MA ENGLISH

FIRST SEMESTER

NOVEL I

WUTHERING HEIGHTS

PREPARED BY

DR IFFAT MAQBOOL

The Gothic in Wuthering Heights

One of the remarkable features of Wuthering Heights is its atmosphere.

Atmosphere here suggests the setting, the aura and the interactions of the
characters with their environment. The novel is set in the Yorkshire moors, a
natural landscape that is desolate and bleak- the perfect setting for the
passionate tale of the two lovers Cathy and Heathcliff. The topography of
Wuthering Heights is the efo e fa e o ed f o the o e ealisti setti gs of
say Jane Austen or Charles Dickens. The seclusion and wilderness of the novel is
often interpreted in terms of its engagement with the Gothic. The Gothic is a
literary genre and was quite in vogue during the Victorian age in English
Literature. Gothic works often use bleak settings, strange, mysterious characters,
death, ghosts ,the supernatural and violence as some of its regular motifs.

Ma of the ele e ts of B o te s o el a e i deed Gothi . Yet he t eat e t of

these elements differs from that of her contemporaries. Nicholas Marsh
comments:

In Wuthering Heights, the gothic feature are ambiguously entwined with

questions of psychology and obsession: they typically occur at moments of violent
anxiety, or when characters are in a heightened state of emotion.Often as with
Cathe i e s deli iu a d Heath liff s hau ti g the isio s a e asso iated ith
effects of starvation or illness. Heath liff sa s as e tai l as ou pe ei e the
approach to some substantial body in the dark, though it cannot be discerned, so
certainly I felt that Cathy was there.The ph ase so e su sta tial od i the
da k is a fitti g des iption for the shadowy, almost physical presence of
embodied obsessions, desires and passionate needs in Wuthering Heights.

Emily Bronte included suggestions of the supernatural in Wuthering Heights in a

most ambiguous and modern manner. The vision in Wuthering Heights suggests
an opposition to the accepted priorities of life- as if Cathe i e s a d Heath liff s
passions are elemental and suppressed, and can only live through the power of
subjective perceptions.“o B o te s supernatural is much more closely described
as something which exists beyond the range of what conventional society can
understand or tolerate.It does not seem to be something which exists outside
atu e, ho e e , it ould e a gued that the isio s i Wuthe i g Heights a e
actually closer to nature than the conventional minds which cannot comprehend
the , su h as Edga Li to s o Lo k ood s.

To He e s A al sis of the Gothi i Wuthering Heights:

The novel Wuthering Heights (1847) by Emily Bronte is the tale of tragic love and
all-consuming passion, these romantic themes and a sense of horror and the
supernatural combine to make Wuthering Heights a Gothic novel. Quintessential
elements of Gothic fiction include the above mentioned themes as well as
grotesque imagery, dark and foreboding mansions and landscapes, chaos, pain
a d doo ed lo e, all the es p ese t i B o te s o k. Gothi ele e ts a e used
by Bronte in allowing the novel to transcend the binds of the merely romantic.
She uses the Gothic style to evoke terror and fear.

One of the classic features of Gothic literature is that of the supernatural and
Wuthering Heights is very much ridden with other-worldly ideas. The first and
most vivid description of supernatural beings appears to the character Mr.
Lockwood when staying at the estate of Wuthering Heights. A ghostly, bloody
appa itio of Cathe i e appea s at his i do ; The i te se ho o of ight a e
came over me; I tried to draw back my arm, but, the hand clung to it, and a most
ela hol oi e, so ed, Let e i - let me in! B o te , p. It is ot
made explicit in the novel whether the event is just a dream or something more
but the graphic nature of the account evokes a sense of unearthly dread.
Moreover, it is clear that the central character Heathcliff is convinced of the
e iste e of ghosts a d the idea that Cathe i e s spi it e ai s p ese t at the
Heights. O hea i g of Lo k ood s o deal, Heath liff Got o the ed, a d
wrenched open the lattice, bursting, as he pulled at it, into an uncontrollable
passion of tea s. Co e i ! o e i ! He so ed. B o te , p. He
o i ous p ese e i Heath liff s i d e e tuall a ifests itself i to o i i g
him to dig up her grave, which itself highlights another trope of the Gothic - an
obsession with death. A focus on the paranormal penetrates right throughout the
text. In the final pages of the novel we hear of accounts of ghostly sightings of
Heath liff a d Cathe i e o the oo s; Cou t folks, if ou asked the , ould
swear on their Bible that he walks. ... That old man ... affirms he has seen two on
e ... o e e ai ight, si e his death. B o te , p. The p ese e
of these spectres also attests to their perpetual and unconquerable love which
defies even the grave.

Gothic novels typically take the setting of a dark castle, dungeon or laboratory; in
Wuthering Heights the foreboding environment created by the title location is
just as potent in inciting terror. The weather-wracked estate of Wuthering Heights
offers an untamed, dangerous and sinister atmosphere.

I paused to ad i e a ua tit of g otes ue a i g la ished o e the f o t, a d

especially about the principal door, above which, among a wilderness of
u li g g iffi s, a d sha eless little o s, I dete ted the date . B o te
1847, p. 2)

This imagery bestows upon the mansion an atmosphere akin to that of a haunted
manor or castle as is typical of Gothic fiction. The sense that the Heights is a
sinister place is most saliently seen when compared with the other location of the
narrative, Thrushcross Grange, which serves to provide a stark contrast as a polar
opposite in feeling and in what is represents; civility and the genteel. Bronte
makes the contrast so clear in order to hone the sense of morbidity of the
Heights.

Equally important as the mansion itself is the stormy and wild weather which
abounds at the Heights. The title of the estate is telling here in that, based on the
oft described conditions, it was very aptly named after the roaring winds which
beset the house.

Pu e, acing ventilation they must have up there, at all times, indeed: one may
guess of the power of the north wind, ... by a range of gaunt thorns all stretching
thei li s o e a , as if a i g al s of the su . B o te , p.

The weather mirrors the passion and wildness of the inhabitants of the Heights.
The moorlands which surround Wuthering Heights add to the sense of untamable
danger associated with the property. The estate of Wuthering Heights, the wild
weather and the dangerous moors which surround it combine to create a truly
Gothic setting.

The tragic anti-hero of Wuthering Heights, Heathcliff, is in many ways an

archetypal Gothic character. He is mysterious, dark and exceedingly dangerous.
He is wholly bent on revenge for perceived past wrongs and his passion is all-
consuming. Like many Gothic anti-he oes, Heath liff s lo e a d fu lead hi to
dest o the o a he desi es. I the e d it is Cathe i e s lo e fo Heath liff
which ultimately destroys her. His return reinforces this and she cannot live with
he self a o e, she tells Heath liff You ha e killed e - and thriven on it, I
thi k. B o te , Though he ost e tai l did ot ish Cathe i e ha ,
he also certainly played a part in her mental and physical capitulation.

Heathcliff shows no qualms in destroying those for whom he does not care,
however undeserving of his wrath they may be. Isabella Linton falls in love with
Heathcliff and is abused so heartlessly that she is forced to leave him, a social
taboo for the period, this can be seen in this excerpt from her epistolary
o fessio to Elle Dea I assu e ou, a tige , o a e o ous se pe t ould ot
rouse terror in me equal to that which he wakens... I hate him - I am wretched - I
ha e ee a fool. B o te , p. He sho s o remorse as to the fate of
Isabella, nor even their son Linton whom he neglects to seek medical care for
when he has fulfilled his purpose in usurping for Heathcliff Thrushcross Grange.
Heath liff s u a a ted a ts of iole e agai st defe seless i ti s show his
utte dis ega d fo hu a suffe i g. Heath liff s ele tless sadis a ifests itself
in his use of torture and imprisonment; classic Gothic features. When he
imprisons young Cathy at Wuthering Heights he does so to emotionally torture
Edgar Linton, the man who took Catherine from him, but it is equally tortuous to
poo Cath If papa thought I had left hi , o pu pose, a d if he died efo e I
etu ed, ould I ea to li e? B o te , p. Heath liff s use of old-
blooded emotional and psychological torture elevates him beyond the mere
scorned man of passion to the disturbed and cruel monster that he becomes. Like
any other Gothic anti-hero, or in many cases the antagonist, Heathcliff is bent on
vengeance and does not care who must suffer from his cruelty in order for him to
achieve it. In this way Heathcliff is a prime example of a Gothic protagonist.

Wuthering Heights is Gothic in its essence, it is the Gothic elements which allow
the novel to transcend the genre of tragic romance and make it unique. The
spectre of Catherine haunts the tale from the very first chapters onwards, and
fittingly, this eerie apparition is what makes this novel so eternally enduring, the
sense that love and loss are sentiments that can defy even death is a palpable and
evocative theme. The mysterious and untamable setting of Wuthering Heights
provides the perfect backdrop for the terrible events of the narrative. And
Heath liff s i e o a le uest fo e e ge th ough p e editated to tu e akes
him arguably the classic Gothic anti-hero. Emily Bronte makes perfect use of
Gothi ele e ts i e oki g ithi the eade s i d a po e ful se se of d ead,
apprehension and pain.

Bibliography

Literary Sources
Bronte, Emily 2008, Wuthering Heights, Vintage Books, London.

Smith, Angela 1980, York Notes: Wuthering Heights, Longman York Press, London.

On-line Sources

Cummings, Michael J. 2009, Cummings Study Guides, Wuthering Heights: A Study

Guide, viewed 18/8/11,
(http://www.cummingsstudyguides.net/Bronte.html#Imagery)

The English Gothic Novel: Emily Bronte, Brooklyn Academic, viewed 17/8/11,
(http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/novel_19c/wuthering/gothic.
html)

Gothic Literature: An In-Depth Look at Wuthering Heights, Associated Content,

viewed 17/8/11,
(http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/14359/gothic_literature_an_indepth
_look_at.html)