Reading Pointers for Sharper Insight

As you read Wuthering Heights, be aware of the following:

1. themes:

   • the dangers of neglecting one's true self in favor of material gain

   • the consequences of self-deception

   • the conflicts between society and the individual

   • the idea that people must change and adapt or be destroyed

   • the ongoing battle between intellect and passion

2. motifs and symbols:

   • revenge

   • the supernatural

   • paired opposites (see Romanticism below)

   • nature as a reflection of human emotion

3. tools the author uses:

   • frame narrative (the telling of a story within a story)

   • a shifting point-of-view

   • dialogue

   • dialect

4. elements of Romanticism:

   • the idea of nature as a powerful spiritual force

   • the descriptions of the English countryside

   • a constant elevated emotional level and passion

   • a desire to rise above the limitations of ordinary human existence

   • a strong interest in death

   • a portrayal of opposites, including escape and pursuit, calmness and turbulence, upper and lower classes, and suffering and peace

   • isolation, both emotional and geographical

5. the role of women in the 19th century, especially within a patriarchal society