As usual, I am pretty behind on my book posts. It has not been a stellar reading year thus far in 2009 (or even the latter half of 2008, for that matter). I've been reading good stuff, but nothing that has really wow'd me.
One reason for the delay in getting to this particular book post for Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte is that I really didn't know what I was going to say about it. But as you can tell by glancing down the screen, when do I ever have problems coming up with something to say.. and anyhow, these book posts tend to be more about my experience reading the book than a blow-by-blow, spoiler-ific plot summary.
So, as you probably suspect I am surprised that I stuck it out with this one. The words of Nick Hornby in his book-centric essay collection "Housekeeping vs. The Dirt" kept echoing in my head that life is too short to be read books that are not bringing you enjoyment. But I am kind of stubborn and I very rarely quit a book.
So why did I read it in the first place?! Well, I've been trying to read at least one classic a year... and Wuthering Heights just seemed to be one of those titles that someone who considers himself fairly well-read should have well, read by the time he was early 40-something! The airing of a two-part PBS/Masterpiece mini-series also provided that "read the book, watch the movie" scenario. I'll cut the suspense and say I never watched it and deleted it off the TiVo. Finally, it didn't cost me anything! A lot of classic/"public domain" literature is available for free in the e-book/Kindle format, so literally there was not a whole lot to lose in reading this... well, except precious time.
I didn't like it from the start. I was immediately so lost, that I tracked down a nice Cliff Notes site, Spark Notes, that provided a nice running summary of the book (plus all those English class test/essay type stuff like themes, foreshadowing, etc). It was a crutch that I continued to use for the entire book. It did provide some initial encouragement in not making me feel like an idiot as it described the opening chapters of WH as "strange, deliberately confusing." Whew!
Anyhow, things didn't get much better and while the Spark Notes site confirmed that I was "getting" most of the plot, the shifting in action from past to present, characters with the same or similiar names.. that I did find my attention flagging from time to time.
I guess that is what threw me, in that I was anticipating it would be such a complex novel. Though I should have known better after last year's "read a classic" fiasco of Austen's "Pride and Prejudice", which is from the same place and time. I just find it strange that I have found it easier to read Russian lit (granted translated!), than 19th Century English lit... so on top of the plot complexities, there is just this unnatural (at least to me) reading/speaking "voice." Also, I wasn't expecting (not the book's fault!) was how dark this novel was... for some reason I thought it would be a breezy, "I hate you/I love you" romance ala Jane Austen. Granted I knew this was "gothic" romance, but was still left scratching my head how WH's iconic couple of Heathcliff and Cathy seems to be considered one of literatures great romances... it's more like creepy obsession... they are no Lizzie Bennet and Mr. Darcy!
Again, I can't blame any of my misperceptions about the book on Bronte, but still that does not change the fact that I got little (if any) enjoyment from it. It earned my respect as a piece of literature... but more like that antique piece of furniture... admired only from afar in a roped off room of some historical house.
Thanks for your post. I too, am one of the people who loathe WH. I think that Bronte was a very intelligent writer and there are plenty of wonderful literary elements in this book, but I found both the hero and heroine so reprehensible as people that I couldn't enjoy it. In one of my college English lit classes, the professor spoke about Cathy being vilified because she was a woman who behaved much like a man of her time and therefore, was unattractive, untenable, whatever to women or men but that this professor found that a brilliant move by Bronte. Well, good for her, I say, but it still didn't help me to enjoy this book any more than you did.
Posted by: Pamala Knight | Thursday, March 19, 2009 at 05:27 PM