good description．The trees around the house do not grow straight，but are bent by the north wind，which blows over the moors every day of the year．Fortunately，the house is strongly built，and is not damaged even by the worst winter storms．The name‘Earn－shaw’is cut into a stone over the front door.Mr Heathcliff and I entered the huge main room．It could have been any Yorkshire farmhouse kitchen，except that there was no sign of cooking，and no farmer sitting at the table. Mr Heathcliff certainly does not look like a farmer．His hair and skin are dark，like a gipsy's，but he has the manners of a gentleman．He could perhaps take more care with his appearance，but he is handsome. I think he is proud，and also unhappy.We sat down by the fire，in silence.‘Joseph！'shouted Mr Heathcliff．No answer came from the cellar，so he dived down there，leaving me alone with several rather fierce－looking dogs. Suddenly one of them jumped angrily up at me，and in a moment all the others were attacking me．From every shadowy corner in the great room appeared a growling animal，ready to kill me，it seemed.‘Help！Mr Heathcliff！Help！’I shouted，trying to keep the dogs back．My landlord and his servant were in no hurry to help，and could not have climbed the cellar steps more slowly，but luckily a woman，who I supposed was the housekeeper，rushed into the room to calm the dogs.‘What the devil is the matter？’Mr Heathcliff asked me rudely，when he finally entered the room.‘Your dogs，sir！’I replied.‘You shouldn't leave a stranger with them．They're dangerous．’‘Come，come，Mr Lockwood．Have some wine．We don't often have strangers here，and I'm afraid neither I nor my dogs are used to receiving them．’I could not feel offended after this，and accepted the wine．We sat drinking and talking together for a while．I suggested visiting him tomorrow．He did not seem eager to see me again，but I shall go anyway.I am interested in him，even if he isn't interested in me.Two days later Yesterday afternoon was misty and bitterly cold，but I walked the four miles to Wuthering Heights and arrived just as it was beginning to snow. I banged on the front door for ten minutes，getting colder and colder.Finally Joseph's head appeared at a window of one of the farm buildings．‘What do you want？’he growled．‘Could you let me in？’I asked desperately．He shook his head．‘There's only Mrs Heathcliff indoors，and she won't open the door to you．’It was snowing heavily now and I was very cold .I tried to open the door but it was locked .Just then a young man appeared in the courtyard and made a sign with his hand telling me to follow him．We went through the back door and into the big room where I had been before．I was delighted to see a warm fire and a table full of food．And this time there was a woman sitting by the fire．She must be Mrs Heathcliff，I thought．I had not imagined my landlord was married. She looked at me coldly without saying anything．‘Terrible weather！’I remarked．There was silence．‘What a beautiful animal！’I tried again，pointing to one of the dogs that had attacked me．She still said nothing，but got up to make the tea．She was only about seventeen，with the most beautiful little face I had ever seen．Her golden wavy hair fell around her shoulders．Her eyes were beautiful but there was a disagreeable expression in them.‘Have you been invited to tea？'she asked me crossly．‘No，but you are the proper person to invite me，’I smiled．For some reason this really annoyed her．She stopped making the tea，and threw herself angrily back in her chair. Meanwhile the young man was staring aggressively at me．I couldn’t decide if he was a servant or not.He was dressed like one and spoke like one.His thick brown curls were uncombed and his hands and face were brown from working outside .He looked like a farm worker，but seemed to be part of the family．But his manner was proud and free,not like a servant’s .I did not feel at all comfortable．At last Heathcliff came in.‘Here I am，sir，as I promised！’I said cheerfully．‘You shouldn't have come，’he answered，shaking the snow off his clothes．‘You'll never find your way back in the dark.’‘And I’m afraid I’ll have to stay here unitl the snow stops.Perhaps you could lend me a servant to guide me back to the Grange？’I asked．‘No，I couldn't．There aren't any servants here except Joseph and the housekeeper．Get the tea ready，will you？’he added fiercely to the young woman．I was shocked by his unpleasantness．We pulled our chairs to the table while the girl poured the tea．We drank our tea in silence and there was a very tense atmosphere in the room .I thought it was my fault so I tried to make conversation with the three silent people round the table．‘How happy you must be，Mr Heathcliff，’I began，‘in this quiet place，with your wife and—’‘My wife！’Heathcliff exclaimed lookintg aournd him. ‘Where?Are you talking about her spirit?’I suddenly realized I had made a serious mistake.So his wife was dead！Of course he was too old to be married to that young girl. She must be married to the young man next to me，who was drinking his tea out of a bowl and eating his bread with unwashed hands．Perhaps the poor girl had found no one better to marry in this uninhabited area．I turned politely to the young man.‘Ah，so you are this lady's husband！’This was worse than before. His face went red，and he seemed only just able to stop himself hitting me．He muttered something I could not hear．‘Wrong again，Mr Lockwood，'said Mr Heathcliff.‘No，her husband，my son，is dead．This，’he added，looking scornfully at the young man，‘is certainly not my son.’‘My name is Hareton Earnshaw，’growled the young man.The atmosphere began to depress me and I promised myself not to make a third visit to Wuthering Heights.We finished our meal in silence，and when I looked out of the window，all I could see was darkness and snow.‘I don't think I can get home without a guide，’I said politely．No one answered me．I turned to the woman．‘Mrs Heathcliff，’I begged，‘What can I do？Please help me！’‘Take the road you came on，'she replied without interest，opening a book．‘That's the best advice I can give．’‘Mr Heathcliff，I'll have to stay here for the night！’I told him．‘I hope that will teach you not to walk over the moors in bad weather，’he answered．‘I don't keep guest bedrooms．You can share a bed with Hareton or Joseph．’I was so angry with them all that I could not stay there a moment longer，and rushed out into the darkness. I saw Joseph by the back door，caught hold of the lamp he was carrying，and ran with it to the gate．But the dogs chased after me and attacked me，knocking me down. Heathcliff and Hareton stood at the door，laughing，as I shouted at the dogs and tried to get up．They sat on me until Heathcliff and Hareton arrived and pulled them off．In the end I was again rescued by the housekeeper，Zillah，who ordered away the dogs and helped me to my feet．I was so bruised and exhausted that I did not feel strong enough to walk home，and although I did not want to，I had to spend the night at Wuthering Heights．Nobody wished me goodnight，as Zillah took me upstairs to find a bed for me．■ 2 Catherine Earnshaw's room‘Quietly，sir！’whispered the housekeeper，as we climbed up the dark stairs．‘My master will be angry if he discovers which bedroom you're sleeping in.For some reason he doesn't want anyone to sleep there，I don't know why．They're strange people in this house，you know．Here's the room，sir.But I was too tired to listen．‘Thank you，Zillah，’I said，and，taking the candle，I entered the room and closed the door.The only piece of furniture in the large，dusty bedroom was a bed，placed next to the window. There were heavy curtains which could be pulled around it，to hide the sleeper from anyone else in the room．Looking inside the curtains I saw a little shelf full of books，just under the window.I put my candle down on the shelf，and dropped thankfully on to the bed．I closed the curtains around the bed，and felt safe from Heathcliff and everyone else at Wuthering Heights．I noticed that there were names written on the wall in childish handwriting—Catherine Earnshaw，Catherine Heathcliff and Catherine Linton．Then I fell asleep，but I was woken very suddenly by a smell of burning. My candle had fallen on to a Bible on the shelf and was burning it．When I opened the Bible to see if it was damaged，I found that wherever there was an empty page，or half a page，someone had written on it，and on the first page was written ‘Catherine Earnshaw's diary，1776’．Who was the girl who had slept in this bed，written her name on the wall，and then written her diary in the Bible，twenty-five years ago？I read it with interest．‘How I hate my brother Hindley！’it began．‘He is so cruel to poor Heathcliff．If only my father hadn't died！While he was alive，Heathcliff was like a brother to Hindley and me．But now Hindley and his wife Frances have inherited the house and the money，and they hate Heathcliff.That horrible old servant Joseph is always angry with Heathcliff and me because we don't pray or study the Bible，and when he tells his master，Hindley always punishes us．I can't stop crying. Poor Heathcliff！Hindley says he is wicked，and can't play with me or eat with me any more.’My eyes were beginning to close again and I fell asleep．Never before had I passed such a terrible night，disturbed by the most frightening dreams．Suddenly I was woken by a gentle knocking on the window. It must be the branch of a tree，I thought，and tried to sleep again．Outside I could hear the wind driving the snow against the window．But I could not sleep．The knocking annoyed me so much that I tried to open the window. When it did not open，I broke the glass angrily and stretched out my hand towards the branch．But instead，my fingers closed around a small，ice－cold hand！It held my hand tightly，and a voice cried sadly，‘Let me in！Let me in！’‘Who are you？’I asked，trying to pull my hand away．‘Catherine Linton，’it replied．‘I've come home．I lost my way！’There seemed to be a child's face looking in at the window.Terror made me cruel. I rubbed the creature's tiny wrist against the broken glass so that blood poured down on to the bed．As soon as the cold fingers let go for a moment，I pulled my hand quickly back，put a pile of books in front of the broken window，and tried not to listen to the desperate cries outside.‘Go away！’I called．‘I'll never let you in，not if you go on crying for twenty years！’‘It is almost twenty years！'replied the sad little voice．‘I've been out here in the dark for nearly twenty years！’The hand started pushing through the window at the pile of books，and I knew it would find me and catch hold of me again．Unable to move，I stared in horror at the shape behind the glass，and screamed.There were rapid footsteps outside my bedroom door，and then I saw the light of a candle in the room．‘Is anyone here？’a voice said. I sat up.I was shaking and sweating .It was Heathcliff．He could not see me behind the curtains，and clearly did not expect an answer.I knew I could not hide from him，so I opened the curtains wide.I was surprised by the effect of my action．Heathcliff dropped his candle and stood without moving，his face as white as the wall behind him．He did not seem to recognize me.‘It's only your guest，Lockwood，’I said．‘I'm sorry，I must have had a bad dream and screamed in my sleep．’‘To the devil with you，Mr Lockwood！’growled my landlord．‘Who allowed you to sleep in this room？Who was it？’‘It was your housekeeper，Mr Heathcliff，’I said，quickly putting my clothes on．‘And I'm angry with her myself！No one can sleep in a room full of ghosts！’‘What do you mean？’asked Heathcliff，looking suddenly very interested.‘Ghosts，you say？’‘That little girl，Catherine Linton，or Earnshaw，or whatever her name was，must have been wicked！She told me she had been a ghost for nearly twenty years．It was probably a punishment for her wickedness！’‘How dare you speak of her to me？’cried Heathcliff wildly．But as I described my dream，he became calmer，and sat down on the bed，trembling as he tried to control his feelings.‘Mr Lockwood，’he said finally，brushing a tear from his eye，‘you can go into my bedroom to sleep for the rest of the night．I'll stay here for a while．’‘No more sleep for me tonight，’I replied．‘I'll wait in the kitchen until it's daylight，and then I'll leave．You needn't worry about my visiting you again either．I've had enough company for a long time．’But as I turned to go downstairs，my landlord，thinking he was alone，threw himself on the bed，pushed open the window and called into the darkness．‘Come in！Come in！’he cried，tears rolling down his face．‘Catherine，do come！My darling，hear me this time！’But only the snow and wind blew into the room.How could my dream have produced such madness？I could not watch his suffering any more，and went downstairs.I waited in the kitchen until it was light enough outside for me to find my way through the deep snow back to Thrushcross Grange. The housekeeper there，Ellen Dean，rushed out to welcome me home. She thought I must have died in the previous night's snowstorm．I changed my clothes and I went down to my study.There was a cheerful fire in the fireplace and some hot coffee on the table.I sat down in my armchair feeling very weak and tired after my bad night and long walk across the moor.I began to recover from my unpleasa nt experiences gradually．After my stay at Wuthering Heights，I thought I would never want to speak to any human being again，but by the end of the next day I was beginning to feel lonely．I decided to ask Mrs Dean to sit withme after supper.‘How long have you lived in this house？’I asked her．‘Eighteen years，sir. I came here early in 1783 when my mistress was married，to look after her. And when she died，I stayed here as housekeeper.’I was curious to know the history of the people at Wuthering Heights.‘Mrs Dean must know it,’I thought.I decided to introduce the subject.‘Who was your mistress？’I asked.‘Her name was Catherine Earnshaw，'she replied.‘Ah，my ghostly Catherine，’I muttered quietly to myself.‘She married Mr Edgar Linton，a neighbour，’added Mrs Dean，‘and they had a daughter，Cathy，who married Mr Heathcliff's son.’‘Ah，so that must be the widow，young Mrs Heathcliff at Wuthering Heights！’‘That's right，sir．Did you see her？I looked after her as a baby，you know. How is she？I do want to know.’‘She looked very well，and very beautiful．But I don't think she's happy．’‘Oh，poor thing！And what did you think of Mr Heathcliff？’‘He's a rough，hard man，Mrs Dean．But I'm very interested in him．Tell me more about him.’‘Well，he's very rich，of course，and mean at the same time．He could live here at Thrushcross Grange，which is a finer house than Wuthering Heights，but he would rather receive rent than live comfortably．But I'll tell you the whole story of his life，as much as I know，that is，and then you can judge for yourself.’■ 3 Ellen Dean's story—Catherine and Heathcliff as childrenWhen I was a child，I was always at Wuthering Heights，because my mother was a servant who looked after Hindley Earnshaw,Hareton’s father．They are a very old family who have lived in that house for centuries，as you can see from their name on the stone over the front door. Hindley and I were the same age.His sister Catherine was eight years younger than us.I grew up with Catherine and Hindley Earnshaw，and we three played together as children.One day，their father Mr Earnshaw came back from a long journey. He had travelled sixty miles to Liverpool and back on business，and was very tired.‘Look what I've brought you！’he told us all，unwrapping something he was holding carefully in his arms．Catherine and Hindley were expecting presents，and they rushed eagerly to see what it was. They were very disappointed to see only a dirty，black-haired gipsy child.‘I found him all alone in the busy streets of Liverpool，’Mr Earnshaw explained to them，‘and I couldn't leave him to die．He can sleep in your room．’But Hindley and Catherine were angry because they had not received any presents，and refused to let the strange child share their room．However Mr Earnshaw insisted，and little by little the boy became accepted by the family．He was called Heathcliff，as a first and last name．No one ever discovered who his parents had been．Not long after that,Mrs Earnshaw d ied and the three children were left without a mother.Catnerine and he became great friends，but Hindley hated him，and was often cruel to him．He never complained or cried when Hindley hit him.Old Mr Earnshaw was strangely fond of this gipsy child，and frequently punished his son for behaving badly to Heathcliff．Hindley began to be jealous of his father's feelings for Heathcliff，and saw them both as enemies．I often wondered why Mr Earnshaw admired him.Heathcliff never showed any signs of affection for the old man or any signs of gratitude either.But the old man’s love gave him power over Hindley.I remember Mr Earnshaw once bought a couple of young horses and gave one to each of the boys.Heathcliff took the best one but it hurt its leg.He wanted to exchange it for Hindley’s.‘You must give me your horse ,’he said.‘I don’t like mine.If you don’t ,I’ll tell your father abouthow you hit and beat me.’Hindley picked up an iron bar saying,‘Geta away from me!’‘Throw it!’replied Heathcliff not moving .‘I’ll also tell him that you’re going to send me away as soon as he dies.’Hindley threw the bar and it hit Heathcliff on the chest .He fell down ,but got up again immmediately .His face was white but he looked calmly at Hindley.‘Take my horse then,gypsy!’shouted Hindley.‘And I hope he kicks you!’Heathcliff was passing behind the animal to change saddles when suddenly Hindley pushed him.Heathcliff fell under the horse’s feet.Hindley ran away as fast as he could.Heathcliff didn’t say anything .He got up and rested for a while to recover from the blow.Then he went into the house .He didn’t show the mark on his chest to Mr Earnshaw and I thought it was because he wasn’t a vindictive boy.But I wrong ,as you will hear.This situation could not last．As Mr Earnshaw grew old and ill，Heathcliff became even more his favourite，and Hindley often quarrelled with his father．When Hindley was sent away to study，I hoped that we would have peace in the house．But then it was that old servant Joseph who caused trouble．He tried to persuade his master to be stricter with the children，and was always complaining that Heathcliff and Catherine did not spend enough time studying the Bible or attending church services．Catherine was a wild，wicked girl in those days．We had to watch her every moment of the day，to stop her playing her tricks on us．She was proud，and liked giving orders．But she had the prettiest face and the sweetest smile you've ever seen．I could forgive her anything when she came to say she was sorry.She was much too fond of Heathcliff，and the worst punishment we could invent was to keep her separate from him．Her father could no longer understand her or her behaviour，and Catherine did not realize that his illness made him less patient with her．At last Mr Earnshaw found peace．He died quietly in his chair by the fire one October evening in 1775．The night was wild and stormy，and we were all sitting together in the big kitchen．Joseph was reading his Bible at the table，while Catherine had her head on her father's knee．He was pleased to see her so gentle for once，and she was singing him to sleep．I was glad the old gentleman was sleeping so well．But when it was time to go to bed，Catherine put her arms round her father's neck to say goodnight，and immediately screamed，‘Oh，he's dead，Heathcliff！He's dead！’Heathcliff and I started crying loudly and bitterly too．Joseph told me to fetch the doctor，so I ran to the village，although I knew it was too late．When I came back，I went to the children's room，to see if they needed me，and I listened for a moment at their door. They were imagining the dead man in a beautiful distant place，far from the troubles of this world．And as I listened，crying silently，I could not help wishing we were all there safe together.■ 4 Catherine Earnshaw gets to know the LintonsHindley came home for his father's burial．What was more surprising was that he brought a wife with him．We were all amazed.She was young and pretty but very thin.Her eyes sparkled like diamonds.Her name was Frances.She trembled a lot and cried at the funeral.She said she was afraid of ter I noticed she breathed with difficulty when she climbed the stairs.At first Frances was very happy to have a new sister but her enthusiasm for Catherine didn’t last long .She didn’t like Heathcliff at all. Now that Hindley was the master of the house，he ordered Joseph and me to spend our evenings in the small back-kitchen，as we were only servants，while he，his wife and Catherine sat in the main room．Catherine and Heathcliff were treated very differently．Catherine received presents，and could continue her lessons，but Heathcliff was made to work on the farm with the men，and，as a farm worker，was only allowed to eat with us in the backkitchen．They grew up like two wild animals．Hindley did not care what they did，as long as they kept out of his way，and they did not care even if he punished them．They often ran away on to the moors in the morning and stayed out all day，justto make Hindley angry．Sometimes they went there in the morning and stayeed away all day.They were punished for it but it didn’t matter.They forgot everything as soon as they were together again.I was the only one who cared what happened to the two poor creatures，and I was afraid for them．One Sunday evening they were sent out of the sitting room for making a noise.When I went to call them to supper，I couldn’t find them anywhere.We searched the hosue ,upstairs and downstairs,and the courtyar too ,but they weren’t there .Hindley was furious and ordered me angrily to lock the front door．But I did not want them to stay out in the cold all night，so I kept my window open to look out for them．In a while I saw Heathcliff walking through the gate．I was shocked to see him alone．‘Where's Catherine？’I cried sharply．‘At Thrushcross Grange，with our neighbours the Lintons，’he replied．‘They didn’t want me to stay so I had to come back.Let me in，Ellen，and I'll explain what happened．’I went down to unlock the door，and we came upstairs very quietly．‘Don't wake the master up！’I whispered．‘Now tell me！’‘Let me take off my wet clothes and I’ll tell you all about it,Nelly,’he replied.While he was changing ,he told me what happened.‘Well，Catherine and I went for a walk on the moor．We saw the lights at the Grange and we decided to go and look through the windows.We ran down the hill and hid under the sitting room window.The light was on.We wanted to see if Isabella and Edgar Linton are punished all the time by their parents，as we are．’‘Probably not，’I answered．‘I expect they are good children and don't need to be punished．’‘Nonsense，Ellen！Guess what we saw when we looked in at their sittingroom window？A very pretty room，with soft carpets and white walls．Catherine and I would love to have a room like that！But in the middle of this beautiful room，Isabella and Edgar Linton were screaming and fighting over a little dog！How stupid they are，Ellen！If Catherine wanted something，I would give it to her，and she would do the same for me．I would rather be here at Wuthering Heights with her，even if I'm punished by Joseph and that wicked Hindley，that at Thrushcross Grange with those two fools！’‘Not so loud，Heathcliff！But you still haven't told me why Catherine isn't with you？’‘Well，as we were looking in，we started laughing at them so loudly that they heard us，and sent the dogs after us．We were about to run away，when a great fierce dog caught Catherine's leg in its teeth．I attacked it，and made it let go of her leg，but the Lintons' servants appeared and caught hold of me. They must have thought we were robbers．Catherine was carried unconscious into the house，and they pulled me inside too．All the time I was shouting and swearing at them．‘“What a wicked pair of thieves！”said old Mr Linton．“The boy must be a gipsy，he's as dark as the devil！”Mrs Linton raised her hands in horror at the sight of me．Catherine opened her eyes，and Edgar looked closely at her．‘“Mother，”he whispered，“the young lady is Miss Earnshaw，of Wuthering Heights. I've seen her in church occasionally．And look what our dog has done to her leg！It's bleeding badly！”‘“Miss Earnshaw with a gipsy！”cried Mrs Linton．“Surely not！But I think you must be right，Edgar．This girl is wearing black，and Mr Earnshaw died recently．It must be her．I’d better put a bandage on her leg at once.”‘“Why does her brother Hindley let her run around with such a companion？”wondered Mr Linton．“I remember now，he's the gipsy child Mr Earnshaw brought home from Liverpool a few years ago.”‘“He's a wicked boy，you can see that，”said Mrs Linton．“And did you hear the bad language he used just now？I'm shocked that my children heard it.”’‘I was pushed out into the garden，but I stayed to watch through the window．They put Catherine on a comfortable sofa，cleaned her wound and fed her with cakes and wine．I only left the house when I wassure she was well taken care of．She's a breath of fresh air for those stupid Lintons．I'm not surprised they like her．Everybody who sees her must love her，mustn't they，Ellen？’‘I'm afraid you'll be punished for this，Heathcliff，’I said sadly．And I was right．Hindley warned Heathcliff that he must never speak to Catherine again，or he would be sent away from Wuthering Heights，and it was decided that Catherine would be taught to behave like a young lady．She stayed with the Linton family at Thrushcross Grange for five weeks，until Christmas．By that time her leg was fine，and her manners were much better than before．Frances Earnshaw visited her often，bringing her pretty dresses to wear，and persuading her to take care of her appearance，so that when she finally came home after her long absence，she almost seemed a different person．Instead of a wild，hatless girl，we saw a beautiful，carefully dressed young lady．When she had greeted all of us，she asked for Heathcliff．‘Come forward，Heathcliff！’called Hindley．‘You may welcome Miss Catherine home，like the other servants．’Heathcliff was hiding in a corner.He was shocked by this beautifully yound lady.She didn’t look like the Catherine he knew .He was used to being outside all day，and had not bothered to wash or change his clothes．His face and hands were black with dirt．In spite of this，Catherine was very glad to see him and rushed up to kiss him．Then she laughed．‘How funny and black and cross you look！But that's because I'm used to Edgar and Isabella，who are always so clean and tidy. Well，Heathcliff，have you forgotten me？’But，ashamed and proud，the boy said nothing，until suddenly his feelings were too much for him．‘I won't stay to be laughed at！’he cried，and was about to run away，when Catherine caught hold of his hand.‘Why are you angry，Heathcliff？You…you just look a bit strange，that's all．You're so dirty！’She looked worriedly at her hands，and her new dress．‘You needn't have touched me！’he said，pulling away his hand．‘I like being dirty，and I'm going to be dirty！’As he ran miserably out of the room，Hindley and his wife laughed loudly，delighted that their plan to separate the two young people seemed to be succeeding.The next day was Christmas Day．Edgar and Isabella Linton had been invited to lunch，and their mother had agreed，on condition that her darlings were kept carefully apart from‘that wicked boy’．I felt sorry for poor Heathcliff，and while the Earnshaws were at church，I helped him wash and dress in clean clothes．He got up early the next morning and went out to the moor.When he came back ,he seemed to be happier.‘Nelly,’he said .‘Make me look nice.I’m going to be good.’‘I’m glad to hear it,Heathcliff,’I said.‘You upset Catherine.She’s probably sorry she came home.’‘Did she say she was upset?’he asked looking very serious.‘She cried when I told her you weren’t here this morning.’‘Well,I cried last night,’he replied.‘And I had a good reason to cry.’‘Yes, ’I said.‘You went to bed without any dinner!But go and wash now.When you’re clean and wearintg your best clothes,you’ll look more handsome than Edgar Linton.’‘You're too proud，’I scolded him as I brushed his black hair．‘You should think how sad Catherine is when you can't be together．And don't be jealous of Edgar Linton！’‘I wish I had blue eyes and fair hair like him！I wish I behaved well，and was going to inherit a fortune！’‘He has none of your intelligence or character！And if you have a good heart，you'll have a。

seemed to hold little promise when it was published in 1847, selling very poorly and receiving only a few mixed reviews. Victorian readers found the book shocking and inappropriate in its depiction of passionate, ungoverned love and cruelty (despite the fact that the novel portrays no sex or bloodshed), and the work was virtually ignored. Even Emily Brontë’s sister Charlotte—an author whose works contained similar motifs of Gothic love and desolate landscapes—remained ambivalent toward the unapologetic intensity of her sister’s novel. In a preface to the book, which she wrote shortly after Emily Brontë’s death, Charlotte Brontë stated, ―Whether i t is right or advisable to create beings like Heathcliff, I do not know. I scarcely think it is.‖Emily Brontë lived an eccentric, closely guarded life. She was born in 1818, two years after Charlotte and a year and a half before her sister Anne, who also became an author. Her father worked as a church rector, and her aunt, who raised the Brontë children after their mother died, was deeply religious. Emily Brontë did not take to her aunt’s Christian fervor; the character of Joseph, a caric ature of an evange lical, may have been inspired by her aunt’s religiosity. The Brontës lived in Haworth, a Yorkshire village in the midst of th e moors. These wild, desolate expanses—later the setting of Wuthering Heights—made up the Brontës’ daily environment, and Emily lived among them her entire life. She died in 1848, at the age of thirty.As witnessed by their extraordinary literary accomplishments, the Brontë children were a highly creative group, writing stories, plays, and poems for their own amusement. Largely left to their own devices, the children created imaginary worlds in which to play. Yet the sisters knew that the outside world would not respond favorably to their creative expression; female authors were often treated less seriously than their male counterparts in the nineteenth century. Thus the Brontë sisters thought it best to publish their adult works under assumed names. Charlotte wrote as Currer Bell, Emily as Ellis Bell, and Anne as Acton Bell. Their real identities remained secret until after Emily and A nne had died, when Charlotte at last revealed the truth of their novels’ authorship.Today, Wuthering Heights has a secure position in the canon of world literature, and Emily Brontë is revered as one of the finest writers—male or female—of the nineteenth century. Like Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights is based partly on the Gothic tradition of the late eighteenth century, a style of literature that featured supernatural encounters, crumbling ruins, moonless nights, and grotesque imagery, seeking to create effects of mystery and fear. But Wuthering Heights transcends its genre in its sophisticated observation and artistic subtlety. The novel has been studied, analyzed, dissected, and discussed from every imaginable critical perspective, yet it remains unexhausted. And while the novel’s symbolism, themes, structure, and language may all spark fertile exploration, the bulk of its popularity may rest on its unforgettable characters. As a shattering presentation of the doomed love affair between the fiercely passionate Catherine and Heathcliff, it remains one of the most haunting love stories in all of literature.Plot OverviewI N THE LATE WINTER MONTHS OF 1801, a man named Lockwood rents a manor house called Thrushcross Grange in the isolated moor country of England. Here, he meets his dour landlord, Heathcliff, a wealthy man who lives in the ancient manor of Wuthering Heights, four miles away from the Grange. In this wild, stormy countryside, Lockwood asks his housekeeper, Nelly Dean, to tell him the story of Heathcliff and the strange denizens of Wuthering Heights. Nelly consents, and Lockwood writes down his recollections of her tale in his diary; these written recollections form the main part of Wuthering Heights.Nelly remembers her childhood. As a young girl, she works as a servant at Wuthering Heights for the owner of the manor, Mr. Earnshaw, and his family. One day, Mr. Earnshaw goes to Liverpool and returns home with an orphan boy whom he will raise with his own children. At first, the Earnshaw children—a boy named Hindley and his younger sister Catherine—detest the dark-skinned Heathcliff. But Catherine quickly comes to love him, and the two soon grow inseparable, spending their days playing on the moors. After his wife’s death, Mr. Earnshaw grows to prefer Heathcliff to his own son, and when Hindley continues his cruelty to Hea thcliff, Mr. Earnshaw sends Hindley away to college, keeping Heathcliff nearby.Three years later, Mr. Earnshaw dies, and Hindley inherits Wuthering Heights. He returns with a wife, Frances, and immediately seeks revenge on Heathcliff. Once an orphan, later a pampered and favored son, Heathcliff now finds himself treated as a common laborer, forced to work in the fields. Heathcliff continues his close relationship with Catherine, however. One night they wander to Thrushcross Grange, hoping to tease Edgar and Isabella Linton, the cowardly, snobbish children who live there. Catherine is bitten by a dog and is forced to stay at the Grange to recuperate for five weeks, during which time Mrs. Linton works to make her a proper young lady. By the time Catherine returns, she has become infatuated with Edgar, and her relationship with Heathcliff grows more complicated.When Frances dies after giving birth to a baby boy named Hareton, Hindley descends into the depths of alcoholism, and behaves even more cruelly and abusively toward Heathcliff. Eventually, Catherine’s desire for social advancement prompts her to become eng aged to Edgar Linton, despite her overpowering love for Heathcliff. Heathcliff runs away from Wuthering Heights, staying away for three years, and returning shortly after Catherine and Edgar’s marriage.When Heathcliff returns, he immediately sets about seeking revenge on all who have wronged him. Having come into a vast and mysterious wealth, he deviously lends money to the drunken Hindley, knowing that Hindley will increase his debts and fall into deeper despondency. When Hindley dies, Heathcliff inherits the manor. He also places himself in line to inherit Thrushcross Grange by marrying Isabella Linton, whom he treats very cruelly. Catherine becomes ill, gives birth to a daughter, and dies. Heathcliff begs her spirit to remain on Earth—she may take whatever form she will, she may haunt him, drive him mad—just as long as she does not leave him alone. Shortly thereafter, Isabella flees to London and gives birth to Heathcliff’s son, named Linton after her famil y. She keeps the boy with her there.Thirteen years pass, during which Nelly Dean serves as Catherine’s daughter’s nursemaid at Thrushcross Grange. Young Catherine is beautiful and headstrong like her mother, but her temperament is modified by her father’s gentler influence. Young Catherine grows up at the Grange with no knowledge of Wuthering Heights; one day, however, wandering through the moors, she discovers the manor, meets Hareton, and plays together with him. Soon afterwards, Isabella dies, and Linton comes to live with Heathcliff. Heathcliff treats his sickly, whining son even more cruelly than he treated the boy’s mother.Three years later, Catherine meets Heathcliff on the moors, and makes a visit to Wuthering Heights to meet Linton. She and Linton begin a secret romance conducted entirely through letters. When Nelly destroys Catherine’s collection of letters, the girl begins sneaking out at night to spend time with her frail young lover, who asks her to come back and nurse him back to health. However, it quickly becomes apparent that Linton is pursuing Catherine only because Heathcliff is forcing him to; Heathcliff hopes that if Catherine marries Linton, his legal claim upon Thrushcross Grange—and his revenge upon Edgar Linton—will be complete. One day, as Edgar Linton grows ill and nears death, Heathcliff lures Nelly and Catherine back to Wuthering Heights, and holds them prisoner until Catherine marries Linton. Soon after the marriage, Edgar dies, and his death is quickly followed by the death of the sickly Linton.Heathcliff now controls both Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange. He forces Catherine to live at Wuthering Heights and act as a common servant, while he rents Thrushcross Grange to Lockwood.Nelly’s story ends as she reaches the present. Lockwood, appalled, ends his tenancy at Thrushcross Grange and returns to Lond on. However, six months later, he pays a visit to Nelly, and learns of further developments in the story. Although Catherine originally mocked Hareton’s ignorance and illiteracy (in an act of retribution, Heathcliff ended Hareton’s education after Hindley died), Catherine grows to love Hareton as they live together at Wuthering Heights. Heathcliff becomes more and more obsessed with the memory of the elder Catherine, to the extent that he begins speaking to her ghost. Everything he sees reminds him of her. Shortly after a night spent walking on the moors, Heathcliff dies. Hareton and young Catherine inherit Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange, and they plan to be married on the next New Year’s Day. After hearing the end of the story, Lockwood goes to visit the graves of Catherine and Heathcliff.ChronologyThe story of Wuthering Heights is told through flashbacks recorded in diary entries, and events are often presented out of chronological order—Lockwood’s narrative takes place after Nelly’s narrative, for instance, but is interspersed with Nelly’s story in his journal. Nevertheless, the novel contains enough clues to enable an approximate reconstruction of its chronology, which was elaborately designed by Emily Brontë. For instance, Lockwood’s diary entries are recorded in the late months of 1801 and in September 1802; in 1801, Nelly tells Lockwood that she has lived at Thrushcross Grange for eighteen years, since Catherine’s marriage to Edgar, whic h must then have occurred in 1783. We know that Catherine was engaged to Edgar for three years, and that Nelly was twenty-two when they were engaged, so the engagement must have taken place in 1780, and Nelly must have been born in 1758. Since Nelly is a few years older than Catherine, and since Lockwood comments that Heathcliff is about forty years old in 1801, it stands to reason that Heathcliff and Catherine were born around 1761, three years after Nelly. There are several other clues like this in the novel (such as Hareton’s birth, which occurs in June, 1778). The following chronology is based on those clues, and should closely approximate the timing of the novel’s important events. A ―~‖ before a date indicates that it cannot be precisely determined from the evidence in the novel, but only closely estimated.1500 - The stone above the front door of Wuthering Heights, bearing the name of Hareton Earnshaw, is inscribed, possibly to mark the completion of the house.Heathcliff (In-Depth Analysis)1758 - Nelly is born.Catherine (In-Depth Analysis)~1761 - Heathcliff and Catherine are born.Edgar (In-Depth Analysis)~1767 - Mr. Earnshaw brings Heathcliff to live at Wuthering Heights.1774 - Mr. Earnshaw sends Hindley away to college.1777 - Mr. Earnshaw dies; Hindley and Frances take possession of Wuthering Heights; Catherine first visits Thrushcross Grange around Christmastime.1778 - Hareton is born in June; Frances dies; Hindley begins his slide into alcoholism.1780 - Catherine becomes engaged to Edgar Linton; Heathcliff leaves Wuthering Heights.1783 - Catherine and Edgar are married; Heathcliff arrives at Thrushcross Grange in September.1784 - Heathcliff and Isabella elope in the early part of the year; Catherine becomes ill with brain fever; young Catherine is born late in the year; Catherine dies.1785 - Early in the year, Isabella flees Wuthering Heights and settles in London; Linton is born.~1785 - Hindley dies; Heathcliff inherits Wuthering Heights.~1797 - Young Catherine meets Hareton and visits Wuthering Heights for the first time; Linton comes from London after Isabella dies (in late 1797 or early 1798).1800 - Young Catherine stages her romance with Linton in the winter.1801 - Early in the year, young Catherine is imprisoned by Heathcliff and forced to marry Linton; Edgar Linton dies; Linton dies; Heathcliff assumes control of Thrushcross Grange. Late in the year, Lockwood rents the Grange from Heathcliff and begins his tenancy. In a winter storm, Lockwood takes ill and begins conversing with Nelly Dean.1801–1802 - During the winter, Nelly narrates her story for Lockwood.1802 - In spring, Lockwood returns to London; Catherine and Hareton fall in love; Heathcliff dies; Lockwood returns in September and hears the end of the story from Nelly.1803 - On New Year’s Day, young Catherine and Hareton plan to be married.Character ListHeathcliff - An orphan brought to live at Wuthering Heights by Mr. Earnshaw, Heathcliff falls into an intense, unbreakable love with Mr. Earnshaw’s daughter Catherine. After Mr. Earnshaw dies, his resentful son Hindley abuses Heathcliff and treats him as a s ervant. Because of her desire for social prominence, Cathe rine marries Edgar Linton instead of Heathcliff. Heathcliff’s humiliation and misery prompt him to spend most of the rest of his life seeking revenge on Hindley, his beloved Catherine, and their respective children (Hareton and young Catherine). A powerful, fierce, and often cruel man, Heathcliff acquires a fortune and uses his extraordinary powers of will to acquire both Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange, the estate of Edgar LintonCatherine - The daughter of Mr. Earnshaw and his wife, Catherine falls powerfully in love with Heathcliff, the orphan Mr. Earnshaw brings home from Liverpool. Catherine loves Heathcliff so intensely that she claims they are the same person. However, her desire for social advancement motivates her to marry Edgar Linton instead. Catherine is free-spirited, beautiful, spoiled, and often arrogant. She is given to fits of temper, and she is torn between her wild passion for Heathcliff and her social ambition. She brings misery to both of the men who love her.Edgar Linton - Well-bred but rather spoiled as a boy, Edgar Linton grows into a tender, constant, but cowardly man. He is almost the ideal gentleman: Catherine accurately describes him as ―handsome,‖ ―pleasant to be with,‖ ―cheerful,‖ and ―rich.‖ However, this full assortm ent of gentlemanly characteristics, along with his civilized virtues, proves useless in Edgar’s clashes with his foil, Heathc liff, who gains power over his wife, sister, and daughter.Nelly Dean - Nelly Dean (known formally as Ellen Dean) serves as the chief narrator of Wuthering Heights. A sensible, intelligent, and compassionate woman, she grew up essentially alongside Hindley and Catherine Earnshaw and is deeply involved in the story she tells. She has strong feelings for the characters in her story, and these feelings complicate her narration.Lockwood - Lockwood’s narration forms a frame around Nelly’s; he serves as an intermediary between Nelly and the reader. A somewhat vain and presumptuous gentleman, he deals very clumsily with the inhabitants of Wuthering Heights. Lockwood comes from a more domesticated region of England, and he finds himself at a loss when he witnesses the strange household’s disregard for thesocial conventions that have always structured his world. As a narrator, his vanity and unfamiliarity with the story occasionally leadhim to misunderstand events.Young Catherine - For clarity’s sake, this SparkNote refers to the daughter of Edgar Linton and the first Catherine as ―young Catherine.‖ The first Catherine begins her life as C atherine Earnshaw and ends it as Catherine Linton; her daughter begins as Catherine Linton and, assuming that she marries Hareton after the end of the story, goes on to become Catherine Earnshaw. The mother and the daughter share not only a name, but also a tendency toward headstrong behavior, impetuousness, and occasional arrogance. However, Edgar’s influence seems to have tempered young Catherine’s character, and she is a gentler and more compassionate creature th an her mother.Hareton Earnshaw - The son of Hindley and Frances Earnshaw, Hareton is Catherine’s nephew. After Hindley’s death, Heathcliff assumes custody of Hareton, and raises him as an uneducated field worker, just as Hindley had done to Heathcliff himself. Thus Heathcliff uses Hareton to seek revenge on Hindley. Illiterate and quick-tempered, Hareton is easily humiliated, but shows a good heart and a deep desire to improve himself. At the end of the novel, he marries young Catherine.Linton Heathcliff - Heathcliff’s son by Isabella. Weak, sn iveling, demanding, and constantly ill, Linton is raised in London by his mother and does not meet his father until he is thirteen years old, when he goes to live with him after his mother’s death. H eathcliff despises Linton, treats him contemptuously, and, by forcing him to marry the young Catherine, uses him to cement his control over Thrushcross Grange after Edgar Linton’s death. Linton himself dies not long after this marriage.Hindley Earnshaw - Catherine’s brother, and Mr. Earnshaw’s son. Hindley res ents it when Heathcliff is brought to live at Wuthering Heights. After his father dies and he inherits the estate, Hindley begins to abuse the young Heathcliff, terminating his education and forcing him to work in the fields. When Hindley’s wife Frances di es shortly after giving birth to their son Hareton, he lapses into alcoholism and dissipation.Isabella Linton - Edgar Linton’s sister, who falls in love with Heathcliff and marries him. She sees Heathcliff as a romantic figure, like a character in a novel. Ultimately, she ruins her life by falling in love with him. He never returns her feelings and treats her as a mere tool in his quest for revenge on the Linton family.Mr. Earnshaw - Catherine and Hindley’s father. Mr. Earnshaw adopts Heathcliff and bri ngs him to live at Wuthering Heights. Mr. Earnshaw prefers Heathcliff to Hindley but nevertheless bequeaths Wuthering Heights to Hindley when he dies.Mrs. Earnshaw - Catherine and Hindley’s mother, who neither likes nor trusts the orphan Heathcliff when he is brought to live at her house. She dies shortly after Heathcliff’s arrival at Wuthering Heights.Joseph - A long-winded, fanatically religious, elderly servant at Wuthering Heights. Joseph is strange, stubborn, and unkind, and he speaks with a thick Yorkshire accent.Frances Earnshaw - Hindley’s simpering, silly wife, who treats Heathcliff cruelly. She dies shortly after giving birth to Hareton. Mr. Linton - Edgar and Isabella’s father and the proprietor of Thrushcross Grange when Heathcliff and Cat herine are children. An established member of the gentry, he raises his son and daughter to be well-mannered young people.Mrs. Linton - Mr. Linton’s somewhat snobbish wife, who does not like Heathcliff to be allowed near her children, Edgar and Isabella. She teaches Catherine to act like a gentle-woman, thereby instilling her with social ambitions.Zillah - The housekeeper at Wuthering Heights during the latter stages of the narrative.Mr. Green - Edgar Linton’s lawyer, who arrives too late to hear Edgar’s final instruction to change his will, which would have prevented Heathcliff from obtaining control over Thrushcross Grange.Analysis of Major CharactersHeathcliffWuthering Heights centers around the story of Heathcliff. The first paragraph of the novel provides a vivid physical picture of him, as Lockwood describes how his ―black eyes‖ withdraw suspiciously under his brows at Lockwood’s approach. Nelly’s story begins with his introduction into the Earnshaw family, his vengeful machinations drive the entire plot, and his death ends the book. The desire to understand him and his motivations has kept countless readers engaged in the novel.Heathcliff, however, defies being understood, and it is difficult for readers to resist seeing what they want or expect to see in him. The novel teases the reader with the possibility that Heathcliff is something other than what he seems—that his cruelty is merely an expression of his frustrated love for Catherine, or that his sinister behaviors serve to conceal the heart of a romantic hero. We expect Heathcliff’s character to contain such a hidden virtue because he resembles a hero in a romance novel. Traditionally, romance novel heroes appear dangerous, brooding, and cold at first, only later to emerge as fiercely devoted and loving. One hundred years before Emily Brontë wrote Wuthering Heights,the notion that ―a reformed rake makes the best husband‖ was already a cliché of romantic literature, and romance novels center around the same cliché to this day.However, Heathcliff does not reform, and his malevolence proves so great and long-lasting that it cannot be adequately explained even as a desire for revenge against Hindley, Catherine, Edgar, etc. As he himself points out, his abuse of Isabella is purely sadistic, as he amuses himself by seeing how much abuse she can take and still come cringing back for more. Critic Joyce Carol Oates argues that Emily Brontë does the same thing to the reader that Heathcliff does to Isabella, testing to see how many times the reader can be shocked by Heathcliff’s gratuitous violence and still, masoc histically, insist on seeing him as a romantic hero.It is significant that Heathcliff begins his life as a homeless orphan on the streets of Liverpool. When Brontë composed her book, in the 1840s, the English economy was severely depressed, and the conditions of the factory workers in industrial areas like Liverpool were so appalling that the upper and middle classes feared violent revolt. Thus, many of the more affluent members of society beheld these workers with a mixture of sympathy and fear. In literature, the smoky, threatening, miserable factory-towns were often represented in religious terms, and compared to hell. The poet William Blake, writing near the turn of the nineteenth century, speaks of Eng land’s―dark Satanic Mills.‖ Heathcliff, of course, is frequently compared to a demon by the other characters in the book.Considering this historical context, Heathcliff seems to embody the anxieties that the book’s upper- and middle-class audience had about the working classes. The reader may easily sympathize with him when he is powerless, as a child tyrannized by Hindley Earnshaw, but he becomes a villain when he acquires power and returns to Wuthering Heights with money and the trappings of a gentleman. This corresponds with the ambivalence the upper classes felt toward the lower classes—the upper classes had charitable impulses toward lower-class citizens when they were miserable, but feared the prospect of the lower classes trying to escape their miserable circumstances by acquiring political, social, cultural, or economic power.CatherineThe location of Catherine’s coffin symbolizes the conflict that tears apart her short life. She is not buried in the chapel w ith the Lintons. Nor is her coffin placed among the tombs of the Earnshaws. Instead, as Nel ly describes in Chapter XVI, Catherine is buried ―in a corner of the kirkyard, where the wall is so low that heath and bilberry plants have climbed over it from the moor.‖ Moreover, she i s buried with Edgar on one side and Heathcliff on the other, suggesting her conflicted loyalties. Her actions are driven in part by her social ambitions, which initially are awakened during her first stay at the Lintons’, and which eventually compel her to marry Edgar. However,she is also motivated by impulses that prompt her to violate social conventions—to love Heathcliff, throw temper tantrums, and run around on the moor.Isabella Linton—Catherine’s sister-in-law and Heathcliff’s wife, wh o was born in the same year that Catherine was—serves as Catherine’s foil. The two women’s parallel positions allow us to see their differences with greater clarity. Catherine repres ents wild nature, in both her high, lively spirits and her occasional cruelty, whereas Isabella represents culture and civilization, both in her refinement and in her weakness.EdgarJust as Isabella Linton serves as Catherine’s foil, Edgar Linton serves as Heathcliff’s. Edgar is born and raised a gentleman. He is graceful, well-mannered, and instilled with civilized virtues. These qualities cause Catherine to choose Edgar over Heathcliff and thus to initiate the contention between the men. Nevertheless, Edgar’s gentlemanly qualities ultimately prove useless in his ensuing rivalrywith Heathcliff. Edgar is particularly humiliated by his confrontation with Heathcliff in Chapter XI, in which he openly shows his fear of fighting Heathcliff. Catherine, having witnessed the scene, taunts him, saying, ―Heathcliff would as soon lift a finger at yo u as the king would march his army against a colony of mice.‖ As the reader can see from the earliest descrip tions of Edgar as a spoiled child, his refinement is tied to his helplessness and impotence.Charlotte Brontë, in her preface to the 1850 edition of Wuthering Heights, refers to Edgar as ―an example of constancy and tenderness,‖ and goes on to suggest that her sister Emily was using Edgar to point out that such characteristics constitute true virtues in all human beings, and not just in women, as society tended to believe. However, Charlotte’s reading seems influenced by her own feminis t agenda. Edgar’s inability to counter Heathcliff’s vengeance, and his naïve belief on his deathbed in his daughter’s safety and happiness, make him a weak, if sympathetic, characterThemes, Motifs & SymbolsThemesThemes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work.The Destructiveness of a Love that Never ChangesCatherine and Heathcliff’s passion for one another seems to be the center of Wuthering Heights, given that it is stronger and more lasting than any other emotion displayed in the novel, a nd that it is the source of most of the major conflicts that structure the novel’s plot. As she tells Catherine and Heathcliff’s story, Nelly criticizes both of them harshly, condemning their passion as immor al, but this passion is obviously one of the most compelling and memorable aspects of the book. It is not easy to decide whether Brontë intends the reader to condemn these lovers as blameworthy or to idealize them as romantic heroes whose love transcends social norms and conventional morality. The book is actually structured around two parallel love stories, the first half of the novel centering on the love between Catherine and Heathcliff, while the less dramatic second half features the developing love between young Catherine and Hareton. In contrast to the first, the latter tale ends happily, restoring peace and order to Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange. The differences between the two love stories contribute to the reader’s understanding of why each ends the way it does.The most important fea ture of young Catherine and Hareton’s love story is that it involves growth and change. Early in the novel Hareton seems irredeemably brutal, savage, and illiterate, but over time he becomes a loyal friend to young Catherine and learns to read. When young Catherine first meets Hareton he seems completely alien to her world, yet her attitude also evolves from contempt to love. Catherine and Heathcliff’s love, on the other hand, is rooted in their childhood and is marked by the refusal to change. In choosing to marry Edgar, Catherine seeks a more genteel life, but she refuses to adapt to her role as wife, either by sacrificing Heathcliff or embracing Edgar. In Chapter XII she suggests to Nelly that the years since she was twelve years old and her father died have been like a blank to her, and she longs to return to the moors of her childhood. Heathcliff, for his part, possesses a seemingly superhuman ability to maintain the same attitude and to nurse the same grudges over many years.Moreover, Catherine and Hea thcliff’s love is based on their shared perception that they are identical. Catherine declares, famously, ―I am Heathcliff,‖ while Heathcliff, upon Catherine’s death, wails that he cannot live without his ―soul,‖ meaning Catherine. Their love denies difference, and is strangely asexual. The two do not kiss in dark corners or arrange secret trysts, as adulterers do. Given that Catherine and Heathcliff’s love is based upon their refusal to change over time or embrace difference in others, it is fittin g that the disastrous problems of their generation are overcome not by some climactic reversal, but simply by the inexorable passage of time, and the rise of a new and distinct generation. Ultimately, Wuthering Heights presents a vision of life as a process of change, and celebrates this process over and against the romantic intensity of its principal characters.The Precariousness of Social ClassAs members of the gentry, the Earnshaws and the Lintons occupy a somewhat precarious place within the hierarchy of late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century British society. At the top of British society was the royalty, followed by the aristocracy, then by the gentry, and then by the lower classes, who made up the vast majority of the population. Although the gentry, or upper middle class, possessed servants and often large estates, they held a nonetheless fragile social position. The social status of aristocrats was a formal and settled matter, because aristocrats had official titles. Members of the gentry, however, held no titles, and their status was thus subject to change.A man might see himself as a gentleman but find, to his embarrassment, that his neighbors did not share this view. A discussion of whether or not a man was really a gentleman would consider such questions as how much land he owned, how many tenants and servants he had, how he spoke, whether he kept horses and a carriage, and whether his money came from land or ―trade‖—gentlemen scorned banking and commercial activities.Considerations of class stat us often crucially inform the characters’ motivations in Wuthering Heights. Catherine’s decision to marry Edgar so that she will be ―the greatest woman of the neighborhood‖ is only the most obvious example. The Lintons are relative ly firm in their gentry status but nonetheless take great pains to prove this status through their behaviors. The Earnshaws, on the other hand, rest on much shakier ground socially. They do not have a carriage, they have less land, and their house, as Lockwood remarks with greatp uzzlement, resembles that of a ―homely, northern farmer‖ and not that of a gentleman. The shifting nature of social status is demonstrated most strikingly in Heathcliff’s trajectory from homeless waif to young gentleman-by-adoption to common laborer to gentleman again (although the status-conscious Lockwood remarks that Heathcliff is only a gentleman in ―dress and manners‖).MotifsMotifs are recurring structures, contrasts, or literary devices that can help to develop and inform the text’s major themes.DoublesBrontë organizes her novel by arranging its elements—characters, places, and themes—into pairs. Catherine and Heathcliff are closely matched in many ways, and see themselves as identical. Catherine’s character is divided into two warring sides: the side that wants Edgar and the side that wants Heathcliff. Catherine and young Catherine are both remarkably similar and strikingly different. The two houses, Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange, represent opposing worlds and values. The novel has not one but two distinctly different narrators, Nelly and Mr. Lockwood. The relation between such paired elements is usually quite complicated, with the。