The Spill: How to Read Wuthering Heights Before the Movie Unhinges Us All
There is certainly something to be said of Emerald Fennell’s adaptation of Emily Bronte’s masterpiece, Wuthering Heights. The movie replaces twill and burlap with satin and lace, dressing up fraught, dirt-stained infatuation with passion and glamour. Subbing in for the lupine and frail Catherine Earnshaw is the stark contrast, Margot Robbie. And, unsurprisingly, Heathcliff’s typical Othello-esque ambiguity slips from the screen, supplanted by the smoldering beard and twinkling eye of Jacob Elordi.
It’s a reimagining, a creative retelling. It will, without a doubt, prompt bitter dissension alongside harmonious delight, both sides justified.
What the promotion of the movie has done exceedingly well is more significant: it brought a classic piece of literature to the foreground, to a new audience, breathing life back into a never forgotten–but slightly dusty–work of art.
The gothic novel–which, in my opinion, should be read every December by firelight and under a wool blanket–follows the destructively possessive and devastating relationship between Heathcliff, a mysterious orphan taken in by the Earnshaws in the moors of Northern England, and Catherine, his quasi-foster sister. The story explores duality, grief, social class and status, gender, identity, fate versus free will, forgiveness and revenge, unquenchable love and ceaseless hate–all while complicating narrative structure and genre. Bronte’s novel is as challenging as it is rewarding. I heartily recommend reading it before taking in modern, cinematic version. Don’t let Elordi’s face erase Bronte’s portrait.
If you’ve never read the novel, here’s what you need to know–
Mind-Bending, Unreliable Narration: Wuthering Heights is told through nested narrators, jumping back and forth from Mr. Lockwood to housekeeper Nelly Dean. Hold in mind that the story is being pieced together, slowly, through recollection. Keep a pen handy, and underline shifts in perspective and narrative voice to stay on track.
Lists and Diagrams: The two main families involved, the Earnshaws and Lintons, are genealogically (and irritatingly) complex, sharing names across and between generations. As you read, sketch out a family tree or bullet point list of lineages, so you’re prepared to hold each distinct character in your mind, and how they connect to one another.
Dialogue and Dialect: A handful of characters, like Hareton Earnshaw and Joseph, speak in a heavy Yorkshire dialect and often use intense, antiquated, localized phrases. Some are more intelligible than others. It might be useful to find an edition of Wuthering Heights with annotations or translations to aid any confusion. I find that reading these small passages aloud is also helpful, and always amusing. If you need to buy a version, you can grab one from us at https://bookshop.org/shop/yermomsbookandwine.
Setting Thematic Expectations: Don’t mistake Wuthering Heights for a typical romance novel. Prepare yourself for cruelty, psychological abuse, implications of sexual violence and coercion, and shadowy supernatural forces.
Don’t Force It: This novel, more often than not, requires a second pass. Don’t be afraid to slow down, take your time, and reread sections that feel sticky at first. The story complexities require close and careful reading, so try not to rush. If the reading process starts to feel daunting, try introducing an audiobook version to help with pacing and sensitivity to character voices.
Take a Load Off: Remember to enjoy yourself! Bronte aims to please. This novel is–excuse the word choice–throbbing with reckless obsession, tenderness, and titillating physicality. Put on your sweats. Pour yourself a glass of red. Read with abandon, and put it down when you’ve had enough.
-Cassie Tatum, Bookstore and Events Manager / Writer in Residence