Wuthering Heights is a unique work of literature, as it combines several genres in one story. After numerous debates, the genre was determined as a Gothic novel. But the composition also contains the elements of romance, coming-of-age fiction, and tragedy.
Detailed answer:
The author of the story wrote her famous novel in the 19th century. At that time, people perceived it negatively and considered it to be strange. This opinion was not about the plot or the description of the characters. It concerned the combination of the novel’s genres. Being a gothic novel, it included parts that resemble romance, tragedy, and coming-of-age fiction.
In the 19th century, the Gothic novel was the leading direction in English literature. Wuthering Heights contains its main characteristics. The action is always set in mysterious places, such as a ruined manor. Wuthering Heights, where all the sequence of events happens, matches this description. The narrator mentions its ‘grotesque’ carvings and ‘crumbling griffins.’
This Gothic novel contains bizarre characters, such as Heathcliff and Isabella. But even a positive character may have an evil side. The plot matches the genre, too, as there is a lot of harshness and cruelty. The novel is unlike the stories where each character has strong moral values, will, altruism, and honor. The author does not create an ideal society but shows the opposite world.
Despite containing the elements of other genres, Wuthering Heights matches all the descriptions of a Gothic novel.
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