Wuthering Heights (all) Flashcards
(12 cards)
‘Go to the deuce’ (Chapter 1 Heathcliff to Lockwood)
Shows H’s misanthropic, blunt tone to outsiders. Religious connotations with ‘deuce’ (devil)
“‘Wuthering’ being a significant provincial adjective, descriptive of the atmospheric tumult to which its station is exposed to in stormy weather” (Chapter 1)
- The repetitive idea of the Heights rural location ‘provincial’ indicates the houses’ isolation from the rest of the civilisation
- The pathetic fallacy of ‘stormy weather’ indicates WH vulnerability to confusion/distrust/disorder - the heights if often associated with eerie weather conditions, this could be due to Catherine’s death, where the gloom that looms over WH is due to her death
‘Dark-skinned gypsy’ (Chap 1 Lockwood to Heathcliff)
Racial stereotypes were established towards H. Ethnicity was not the standard around rural England. Gives a reader a clue into H’s shunning from society, physically and now stereotypically.
‘a glare of white letters started from the dark , as vivid as spectres’ (Chap 3)
Lockwood – gothic theme – Lockwood’s bedchamber contains a window ledge with Catherine Earnshaw, Catherine Linton and Catherine Heathcliff engraved in the wood
- the simile comparing the letters to ‘spectres’ reinforces Brontë’s gothic narrative, whereby Catherine’s spirit resides in the heights, the moors and her daughter Cathy Heathcliff
‘I began to dream, almost before I ceased to be sensible of my locality’ (Chap 3)
element of liminal space which conveys the transitional chasm between Lockwood’s consciousness and sleep
- Lockwood orchestrates this by separating the alive and the dead; the reader is introduced to the beginning of Catherine and Heathcliff’s painful, romantic endeavour, which is explored through Catherine’s journal
- in comparison, Lockwood displays the reality-side of the liminal space, whereby there is a division between the window ledge and Catherine’s cold fingers
‘imp of Satan’ (chap 4)
Hindley - From the beginning of Heathcliff’s stay at Wuthering Heights, we are familiarised as readers of the persistent relation between Heathcliff and Hell
- the idea that Heathcliff is a spawn of Satan foreshadows his vindictive nature later in life, whereby he relentlessly abuses Hareton and he abuses Isabella to get back to Edgar stealing Catherine from him
‘I really thought him not vindictive: I was deceived completely, as you will hear’ (chap 4)
Nelly - once the novel is written and interpreted through Ellen Deans narration, it does become clear of her bias towards Catherine - this an important feature in Brontë’s novel, as yes, we can understand that Heathcliff becomes increasingly bitter and villainous but is this shown through an over-dramatised perspective of Catherine’s housekeeper? UNRELIABLE NARRATOR!!!
A wild wicked slip she was!’ (chap 5)
Nelly - from her narration Catherine’s primitive, animalistic, wild personality radiates from her youth. Shows her true self is along with the wild Heights and with Heathcliff, not bound by aristocracy
“The greatest punishment we could invent for her was to keep her separate from him” (chap 5)
Nelly - this is significant, as the idea of Catherine’s punishment can be also related to Catherine’s window chapter, whereby Catherine yearns for Heathcliff returns when she is plagued with hysteria
- Even in death, Catherine’s ghoul haunts Heathcliff, whereby a part of her soul radiates through her daughter Cathy, who Heathcliff loathes
- could tie in to ‘Remember’ by Rossetti, a religious connotation to link the distance between Heaven and Hell and the transcendent nature of their adoration for each other
’ I perceived she was In purgatory throughout the day, and wearing for an opportunity to get by herself, or paying a visit to Heathcliff’ (chap 7)
Nelly - from this quote, Brontë adopts religious imagery to display the torment of one being in ‘purgatory’
- In Catholicism, the idea of being in Purgatory is deemed to be an extensive, unpleasant wait for judgement, the metaphor claiming Catherine to be in purgatory justifies her torment away from Heathcliff, they are inseparable even when she is alive, let alone when they her ghosts haunts him
‘Catherine’s cup was never filled: for she could neither eat nor drink.’ (chap 10)
Nelly -
- the metaphor, ‘Catherine’s cup was never filled’ implies that she was never satisfied with her love for Edgar, implying that Heathcliff was the tool to fill her void; this is important, demonstrating passion, as even through their unhappy marriages, Heathcliff and Cathy are drawn to each other
Brontë utilises a double entendre; Catherine could not eat or drink at the table, where the Linton family were feasting that evening.
However, it can be seen that Heathcliff’s return has brought the realisation to Catherine that he is her one true love - her soul
‘Though his exterior was altered, his mind was unchangeable and unchanged.’ (chap 10)
Nelly - reinforces the ‘byronic hero’ element of Heathcliff’s character, he adopts a deceivable facade, although his true personality remains unchanged - even through his youthful love for Catherine, Heathcliff remains a sadistic, cruel villain throughout the duration of Nelly’s tale
