Wuthering Heights - Emily Brontë

[Larús]

Considered lurid and shocking by mid-19th-century standards, Wuthering Heights was initially thought to be such a publishing risk that its author, Emily Brontë, was asked to pay some of the publication costs. A somber tale of consuming passions and vengeance played out against the lonely moors of northern England, the book proved to be one of the most enduring classics of English literature.
The turbulent and tempestuous love story of Cathy and Heathcliff spans two generations—from the time Heathcliff, a strange, coarse young boy, is brought to live on the Earnshaws' windswept estate, through Cathy's marriage to Edgar Linton and Heathcliff's plans for revenge, to Cathy's death years later and the eventual union of the surviving Earnshaw and Linton heirs.
A masterpiece of imaginative fiction, Wuthering Heights (the author's only novel) remains as poignant and compelling today as it was when first published in 1847.

[happykent]

Great! I will be joining the MC on September!

[Aben Razín]

I will read your commentaries about this novel!

See you on September!

[fresa_charly]

I've found this bilingual edition on internet. It doesn't seem so easy to read, but if it exists on line, surely there will be a downloadable version

[Larús]

I've found this bilingual edition on internet. It doesn't seem so easy to read, but if it exists on line, surely there will be a downloadable version

So interesting, fresa, although not easy or handy, as you say, to read online. Thank you

[triste]

This is one of my favourite books but I've never read the original version. If I have the time I'll be here on september.

[happykent]

This is one of my favourite books but I've never read the original version. If I have the time I'll be here on september.

Great! It seems there will be a lot of people reading this book on September!

[happykent]

Only two days left to start the MC of this book!

[IsaPerséfone]

I started it 3 days ago or so. Has anybody else started too?

So far I can't say I'm in love with it. I felt, at fist, like I was thrown in the middle of something and that I was suppossed to know a lot of things I didn't knew. But now, I'm round 14% , maybe chapter 7 or so, I feel better, like everything is clearer

the main character (I forgot his name) asked a women (I also forgot who she is ) to tell him about Heathcliff and she is talking about his childhood and his relationship with the people who live round the area so the story is not so confusing anymore.

[Larús]

I haven't, I'm afraid. I have a pile of books to read, and I don't feel like reading in English

I might join in Spanish, though

In a few days...

[LizzyDarcy]

I felt, at fist, like I was thrown in the middle of something and that I was suppossed to know a lot of things I didn't knew.

Isa I had that feeling too when i read one year ago, so I thought I didn't understand the story because I was reading it in English so I change into Spanish But then I had the same feeling in Spanish

[happykent]

I started it 3 days ago or so. Has anybody else started too?

Isa, I will start it tomorrow because now I am reading another book.

[happykent]

I have read the first three chapters. I think my reading of the whole book will be slow because it contains many descriptions of places, furniture and land and there is a lot of vocabulary unknown to me. Furthermore, when the chaplain Joseph speaks, I never understand what he is saying

Mr Lockwood is the tenant of a property owned by Mr Heathcliff. So, he visits Wuthering Heigths, where Heathcliff lives with Mrs Heathcliff, a boy named Hareton and a housekeeper. How surly and bitter are all of them! Even the dogs in the house seems to be agressive like their owner.

Then, Lockwood

is forced to spend the night at Wuthering Heigts because of the snow storm and he is placed in a forbidden room, the one that belonged to Catherine Earnshaw. Lockwood dreamt about her and screamed, provoking both ire and fright in Heathcliff for unknown reasons I was surprised when he started to cry calling for Catherine...

There is a lot of things unclear in the story, I felt the same as IsaPerséfone.But it is good to know that in the following chapters the confussion will be over

[IsaPerséfone]

I have the same problem as you, Happykent, there are a lot of descriptions and all that. But I have decided to write down the words I cannot guess the meaning of and keep on reading as usually. If not, it will take me ages to read the book and I would end uop being very bored of it...

I can't understand Joseph either And, sadly, its not the only character.

Im round the 40% of the book and the story has becomes very interesting now

Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff were in love but, for several reasons, he ended up running away from home and she married Edgar Linton (I think thats the name ). But years later Heathcliff comes back and turns the world upside down. Catherine's brother and niece are living like widlings or something like that, the only education the kid recieves becomes from Joseph, so... Catherine's sister in law fall in love with Heathcliff and he decided to marry her not for love but for the money and the poor girl is now very upset as she doesnt like the situation at all Also, Catherine is very sick

[happykent]

I have read till chapter IX (25% of the whole book). I liked the book very much, it is very different from the other classics i have read.

Now we know more about the story of Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff. They were very close friends, and after a period that Catherine spent at their neighbors Linton's house, she changed her manners and got a new admirer. After that, Heatcliff became, if possible, more resented against the world, but luckily Catherine didn't finished her friendship with him but they separete a little while she became closer to Edgar Linton.

Most of the characters are very complex

Heathcliff is violent and surly and suffer ill treatments from Hindley and Joseph. On the other hand, he is in love with Catherine, so he has good feelings too. Catherine is in love with Heatcliff too, but decides to marry Edgar because it would "degrade her" to marry the gipsy. After that, she planned to use her new position to help Heathcliff to rise in situation and to escape her brother's tirany...

I feel very sorry for Heathcliff when

he heard Catherine saying that marriage with him was a degradation , but he went away when she declared how much she loved him so he didn't hear that (but that would not have been much consolation for the boy...)

I liked very much this speech from Catherine:

"... I cannot express it; but surely you and everybody have a notion that there is or should be an existence of yours beyond you. What were the use of my creation, if I were entirely contained here? My great miseries in this world have been Heatcliff's miseries, and I watched and felt each from the beginning: my great thought in living is himself. If all else perished, and he remainedd, I should still continue to be; and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger: I should not seem a part of it. My love for Linton is like the foliage in the woods: time will change it, I'm well aware, as winter changes the trees. My love for Heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks beneath: a source of little visible delight, but necessary. Nelly, I am Heathcliff! He's always on my mind: not as a pleasure, any more than I am always a pleasure to myself, but as my own being..."

I agree with IsaPerséphone regarding the vocabulary. Apart from the unknown words, there is a lot of colloquial language which many times I cannot understand. I was also very surprised to find

that Catherine insulted Nelly once: "Have you found Heathcliff, you ass? "

It is definitely a very interesting book