Wuthering Heights

Illogical creatures try to multiply, but die en masse from depression and tuberculosis.That was the “dry residue” after reading “Wuthering Heights” by Emily Bronte. It is clear that the novel did not get me, and I did not want to write a review until I looked at Wikipedia…Japanese God! It turns out that this is not a simple book, but a standard of romanticism, neo-gothic and generally a bestseller with a bunch of adaptations. Why did I take this masterpiece so coldly?Let’s analyze the messages thrown to me by public opinion.

Moorland romance.

Wiki says: “The novel is set in the moorlands of Yorkshire, which, thanks to this novel, have become a tourist attraction in England.”There are certainly descriptions of nature in Wuthering Heights. There must be some mention of the famous moorlands, but I don’t remember that! I remember the rocks, the garden, the autumn snowfall, but the heather has vanished from my memory. Vague, but unequivocally romantic ideas about this, hmm… biotope have developed from fragments of English fairy tales and songs. From them, I realized that heather for the British is a special nostalgic plant, like Russian birches. Sweet (honey) smell of homeland and childhood.This is a strong image, but it is based on anything but landscapes from Bronte’s novel.By the way, I just can’t figure out what these wastelands feel like. Hard, soft? And there is nothing to compare with. In our area, from the heather family, blueberries are widely represented (in my eyes, completely devoid of romance). Are they similar or not? Solid questions. Apparently, I will have to go on an expedition to Yorkshire.

“…the unfolding of a true tragedy in the ancient Greek sense of the word. The tension in the novel grows inexorably as the tragic denouement approaches.” The dictionary states that it is the “goat song” that is the ancient Greek meaning of the word “tragedy”. But let’s not quibble over words. I want to make sense.Most of the events described in “Wuthering Heights” can be categorized as tragic or sad. Human stupidity, unhappy love, anger, many deaths – nothing comical, only tragic components. But Tragedy (with a capital letter) of them, in my opinion, does not work. Neither in the traditional, emotional sense of the word (well, I do not empathize with the characters, tears do not roll), nor in the Greek – heroic.Greek tragedy, in my understanding, is Prometheus defying the gods. This is when “contrary” and “despite”. This is when a fragile person is against the all-powerful Fate. Without hope of victory, but with a proudly raised head. Such a real Greek tragedy was for me the book by G. L. Oldie “There must be one hero.” There, and goosebumps, and tears in my eyes, and wings behind my back.

“Exemplary plot, innovative use of multiple narrators”What is the thoughtfulness of the plot? It seemed to me very monotonous. Heroes do nothing but die. I made a special calculation – out of 14 characters, Emily Bronte’s own book “killed” 11. Such an “account” is not for every thriller, but here is a love story. But no bloodlust, no violent deaths. Everything is decorous, noble and again monotonous: depression + bad weather = consumption = death.The writer herself died in a similar way, having caught a cold at her brother’s funeral when she was only 30 years old. Were the English of the 18th and 19th centuries really so weak, and medicine so helpless? Then the general pestilence among the heroes did not look fantastic for contemporaries (readers).The only healthy person in Wuthering Heights was Heathcliff. Apparently thanks to the hot gypsy blood, he was not afraid of either cold or moisture. This energetic, full of vitality man was finished off by loneliness – the scraggly Yorkshiremen could not be his equal friends or worthy enemies.

Another world.

“Emily Brontë’s novel is now experiencing a rebirth: book sales have increased after it became known that some of her motifs were used in Stephenie Meyer’s novels from the Twilight series”You know, that explains a lot. Novels are written by women and for women. This is a different world, a different logic, and apparently a different language. It seems to me, a man, that I can understand individual words and even phrases. But this is only an illusion of understanding based on the external similarity of languages.Now, if I want romantic experiences, I will look for them in the books of male romantics. I liked “Scarlet Sails” by A. Green.On the other hand, excitement flares up inside, is it really impossible to understand women. Who are our most famous writers? Will have to read at your leisure.

Summary

As in “Pelagiya and the Red Rooster” the book seemed too short and superficial to me. Wuthering Heights is like a sketchy retelling, or a draft of a screenplay. Only key events are mentioned, very little game and emotions. Here you need to either think out the missing one yourself, or turn to a hardworking and courageous filmmaker who is ready to go beyond the book. The film based on “Pass” can be much more interesting and true than the book itself.