Wuthering Heights Historical Context: Study Guide

For decades, literary critics and scholars have discussed the various aspects of Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights. Its genre transcends traditional literary classifications, and the text itself is filled with meaning and historical significance.

In this guide, IvyPanda’s expert team tried to cover all attributes of this novel, including its symbols, themes, characters, and significant elements. Here, you’ll find the main facts and historical context of Wuthering Heights. If you wish to know more, you can pick one of the topics in the related articles section.

Let’s begin!

🗝️ Wuthering Heights Main Facts

The only published gothic novel by Emily Jane Bronte, Wuthering Heights, remains one of the prime examples of 19th-century English literature. It stands proud in the company of such works as Great Expectations and The Picture of Dorian Gray. Here are some of the top facts about this masterpiece:

🕯️ All You Need to Know about Wuthering Heights

Emily Bronte’s novel can be considered lengthy since it’s over 400 pages long. We’ve decided to address the critical elements of this story and answer the most common questions about its contents.

1. What is the moral lesson of the Wuthering Heights? One of the main lessons of this literary work is the destructive nature of revenge and obsession, as demonstrated in Catherine’s and Heathcliff’s relations. It also criticizes the ills of social class divisions, cruelty, and poor parenting. The novel protests 19th-century English morals and society.
2. Why did Emily Bronte write Wuthering Heights? The novelist did it to express her own frustration at life in seclusion and isolation. Bronte also wished to explore the complex relations between people and the inner struggle in their souls. Heathcliff’s character is a prime example of this, as he’s capable of great love and anger.
3. Is Wuthering Heights a feminist novel? Yes, it can be viewed from this angle, as it depicts the poor conditions and laws that constrained women in the Victorian era. Catherine Earnshaw, for example, has to navigate the complex world of obligations and expectations that conflict with her desires and wants.
4. How does Catherine die in Wuthering Heights? Catherine Earnshaw passes away in the novel when giving birth to her daughter, Cathy. It’s a premature birth that’s intensified by a fever and emotional distress from her separation from Heathcliff. After her loved one departs, Catherine becomes erratic, refuses food, and experiences hallucinations.
5. What mental illness does Heathcliff have in Wuthering Heights? The novel’s central character suffers from a narcissistic personality disorder. Throughout the text, he is hellbent on revenge against people who mistreated him and driven to seek Catherine Earnshaw’s love. This condition stems from his traumatic childhood and the fact that Catherine was the only friend he had for many years.

📚 Wuthering Heights: Summary, Historical Context, Characters, & More

This 19th-century novel has a significant number of themes, ideas, and details. They are too vast for a single article to uncover fully. At IvyPanda, we’ve decided to give each component of this novel the praise and attention it deserves in the following sections:

Here, we overview the work’s chapters and notable events.

In this study guide segment, we closely examine the various characters in Emily Bronte’s novel, such as Heathcliff, Catherine Earnshaw, Edgar, Hindley, Nelly, and others.

This part of the analysis dives deep into examples of literary devices throughout the book.

Here, we’ll uncover the issues of revenge, isolation, and forgiveness, to name a few.

Assessing Wuthering Heights from the perspective of a single genre is near impossible, so we’ve decided to discuss how it fits into different categories.

The final part of our comprehensive guide offers the most exciting essay questions and topic ideas you can use for various assignments.

In this section, you will find a collection of short yet informative answers to the most pressing questions about the novel.

📜 Historical Context of Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte was first published in 1847. To fully comprehend the novel’s background and events, we must first look at the life of Emily Bronte and the British society of that time. She was born in 1818, and a few years later, her mother passed away, leaving Emily and her sisters to be raised by their strict Christian aunt. They all lived in the middle of the moors in a secluded town called Hawork and led an alienated lifestyle. Emily Bronte died early at her 30.

The novel vividly paints what the fate of 19th-century England was for women. The division between the gentry and the commoners was considerable. The role of women adds to the Wuthering Heights historical context, as females were seen either as wives or as future wives. Those of lower status could do manual labor, while women of higher class didn’t do housework. They couldn’t own something as small as a hill house, inherit from their husbands, or divorce them. In general, women were seen as being less than men. That’s why Emily and her sisters published their first novels under male-sounding names. The society of that time didn’t take female authors seriously despite many reading their books.

Men had complete rule over their spouses, with beatings treated like common occurrences. In order for women to obtain a divorce from their husbands, men had to commit truly heinous crimes against them. The Church of England had a tight grip on society during Emily Bronte’s life. Due to its influence, the Matrimonial Causes Act of 1857 only made it a little easier for women to get a divorce. A man had to be convicted of desertion or bigamy to convince the civil court and end the marriage.

The Industrial Revolution leveled the playing field for people of the lower class. There were more opportunities for women to garner wealth and raise one’s social status. Still, they were looked upon by the aristocracy. Despite technological progress, life expectancy in the 19th century was abysmal. Women died during childbirth, and a lack of sanitation and poor ventilation, especially in the cities, had people barely making it to 40.

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