Wuthering Heights is Emilia Bronte’s only finished novel. It touches upon controversial issues of women’s place in society and depicts physical and moral cruelty. The book contains four parts and 34 chapters. The story has a complex narrative. Emilia Bronte uses stories-in-stories elements and generations of characters.
Detailed answer:
Emily BrontĂ« published her novel Wuthering Heights in 1847 under the pseudonym Ellis Bell. The book includes a passionate love triangle and forbidden relationship plots. It has intricate storylines and fascinating characters. Over the years, the novel gained much praise. Many reviews about the book were written due to the controversial narrative. Such topics as women’s position in society and violence are discussed in the novel. The book questions Victorian religious and morality ideas.
The novel consists of four parts. The first part is the prologue, which has three chapters. The childhood and the maturity of Heathcliff are the main focus of the second part. Each section of the second part contains 14 chapters. The last part is an epilogue, which has three chapters.
The story begins with the arrival of the new tenant Lockwood. The man arrives at Thrushcross Grange in Yorkshire. He is there to visit his landlord, Heathcliff, at his farmhouse Wuthering Heights. There Joseph encounters several of the inhabitants. They do not show any hospitality towards the new guest. On the first night, a man has a wicked dream. The dream is about a former inhabitant, Catherine Earnshaw. Later in the story, Catherine becomes a central character. The reader learns that the woman is Heathcliff’s love interest, as well.
A retrospective story that one of the servants narrates is the story of Catherine and Heathcliff. It is a story of two lovers and their forbidden love that goes against all social conventions. It talks about Heathcliff’s obsession with Catherine that continues even beyond the grave. When Cathy decided to marry a wealthy man Edgar, Heathcliff runs in despair. The man reappears only three years later and starts a new drama. Emily BrontĂ« sure knew how to come up with passionate and wild love stories. For that exact reason, Wuthering Heights became a classic of English literature.