WutheringHeights

　　Publishedin1847,WUTHERINGHEIGHTSwasnotwellreceivedbythereadingpublic,manyofwhomcondemneditassordid,vulgar,andunnatural--andauthorEmilyBrontewenttohergravein1848believingthatheronlynovelwasafailure.Itwasnotuntil1850,whenWUTHERINGHEIGHTSreceivedasecondprintingwithanintroductionbyEmily'ssisterCharlotte,thatitattractedawidereadership.Andfromthatpointthereputationofthebookhasneverlookedback.TodayitiswidelyrecognizedasoneofthegreatnovelsofEnglishliterature.

　　Evenso,WUTHERINGHEIGHTScontinuestodividereaders.Itisnotaprettylovestory;rather,itisswirlingtaleoflargelyunlikeablepeoplecaughtupinobsessivelovethatturnstodarkmadness.Itiscruel,violent,darkandbrooding,andmanypeoplefinditextremelyunpleasant.Andyet--itpossessesagrandeuroflanguageanddesign,asenseoftremendouspityandgreatlossthatsetsitapartfromvirtuallyeveryothernovelwritten.

　　Thenovelistoldintheformofanextendedflashback.Afteravisittohisstrangelandlord,anewcomertotheareadesirestoknowthehistoryofthefamily--whichhereceivesfromNellyDeans,aservantwhointroducesustotheEarnshawfamilywhoonceresidedinthehouseknownasWutheringHeights.Itwasonceacheerfulplace,butOldEarnshawadopteda"Gipsy"childwhohenamedHeathcliff.AndCatherine,daughterofthehouse,foundinhimtheperfectcompanion:wild,rude,andasproudandcruelasshe.ButalthoughCatherineloveshim,evenrecognizeshimashersoulmate,shecannotlowerherselftomarrysofarbelowhersocialstation.Sheinsteadmarriesanother,andinsodoingsetsinmotionanobsessionthatwilldestroythemall.

　　WUTHERINGHEIGHTSisabitdifficultto"getinto;"theopeningchaptersaresodarkintheirportraitoftheendresultofthisobsessivelovethattheyaresomewhatoff-putting.Buttheyfeedintotheflowoftheworkinaremarkableway,settingthestageforoneofthemostremarkablestructuresinallofliterature,astorythatcirclesuponitselfinaseriesofrepetitionsasitplaysoutacrosstwogenerations.CatherineandHeathcliffareequallyremarkable,bothviciousandcruel,andyetneverabletoshedtheirimpossiblelovenomatterhowbrutallyonemaywoundtheother.

　　Asthenovelcoilsfurtherintoalcoholism,seduction,andoneofthemostelaboratelyimaginedplansofrevengeitgathersintoaghostlytone:Heathcliff,driventomadnessbyawomanwhoisnottherebutwhoseemsreflectedineverypartofhisworld--dragginghercorpsefromthegrave,hearinghercallingtohimfromthemoors,escalatinghisbrutalitynotforthesakeofbrutalitybutsothathermemorywillneverfade,sothatshemayneverleavehisminduntildeathitself.Yes,thisismadness,insanity,andthereisnopeacethissideofthegraveorevenbeyond.

　　Itisastunningnovel,frightening,inexorable,unsettling,filledwithunbridledpassionthatmakesonecringe.Evenifyoudonotlikeit,youshouldreaditatleastonce--andthosewhodolikeitwillreturntoitagainandagain.