Focus on Drama: Wuthering Heights

Author’s information
Emily, Charlotte and Anne Brontë were three sisters who wrote English novels between 1840 and 1850. Their novels were important to the English literature. At an early age, the Brontë sisters enjoyed themselves by writing their own plays and stories. They also wrote a lot of poems. In 1846 the three sisters published their own collection of poems. Afterwards they all wrote one or more novels on their own.
The most famous sister, Emily Jane Brontë was born in 1818 and she was only thirty years old when she died. Emily used to write ever since she was a child, but only few of her work were saved. Emily used another name to publish her books. This was a male name called ‘Ellis Bell’.

Information about the story
The most popular novel Emily wrote was called ‘Wuthering Heights’. This book was published in 1847, just one year before she died. The book is named to be a piece of classic English literature. Wuthering Heights was translated into multiple languages and made into a movie several times. Nowadays you can also see it in the theatres.


'Wuthering Heights' Movie Trailer 1992

Short summary
Wuthering Heights is a house in a deserted town, only a few miles away from Thrushcross Grange. The owner of the house, Mr. Earnshaw, brings home an orphan boy. His name is Heathcliff. Earnshaws son, Hindley, decides that he hates Heathcliff immediately but Earnshaws daughter Catherine feels a great attraction to him. She loves him more than herself.
One day Catherine and Heathcliff go to Thrushcross Grange to play. While playing Catherine gets bitten by a dog. The Linton family, who live at Thrushcross Grange, invite Catherine inside but Heathcliff isn’t aloud to join her because of his appearance.
When Catherine returns to Wuthering Heights five weeks later she’s changed completely. She now behaves like a real lady. Catherine tells her nanny, Nelly Dean, she can’t marry Heathcliff because he’s of a lower social status. Heathcliff hears this conversation and leaves Wuthering Heights and returns after three years. While he was gone Catherine married Edgar Linton and they live at Thrushcross Grange together.
Heathcliff visits her very often and gets really emotional every time he sees her. When Catherine gets pregnant with Edgar she dies while giving birth to her daughter Cathy. Heathcliff marries Isabella, Edgar’s sisters. They get a child together as well, a little boy named Linton.
When Hindley and Isabella die, Heathcliff and Linton are the only ones left living at Wuthering Heights. Edgar’s daughter Cathy falls in love with Linton right after she saw him. But her father forbids her to go to Wuthering Heights ever again because he dislikes Heathcliff. Nevertheless Cathy still visits Linton secretly. Heathcliff forces her to marry his son. Soon after the marriage Linton dies. Also Edgar and Heathcliff die, both very happy because they feel close to Catherine.


Fragments of the movie 'Wuthering Heights' 2009

References to The Victorian Age
The Victorian Age has a couple of characteristics (see above) which can be found in Wuthering Heights as well. First of all, the story is very melancholic and sentimental. It’s a very tragic love story with a lot of sad feelings. The story also contains a lot of things which can relate to daily life in the Victorian Age. This shows in the main themes; love, passion, hate, revenge and selfishness.