Overview

Wuthering Heights is Emily Bronte's only novel. Although it is now widely regarded as a classic of English literature, contemporary reviews for the novel were deeply polarised; it was considered controversial because its depiction of mental and physical cruelty was unusually stark, and it challenged strict Victorian ideals of the day, including religious hypocrisy, morality, social classes and gender inequality. In the second half of the 19th century, Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre was considered the best of the Bronte sisters' works, but following later re-evaluation, critics began to argue that Wuthering Heights was superior. The book has inspired adaptations, including film, radio and television dramatisations, a musical, a ballet, any several operas. Much of the novels continued appeal lies in its assured demonstration of the finite and tragically self-consuming nature of passion. This edition is limited to 1,000 copies.

Full Product Details

9781772266887

Table of Contents

Reviews

Author Information

Emily Jane Bronte (30 July 1818 - 19 December 1848) was an English novelist and poet who is best known for her only novel, Wuthering Heights, now considered a classic of English literature. Emily was the third-eldest of the four surviving Bronte siblings, between the youngest Anne and her brother Branwell. She published under the pen name Ellis Bell. Wuthering Heights's violence and passion led the Victorian public and many early reviewers to think that it had been written by a man.According to Juliet Gardiner, the vivid sexual passion and power of its language and imagery impressed, bewildered and appalled reviewers. Literary critic Thomas Joudrey further contextualizes this reaction: Expecting in the wake of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre to be swept up in an earnest Bildungsroman, they were instead shocked and confounded by a tale of unchecked primal passions, replete with savage cruelty and outright barbarism. Even though the novel received mixed reviews when it first came out, and was often condemned for its portrayal of amoral passion, the book subsequently became an English literary classic. Emily Bronte never knew the extent of fame she achieved with her only novel, as she died a year after its publication, aged 30. Although a letter from her publisher indicates that Emily had begun to write a second novel, the manuscript has never been found. Perhaps Emily or a member of her family eventually destroyed the manuscript, if it existed, when she was prevented by illness from completing it. It has also been suggested that, though less likely, the letter could have been intended for Anne Bronte, who was already writing The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, her second novel.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available