Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Wuthering Heights [Worth Press]


Wuthering Heights is a paradigmatic example of gothic literature. It has it all: windswept moors, drafty mansions, tortured obsession, and love beyond the grave. It's my favorite of the Worth Literary Classics so far, as the story compels you to keep turning the pages to find out what happens next. Heathcliff and Catherine are justly famous and the force of their personalities leap off the page. This isn't a traditional romance, and nor are there "good guys" and "bad guys". It's a dark story, but a fascinating one that remains a classic for a reason.

UPDATE: I completely forgot to mention the Worth edition's two essays. Edward Chitham provides a brief but interesting account of Emily Brontë's life, while Ann Dinsdale talks about the real-life geography in England that may have inspired the novel's setting (unless you're well-versed in English geography, the essay will probably be a complete mystery).

Next: Jane Austen's Northhanger Abbey

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