Wuthering Heights | Reading Pointers for Sharper Insight

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

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