Reading Wuthering Heights

(spoiler free)

Goodreads rating- 3.8/5

My rating-6.5/10

Emily Bröntes only novel is unlike anything I have ever read.Divided in two parts ,I am in a conflict whether to adore this book or absolutely dismiss it .Written as a untamed and wild book,,Wuthering Heights can surely frustrate first time readers.I went into this book assuming it as a tragic romance between Heathcliff and Catherine and surely my dreams of an ideal romance were quashed within the first few chapters.

Wuthering Heights spread like a disease in me and the constant struggle between the real and the fantasy was evident from the very first page itself.Bronte reproduces a domestic atmosphere which is very much different from the setting of the novels of Charlotte Brönte ,her sister..It detaches itself from the industrial world but still remains quite true to a realist novel.

The literature student and the reader in me were in an ever increasing tussle with each other while i devoured the book.In one hand,i wanted to appreciate it for its literary genius and in the other i was disappointed and frustrated with such unlikeable characters .To be fair,,this well crafted classic did not satisfy the reader in me which makes me think that maybe this disssatisfaction was the sole purpose of the novel;to be made aware that characters arent supposed to be perfect and ideal.Heathcliff and Catherines love for each other is passionate and violent at the same time..They arent your ideal Romeo and Juliet but selfishness ,jealousy,violence , ferocity are what makes these two characters so seemingly life like.Catherine uses words like "ungrateful brute" to describe Heathcliff and in fair terms both are maniacs..

Concentrating on only Heathcliff and Catherine will do injustice to this classic because this character driven novel is so much more than these two..Hindley Earnshaw , Lockwood ,Nelly,Joseph,Edgar Linton, Isabella,Hareton ,and the other catherine and linton are the characters who breathe life to this novel..Each of them are crucial to the plot of the novel which is narrated by Nelly to Lockwood..To me,Edgar linton and Nelly were the only likeable characters throughout the book.

Coming to the writing,it did not seem lyrical to me but almost retained an unlikeable quality in it staying true to the atmosphere and the characters..To be honest,i had great difficulty finishing the first few chapters and in all,the first part of the novel did not fascinate me..However reading the second part seemed more light to me than the first part with the second part going on to describe the young generation who seemed to be better versions of their parents..

The madness that ensues in the book is what makes this a timeless classic and for a reader like me who is better suited to the sensibilities of a young adult novel or contemporary writings,,i will pick up this book a second time only for academia and not for a leisurely read.Overall i will give it a 6.5 stars out of 10.