Form / Structure, Plot: Wuthering Heights is told as a two-, and occasionally even three-layered story. The narrator Mr.

Lockwood provides the first layer as a short-lasting tenet in Thrushcross Grange. Mr. Lockwood is a rather unreliable narrator and is prone to misconceptions throughout his early narratives. He considers himself a misanthrope, but yearns for conversation and is disturbed by the insular attitude at the Heights. fter a meeting with Heathcliff, Mr. Lockwood remarks that it is !astonishing how sociable " feel myself compared with him# $%ront& '(). Given that Mr. Lockwood moved to the Grange seeking solitude, he seems remarkably in over his head. "n the very beginning, Lockwood e*uates Heathcliff as !a capital fellow+# $,), although it *uickly becomes evident that he is not, and that Heathcliff and Mr. Lockwood are not !such a suitable pair# $,). Thankfully, a second layer of story and interpretation is provided by -llen .ean, an elderly servant who knows most of the areas history first-hand. Ms. .ean gives a far more consistent spin to events that she relates, although she seems to have a bias toward peace and traditional, ordered living. Ms. .ean/s version of events is occasionally supplemented internally by accounts such as "sabella Heathcliff/s story $%ront& '00). The timeline of Wuthering Heights is comple1, 2umping through stories and dreams, following time from Mr. Lockwood/s arrival to about (3 years prior. 4arious 2umps forward and back in time create drama because Mr. Lockwood provides a dim version of the results of Ms. .ean/s story. The idea that the !most winning thing that ever brought sunshine into a desolate house# $%ront& '56) described by Ms. .ean could transform into the scornful creature seen by Mr. Lockwood pi*ues a morbid curiosity about the events in between. The comple1 chronology serves to provide a form of suspense and e1citement. 7ome of the plot twists and turns are very contrived and coincidental, often involving chance meetings while strolling on the moors. " understand that this techni*ue is common in 4ictorian literature and accepted as a reasonable way by which plot elements may be tied together. The number of coincidences is not great enough to completely tear the illusion woven by the story, but does seem to slightly spoil the plausibility by sounding mildly unnatural and unrealistic. "t/s as if the ob2ect of the story would go unaddressed were the plot not nudged and redirected occasionally by some less-than-subtle force. The plot in Wuthering Heights is long and twisted, tied together by Heathcliff/s love of 8atherine and revenge on his percieved oppressors. Heathcliff, a young orphan, is brought by Mr. -arnshaw to live with his daughter 8atherine and son Hindley in 9uthering Heights. Heathcliff and 8atherine become close friends, partially cemented by their alliance against the elder Hindley. fter the death of her father, 8atherine eventually meets and marries -dgar Linton, who lives in Thrushcross Grange. This devastates Heathcliff, who runs away for three years, and returns as an apparently wealthy man. 7etting abode at 9uthering Heights, Heathcliff drives Hindley insane and takes ownership of the estate. Heathcliff marries -dgar/s sister "sabella, although he despises her. Heathcliff/s and Mr Linton/s mutual hatred eventually take a toll on 8atherine, who dies immediately after giving birth to a similarly-named daughter. "sabella runs away from Heathcliff, but after her death he gains custody over his sickly son Linton. Manipulating the young 8atherine/s love for her father, Heathcliff forces her

to marry Linton. 9hen Linton dies shortly afterward, Heathcliff has effectively gained control of the Grange along with the Heights. 9hen Heathcliff dies, 8atherine marries Hindley/s uneducated son Hareton. Point of View / Perspective: :f the two primary perspectives used in Wuthering Heights, that which is offered by the housekeeper Ms. -llen .ean is the more reliable. lthough she is prone to bias and highly critical of both the elder 8atherine and Heathcliff and their eccentricities, she is wise, perceptive, and observant of details. lthough the details of who is narrating and in what capacity occasionally seem muddled and artificial, Ms. .ean provides a cleanly delivered first person point-of-view from the perspective of a minor character. 9hile the narration is supposed to be by Mr. Lockwood with assistance from Ms. .ean $or, through by Ms. .ean through Mr. Lockwood,) %ront& often throws this aside for the sake of clarity. 9hen Ms. .ean relates her story to Mr. Lockwood, perspective shifts completely to her point of view for chapters at a time without any of the previous narrator/s trappings. ;rom the second half of 8hapter "4 and onward for the ma2ority of the story, Mr. Lockwood need not e1ist, as Ms. .ean completely and securely plays the role of the story-teller. Ms. .ean/s position as a servant gives her convenient access to both events and the sentiments of the story. Heathcliff and the younger and elder 8atherines take her into their confidence in e1plaining their thoughts and feelings, making <elly .ean the perfect bystander. Her character is conservative and her point of view is, in accordance, counter to the passionate emotions that influence many of the characters. "f Ms. .ean/s mild bias has any role, it is to give her a human character that can be trusted as a consistent source of information. Her very conservativism provides reassurance that little or none of her narrative is likely to be fabricated. "n the brief sections of narration that are led by Mr. Lockwood, the first-person point-of-view is used to occasionally comical effect. Mr. Lockwood/s !unhappy= con2ecture>s?# $%ront&',) in Heathcliff/s estate are really very funny, especially when coupled with his both pompous yet awkward nature. Mr. Lockwood thinks himself witty, telling 8atherine, !half smiling, @Aou are the proper person to ask me >to tea?,/# $'0). Later Mr. Lockwood finds himself inelegantly in the middle of a chaotic tea at the Heights, unable to make his way home for bad weather. ;ew of his observations are to be taken at face value, though he does seem to be a good-natured, if imperceptive, spectator. Mr. Lockwood/s role is, rather than to provide useful information, to give the story depth and to show the effect of Ms. .ean/s tale on an honest layman. Bnlike other novels where parallel narratives e1ist i.e. same event, within the same time frame being narrated from different perspectives, 9uthering Heights has a multi-layered narration, each individual narrative opening out from its parent to reveal a new stratum $level) of the story. This intricate techni*ue helps to maintain a continuos narrative despite of the difficulties posed by the huge time-shifts involved in the novel. Lockwood/s narrative is the outer framework of the story. He is then present as the recipient of <elly/s story and she in turn is the recipient of tertiary narratives. A.) HeathcliffC 8hapter D, E,

B.) "sabellaC 8hapter '6, '0 C.) 8athyC 8hapter E( D.) FillaC 8hapter 6G. <elly/s narrative is so dramatised that we could argue that much of it is in the form of a tertiary narration, e.g. the conversation involving Heathcliff, 8atherine and -dgar on Heathcliff/s return is recorded in the words of the participants. The effect of this is to present the story directly to the reader so that our perception is constantly changing as if we were witnessing a drama. The difficulty facing the author at the beginning if the novel was to find a method by which the reader could be introduced into the household of the Heights, so that its characters and its ambience could be understood. The purpose of %ronte/s narrative is to draw the reader into a position where he can only 2udge its events from within. Lockwood presents the normal outsider or the reader, by drawing him into the penetralium, the reader is cleverly introduced to the realities of this hostile and bewildering environment. The narrative form poses severe limitations for the author in that she cannot use her own voice, the story must speak entirely for itself, its values must be self-generated, created for us by the language which must be emotive and strong, particularly in moments of self revelation and strong feeling. "n 9uthering Heights each narrative takes place within the action occupying an important place in the dramatic structure so that the reader never stands completely outside the story. 9e, like Lockwood, find ourselves as the direct recipients of <elly/s narrative, we are immediately inside the world of 9uthering Heights and therefore the events loom large and have a more dramatic impact, because they are not prefaced for us by editorial comment or introduction provided in the first person by the author. 9hile the larger frameworks of Lockwood and <elly/s narratives, provide the necessary ob2ectivity, the smaller more condensed narratives like 8atherine/s diary give us direct glimpses into the imaginary lives of the main protagonists, these together form the core of the story and are 2oined in subtle ways with each other. They suddenly appear without warning and the memory of them remains vibrant in the background. The modify over veins of all the outward events that <elly or Lockwood describe, allowing for an individual response or appreciation to the core developments of the story. %ronte seeks to engage the reader directly through the reactions of her narrators, the techni*ue is abrupt and dramatic allowing little time for insight but confronting us with a sharply focused scene where the characters are realised first as physical presences, they are set in motion at once and the chain if events begins to occur, the reader is immediately caught up in the overall e1perience of the story without having time to consider its meaning. The background, the setting, the climate, the houses and the animals all take on a life of their own, images of past and present are flashed together Ha glare of white letters startled from the dark as vivid as spectres - the air swarming with 8atherinesH.

Thus the novel itself begins at a point where the action is almost completed. The *uestions which Lockwood asks of <elly .ean, promote answers which give him little insight but it is Lockwood/s fascination with the character of Mr. Heathcliff which causes his mind to become Htiresomely activeH, thus re*uiring a full circumstantial narrative. The kind of curiosity aroused by %ronte in Lockwood and therefore in the reader, demands a complete imaginative reliving of the past. "t is only through e1periencing the events as Lockwood did from Heathcliff/s arrival to that point in time that he can be in a position to understand the comple1 set of relationships he witnessed in the household of 9uthering Heights, that is why the apparently artificial narrative structure is both necessary and convincing and we accept its conventions without *uestions. Iast and present interact on one another forming a single close knit drama without division into parts. AUT !"#S ST$%& 9uthering Heights is uni*ue for many reasons. "t is told by several different narrators, including <elly .ean and Lockwood. "t is also told as a flashback, not entirely in chronological order. "t is also an interesting study in the Aorkshire dialect, even though the dialogue can sometimes be a little stiff and artificial. The language used by <elly seems particularly improbable, coming as it does from a housekeeper, no matter how well read she may be. "t seems improbable, too, that <elly should recall so many conversations verbatim after a period of many years. The images in the novel, which are vivid and powerful, contribute to its style. The figures of speech are effective. <elly describes -dgarJs reluctance to leave the Heights after his *uarrel with 8atherine through a powerful metaphorC HHe possessed the power to depart, as much as a cat possesses the power to leave a mouse half killed, or a bird half eaten.H Heathcliff says of -dgarC H"Jll crush his ribs like a rotten haKel nut.H -dgarJs growing interest in 8athy after the death of his wife is described in the following mannerC Hfor a few days . . . he seemed regardless of the puny successor to the departedC that coldness melted as fast as snow in pril.H These are but a few e1amples of -mily %ront&Js pictures*ue style.

:ne of the most striking features of -mily %ront&Js style is its lyrical *uality. mong the most celebrated in the novel is the young 8athyJs description of her ideal way of spending a summer day, contrasted with that of her cousin Linton. HHe wanted all to lie in an ecstasy of peaceL " wanted all to sparkle and dance in a glorious 2ubilee.H The prose rhythms of 8athyJs description almost cry out to be sung. ll the JmJ sounds in LintonJs description, such as Hmorning,H Hmiddle of the moors,H and Hbees humming dreamily among the bloomH convey e1actly the desired impression of laKy drowsiness. 9ith 8athyJs description the prose at once becomes brisker and full of movement. 7he uses verbs like Hrocking,H Hblowing,H Hflitting,H and Hundulating $in waves to the breeKe).H They help to build a picture of sparkling, dancing vitality. The last sentence in the novel

is a good e1ample of -mily %ront&Js unfailing sense of rhythmC H" lingered round them, under that benign skyL watched the moths fluttering among the heath and harebells, listened to the soft wind breathing through the grass, and wondered how anyone could ever imagine un*uiet slumbers for the sleepers in that *uiet earth.H The language of the novel also characteriKes human beings, establishing the cultural differences between man and the social world he enters. LockwoodJs speech is pompous, mannered, bookish, and delightfully free from dialect. "n spite of his lack of education, Heathcliff is able to address Lockwood, the stranger, with elaborate politeness. MosephJs language is different from the language 8atherine uses. His is the typical dialect spoken by a servant, while 8atherineJs speech is typical of a well-to-do young lady who grew up in the country. <elly .eanJs language is a fine specimen of standard -nglish with a slight regional flavor. The language successfully reveals part of each characterJs background.