Emily Bronte’s novel Wuthering Heights is a controversial piece of literature. Its discussion over the decades has been as diverse as is the range of its characters.
When it was first published in 1847, in the beginning of the Victorian era, its reception was of a considerable diversity, ranging from absolute rejection to baffled appreciation due to its originality.
Differences in reception become even more extreme and obvious when contemporary reviews are being compared with the way the novel is being received nowadays:
Rejection has transformed into a matter of wide appeal that does not only attract film makers, painters, musicians and other authors, but has also found its way into many a teacher’s English lesson.
Wuthering Heights has made its way from the ignorance of public appreciation to the status of being a classic and masterpiece of English literature.
On the following pages I will focus on reviews of the novel, predominantly on contemporary criticism intermixed with recent comments, and address the question as to why such a spectrum of opinions can exist and be expressed about one and the same novel.
In my opinion, the importance of this question stems from the impression that the reading of Wuthering Heights leaves on its recipients “[…] a strange sort of book, […] it is impossible to begin and not finish it; and quite as impossible to lay it aside afterwards and say nothing about it.” As a reader and especially as a student of English, I feel a rather large obligation to look deeper into the differences and controversies that the novel in question has caused during the last hundred and fifty years and thus to also get a better sense of awareness how the field of literature is subject to cultural and historical changes as a whole. Wuthering Heights appears to be an especially apt piece of literature to exemplify these dynamics being at work as will be subsequently shown.
However, I will also arrive at the conclusion that a certain tendency in opinions concerning the novel overwhelms.
I will attempt to examine various aspects such as language, gender of the author and the estimation of ‘his’ abilities, etc. in order to gain some insights.
The retracing of opinions will be supported by a second part of this research paper dealing with the time in which Emily Bronte created her first and only novel.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Diversity in contemporary reviews
2.1 Gender
2.2 Language
2.3 Choice of characters, originality and Emily Bronte’s abilities as a novelist in the eyes of contemporary critics
3. The Victorian novel and its characteristics
3.1 Defining the Victorian period
3.2. Realism
3.3. Distance to the reader
3.4 The search for (religious) morals
4. Conclusion
5. Bibliography
Research Objectives and Themes
This paper explores the extreme diversity in the reception of Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights, analyzing why the novel moved from early Victorian rejection to its status as a timeless classic. The central research question examines how cultural and historical expectations regarding literature shaped contemporary critics' opinions, particularly in relation to language, character moral ambiguity, and the absence of clear religious instruction.
- Analysis of contemporary Victorian reviews vs. modern appreciation.
- Impact of the author's gender on 19th-century critical reception.
- The clash between Victorian expectations of realism and Bronte’s unique narrative style.
- The role of religion and moral instruction in the Victorian literary context.
- Comparison of Wuthering Heights with standard Victorian novels of the 1840s.
Excerpt from the Book
2.2 Language
What nearly all contemporary reviewers have deeply criticized about Emily Bronte’s novel is the seeming abundance of swear words and harsh expressions used by its characters.
“…there is such a general roughness and savageness in the soliloquies and dialogues here given as never should be found in a work of art…” (American Review 1848 in: Allott 237). Criticism like this can be found in virtually all of the contemporary reviews and I will settle with quoting only one of the many voices that were uttered against the novel in this matter.
What is really remarkable from today’s perspective is the fact that often this criticism verged on the brink of disgust and contempt; feelings that we are hardly able to fathom being aroused by a piece of fictitious literature today. This is also reflected by a statement from U.C. Knoepflmacher: “…the brutality which its Victorian reviewers had adduced against it can hardly unsettle the modern reader”
At the very least these contemptuous feelings evoked by the book usually resulted in the opinion that the novel is absolutely not recommendable.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Presents the central topic of the divergent critical reception of Wuthering Heights and establishes the research focus on historical and cultural context.
2. Diversity in contemporary reviews: Investigates how contemporary critics responded to the gender of the author, the harsh language of the characters, and the perceived lack of heroism in the novel.
3. The Victorian novel and its characteristics: Analyzes the prevailing Victorian literary standards of the 1840s, such as realism, moral instruction, and the role of the reader, to explain the negative contemporary reaction.
4. Conclusion: Summarizes the findings, noting that the novel's deviation from established Victorian conventions caused the initial backlash but also contributed to its enduring legacy.
5. Bibliography: Lists the primary and secondary sources used for the investigation.
Keywords
Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte, Victorian Era, Literary Criticism, Reception History, Realism, Earnestness, Gender, Morality, Victorian Novel, Heathcliff, Narrative Style, 19th-century Literature, Cultural Change, Contemporary Reviews
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper examines the historical reception of Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights, specifically analyzing why Victorian critics reacted with such hostility compared to modern readers.
What are the primary thematic areas explored?
Key themes include the impact of gender on authorship perception, the influence of Victorian morality on literary standards, and the deviation of the novel from established 1840s literary conventions.
What is the primary research question?
The study seeks to address why such a wide spectrum of opinions existed regarding this specific novel and how cultural dynamics affected its initial reception.
Which scientific methodology is applied?
The author uses a comparative analysis of contemporary critical reviews (from 1847/1848) against modern literary theories and the historical context of the Victorian period.
What topics are covered in the main body?
The main body focuses on the analysis of gender, language, characterization, the Victorian need for moral instruction, and the contrast between realism and the novel's unique narrative structure.
What defines the keyword set for this work?
The keywords identify the author, the specific work, the historical period, and the analytical framework, emphasizing themes like reception, morality, and narrative technique.
How does the Victorian expectation of "earnestness" affect the critique of the novel?
Critics expected novels of the 1840s to be earnest and morally instructive; since Wuthering Heights lacked clear religious messages and presented repulsive characters, it was deemed immoral or purposeless.
Why did contemporary critics find Heathcliff problematic as a protagonist?
Victorian readers were accustomed to protagonists who overcame adversity through perseverance; Heathcliff, conversely, was viewed as a symbol of absolute evil with no redeeming moral center.
What role does the author's gender play in the initial reception?
While the author used pseudonyms to avoid personal publicity, the suspicion that a woman had written such "vulgar" and "violent" content shocked many Victorian critics.
- Quote paper
- Ingo Westermann (Author), 2007, Emily Bronte’s "Wuthering Heights" - Diversity in (contemporary) reviews, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/83751
