Shi Xueping

1. Introduction

Wuthering Heights, emily bronte's great novel, is not long, but it is a mixture of childhood fantasy, friendship, romance and revenge. But this story is not a simple revenge story, it has a deeper meaning. As Arnold keitel, a British critic, said, "Wuthering Heights used artistic imagination to express the personal and spiritual pressures, tensions and conflicts in capitalist society in the 19th century." The characters in Wuthering Heights embody human love and hate.

1. 1 Introduction of the author

Emily Jane Bronte is the loneliest member of a unique and closely-knit English rural family. She was born in 18 18. She holds the position of pastor in Howorth, Yorkshire, together with her sister Charlotte, her brother branwell, her sister Anne and her father Patrick Bronte. These five people are all poets and writers; Everyone except branwell will publish at least one book.

Fantasy is the liberation of Bronte children from the harsh religion and the bleak life in the improved area; They created a series of fictional kingdoms and built a complete library of periodicals, stories, poems and plays around their residents. Emily's special province is a kingdom she calls Gondel, where romantic heroes and exiles owe a great deal to Byron's poems.

Short stays in several boarding schools were all her experiences outside Haworth, until 1842, when she and her sister Charlotte entered a school in Brussels. After studying and teaching there for a year, they felt qualified to announce the opening of a school in their own home, but they could not attract any students.

Charlotte bronte came across a manuscript of her sister's poems. She immediately realized that she later wrote that they were "nothing like the poems that women usually write ... they have a unique music-wild, melancholy and inspiring." At the urging of her sister, Emily's poems, together with those of Anne and Charlotte, were published in 1846 under a pseudonym. The book was almost completely unpopular, but the three sisters were encouraged by the fact of publication and immediately began to write novels. Emily's efforts are Wuthering Heights; It appeared in 1847 and was originally considered as Charlotte's minor work. Charlotte's Jane Eyre has been published and won favorable comments. Emily bronte's name didn't appear after her pen name Ellis Bell until the second edition of her novel 1850.

At the same time, tragedy befell the Bronte family. 1In September of 848, branwell lived a dissolute life. In December, after a brief illness, Emily also died; Her sister Anne died the next year. Emily's only novel Wuthering Heights is just beginning to be understood as the wildest and most unique work in the world.

1.2 Brief introduction to the story

The story begins with Mr Lockwood's visit to Wuthering Heights. He was surprised at Heathcliff's rudeness and curious about the rudeness of beautiful Catherine, which prompted him to listen to a very strange and terrible love story told by Nelly Ding. That summer, Mr. Earnshaw brought home an orphan he found in Liverpool, who was later named Heathcliff. The waif was persecuted by the young Hindley, but was deeply loved by his daughter Catherine. So Hindley and Heathcliff have had conflicts since childhood. After their parents and his own marriage died, Gendre regarded Heathcliff as a servant, but this was alleviated by the happy time with Cathy.

On one of their expeditions, they arrived at Thrushcross Grange, where she stayed as a guest of Linton for several weeks. When she returned to Worcestershire, she changed a lot: she was deeply attracted by the Lintons' clothes and luxury, especially the handsome and gentle Edgar Linton. Although she still loves Heathcliff, she can't compare Heathcliff's snobbery with her new friend's modesty. Heathcliff was treated worse by Gendre after his wife died, which increased Heathcliff's anger. After overhearing part of the conversation between Catherine and Nelly, saying that she was going to marry Edgar, Heathcliff couldn't bear the anger and insult and left Wuthering Heights.

The conversation between Catherine and Nelly is that if Heathcliff can stay, she should continue to live even if everything else dies. She and Heathcliff belong to the same category. But Heathcliff didn't hear. So after Heathcliff left, Catherine became seriously ill and recovered under the care of the Lintons. Three years later, Catherine married Edgar.

Six months later, Heathcliff, a different man, appeared. Catherine was very happy to hear the news. But to her surprise, Heathcliff took double revenge. First, he retaliated against Hindley, who had treated him badly in the past. Second, he threatened Catherine to marry Linton.

Unfortunately, Edgar's sister Isabella fell in love with Heathcliff, and Heathcliff married her out of love, but for the property of Thrushcross Grange. Meanwhile, Catherine locked herself in her room because Edgar rejected Heathcliff. She is ill, suffering from brain fever. Eventually she recovered, but she was still weak. Edgar is very worried about Catherine's health and mood.

Then Heathcliff and Catherine met again. A terrible scene happened between them. Both of them expressed their anger and love to each other, which made Catherine's health worse. Catherine died two hours after her daughter Cathy was born. Heathcliff was very sad when he got the news.

After Catherine's death, Isabella and Heathcliff returned to Thrushcross Grange after three months together. Hindley died and Heathcliff took Wuthering Heights. Thirteen years later, Isabella died and left her son Linton to Heathcliff, a weak boy. Then Edgar Linton and Kobayashi Makoto both died, so Heathcliff, Kathy and Hareton, an unsuitable trio, were left at the villa; Thrushcross Grange was left to Lockwood, and Nelly told him what had happened.

The story ends with Heathcliff's death and Hareton's marriage to Cathy. This is a love story of two generations. The first generation of love is transcendental, and the second generation of love is secular.

1.3 introduction of social background

In Victorian times, the rich were very proud of their success and property; Secular hierarchy permeates the daily life of ordinary people; Money and property are nothing, but everything. In literary works, smoky, threatening and painful factory towns are often described in religious terms and compared to hell. The poet william blake wrote the "Dark Satan's Mill" in England in the early 19th century. Therefore, under the control of this concept, people's spirit has been violently suppressed, and human nature has been cruelly distorted and deformed. At this time, Emily, who has a strong rebellious spirit and a desire for freedom, wrote Wuthering Heights, exposing the evils of society. The work depicts how human nature is distorted, broken and destroyed under the destruction of violence. But great death is a firm belief and yearning for a happy life. In the world controlled by Heathcliff, the seeds of love from Hareton and Kathy broke through the hard soil of hatred. The betrayal of love brings about the distortion of human nature, but pure love heals wounds, soothes wounded hearts and saves fallen souls. Emily shows a positive attitude towards pure love and its destructive effect on human nature.

1.4 novel theme

Wuthering Heights by Emily Jane Bronte depicts neither an imaginary world nor the abyss of hell. On the contrary, the novel focuses on the struggle between the two main characters and the restrictions of Victorian society. Social pressure and restrictive cultural restrictions banished Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff from this world, and then exiled each other. Hate can't make love disappear. Love is stronger than hate.

2. Love

Wuthering Heights is a love novel. It praises the virtues of human beings, attracts the dark will of human beings, and shows the secular life and the pursuit of a better mind.

Love in the novel is manifested in many aspects.

Earnshaw's love for Heathcliff

Forty years ago, Wuthering Heights was full of light, warmth and happiness. Mr earnshaw, the farmer, lives happily with his noisy children Catherine and Hindley. However, as a kind and generous man, he couldn't help helping a poor hungry man in the streets of Liverpool, a gypsy child named Heathcliff. Heathcliff finally became a member of this family, and everyone liked him except Gendre (who cultivated a sense of usurpation). It can be concluded that Earnshaw's love for Heathcliff stems from sympathy.

2.2 Catherine's love for Heathcliff

When she was a child, her father was very ill and could not reprimand the free and lively child. "He is too naughty and willful to be loved." . (P46)。 Therefore, Catherine grew up in nature and lacked the sophistication of the upper class. Catherine divorced from society. "I have never seen a child treat her like this; In one day, she made us all unbearable 50 times, or even more. From the time she went downstairs to the time she went to bed, we didn't have a minute of safety. She wouldn't be playing a prank. Her emotions are always at the climax, and her tongue is always singing and laughing, which bothers everyone who doesn't do this. She is a crazy, evil slippery-""P 51. Catherine further ignored social standards. Although Heathcliff was degraded by her brother Gendre, she remained friends with Heathcliff. Miss Cathy and he [Heathcliff] are very close now; She found the only pleasure in his company. Catherine grew up beside Heathcliff, and they both vowed to grow up rudely like barbarians; The young master [Hindley] completely ignored their behavior. In the years when Catherine's character was formed, her behavior did not reflect that of a young lady. "But running to the wilderness in the morning and staying there all day is one of their main entertainments" (P57). Therefore, Catherine's behavior developed and rejected the ideal of an oppressive and overburdened society, which in turn caused isolation from the institutionalized world. Therefore, Catherine's love for Heathcliff is pure, and Heathcliff's love for Catherine is dangerous and violent.

2.3 Isabella's love for Heathcliff

When Isabella first met Heathcliff, she was attracted by this charming man and fell in love with him. No matter how much Catherine persuaded her, she made up her mind to marry Heathcliff. Her love for Heathcliff is pure. Heathcliff only used Catherine's sister-in-law Isabella Linton as a weapon and didn't care about the poor girl.

2.4 Catherine's love for Edgar

When Catherine and Heathcliff existed, their private island was out of control until Catherine was hurt by Linton's bulldog. Being forced to stay at Linton's home isolated Catherine from Heathcliff and her previously reckless free world. Living in an elegant Linton family, Catherine changed from a rough youth to an elegant lady. Her transformation alienated her soul mate and the love of her life Heathcliff. Catherine's integration into society is like a square nail trying to insert into a round hole. However, she felt pressure to file her rough edges and marry Edgar Linton. In a word, it is social pressure and restrictive cultural restrictions that force Catherine to pretend to be in love with Edgar. However, Edgar loved Catherine gracefully and calmly.