Wuthering Heights

Author: Emily Bronte
Genre: fiction, classic

This classic is the only novel ever written by Emily Bronte. I picked it up out of curiosity as I had read that it is particularly violent and a lot of people found it appalling as well. True to those reports, it is quite turbulent, especially considering the times at which it was written. However, there are several points that make it a very interesting read.

The story revolves around the lives of the unfortunate residents of Wuthering Heights and their closest neighbours. The main character of the story, Heathcliff, instils in the reader, from the very beginning a hatred and horror. He alone manages to wreak havoc in the lives of three generations that live at Wuthering Heights. I was surprised at how, at any given point in the story, I never could empathise or pity this character, so well was he painted in the book. Apart from the main character, there are several things that make the book quite engaging. The story includes many twists and turns as well as many climaxes that make it difficult to put down. The style of writing is slightly unconventional, it is written in the form of a narrative; with the narrators changing from time to time. The writing is very appealing and poetic, the hallmarks of any classic.   The characters are portrayed effectively, and as with any other classic they seem extremely real, even after all these years.

However, the book manages to stand out from several others written at that time, especially when I compare ‘Jane Eyre’, written by the author’s sister. The clarity with which the violence and the unconventional behaviour in the book is depicted is hugely unlike the other stories of that time, where such brutal scenes were either avoided or mentioned as vaguely as possible. The second is choice of the main character of the story. The ‘hero’ if one could call him that, is not a handsome and noble gentleman, but a brute and rogue whom everyone except one, hates. After reading the book, I really admired Emily Bronte’s courage in writing such a saga!

Overall, I would say that I truly enjoyed reading it. I would also say that no classic novel lover’s reading list is complete without  this unconventional tale!