Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights encompasses such an insightful depth of human behavior, distinctly unconventional interpretation of life, and rich Gothic-Romantic influence that render it a greater interest of study than Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Bronte does not recoil from illuminating the darker characteristics of humanity by developing characters who are unrestrained by the passions of insuperable love, maddening hate, and spiteful revenge; in the words of one of Bronte’s contemporary critics, Bronte has “vivid perceptions of the peculiarities of character” and is perhaps unrivaled in her “knowledge of human nature.” Although some would argue that Austen portrays just as vivid an insight into human nature in Pride and Prejudice, Austen merely critiques the mainstream culture of her time while Bronte diverges from such conventional topics and plunges into a wayward realm unconstrained by the impositions of society. Consequently, Bronte’s singular novel has, according to the modern critic Herbert Goldstone, an “extraordinary force” attributed to Bronte’s powerful depictions of unbridled human emotions which Austen’s comparatively tame novel lacks. Furthermore, the prominent influence of the Gothic and Romantic novels upon Bronte’s writing give great insight into the distinctive writing style of those artistic eras. The sheer integrity to the complexity of human beings and “the great range and depth of [Bronte’s] understanding of [love’s] ramifications,” according to Goldstone, seem to be characteristics of literature that are often overshadowed by witty satires, though are of equal importance. Therefore, the study of Wuthering Heights would not only further a deeper understanding of literature, but also broaden the understanding of the human psyche.
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“Excerpts from Contemporary Reviews of Wuthering Heights.” Brooklyn College Department of English. 24 Oct. 2005. 12 Aug. 2008. http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/novel_19c/wuthering/contemp_rev.html
Goldstone, Herbert. "Wuthering Heights Revisited." The English Journal XLVIII (1949): 4.
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Zonia,
This is a strong argument! Your focus is primarily the "darker characteristics of humanity," and the post would be stronger had you just stuck to that instead of trying to cover more - you could even pair the "distinctly unconventional interpretation of life" with it. This does make WH so different from anything else written during the Victorian era; that, in and of itself, is a strong argument for studying a novel. Nice job.
Mrs. G
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