I initially purchased a new paper copy of Wuthering Heights from Powell's Books in Portland, Oregon.  After chipping away at Emile Bronte's singular novel, (before her untimely death at age 30 from tuberculosis), and reaching at least chapter 9, it became apparent that I really didn't have a firm idea of what the hell was going in the story.  I blame it on two factors.  First, the English Victorian era language is maintained throughout; and although not completely foreign to me, it certainly isn't standard west coast American English - Ebonics and white bread bro-bro colloquialisms and all - which has molded my speech and verbal comprehension over the years.  Second, the narration of the story changes perspectives early on, from our main character Lockwood, to Lockwood reading Catherine Earnshaw's diary, to Lockwood dreaming, then apparently seeing a ghost after waking; and for most of the novel, Ellen "Nelly" Dean, the housekeeper, who retells of her time at Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange to Lockwood.  The narration is confusing early on, (at least it was for me and my simpleton mind).  So, by chapter 9, I put the novel down and left it idle for a few weeks. 
 
Since Wuthering Heights made the final cut of books for this blog that MUST be read, (by give-or-take 5 years), I pushed myself to finish it.  But how?  Reading straight through was proving to be difficult for me.  Thoughts of giving up completely, and moving on to Moby Dick, crossed my mind.  However, audio books have become a thing, and as of late, I've been listening to a fair amount of podcasts.  Why not start over at the beginning with an audio book version of Wuthering Heights, I thought?  I sampled a couple of free and open source clips of Wuthering Heights and compared to some of the offerings on Audible - the rather pricey audio book subscription service offered by the corporate behemoth Amazon.  By comparison, it's night and day.  The professional audio book versions on Audible sound fantastic, and the open-source free version I sampled sounded like it was read by an adolescent, retainer-wearing, basement-dwelling mouth-breather, who probably has nothing better to do on a Friday night than stammer through an old novel since none of said retainer-face's friends want to play Magic the Gathering again...orrrrrrrr their Nintendo Switch doesn't work because they spilled Mountain Dew on the console power supply.  Actually, I think I just partially described myself. #frownyface     
 
So, instead of dropping $30 for 6 months of SiriusXm Satellite Radio, I chose the literary path, and went for Audible.  Within 5 days I finished Wuthering Heights, after struggling with reading it for over a month.  Not only did the story move much faster, but it was easier to follow and understand - not to mention the ability to listen to it almost anywhere.  The version I downloaded was narrated by B.J. Harrison, and I think overall he does a fantastic job with changing voices and keeping the story clear and understandable.  In short, audio books feel like some kind of revelation.  The funny thing is, listening to someone tell a story is something that people have been doing for ages, and for some reason, (video games and TV?), it's been lost for some time.  It's nice to see it making a perceived return.  And of course, the next question is, what's next for entertainment?  Vintage reality?  As in, going outside into nature and disconnecting from all media?  Holy shit millennials, it's a fucking revolution.  
 
Back to the story at hand.  Rather than providing a long-winded synopsis of the story, I'd rather summarize the key ideas:  Lockwood is our main character and narrator.  He is a tenant of Heathcliff, an intense man, who at the beginning of the story, is the caretaker of Wuthering Heights.  Heathcliff was adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Earnshaw and raised at Wuthering Heights with their true born children Hindley and Catherine.   As teenagers, Heathcliff and Catherine develop an almost feral and passionate unique bond, growing up together around the moors of countryside England - away from the conservative Victorian culture of their day.  Through circumstances mostly out their control, Catherine later marries a man Edgar Linton.  She moves in with him at Thrushcross Grange and bears a single child who is also named Catherine.  Heathcliff remains at Wuthering Heights with Hindley Earnshaw.  Hindley  inherits the property following the death of Earnshaw's parents.  Hindley and Heathcliff grow to resent one another.  
 
We learn through Nelly, as told to Lockwood, the events as they unfold over the years.  Heathcliff later seduces Edgar's sister, Isabella, who he later marries and has a child with.  Isabella dies young, the elder Catherine dies young, Heatcliff and Isabella's child Linton dies young, and Hindley Earnshaw dies young.  Heathcliff and Edgar both meet their maker just under 50 years of age.  If there is anything to take away from this story, people in this era tended to die young in the country, from various "illnesses" and "sicknesses", the origin of which is not entirely expounded on in the book; although I can only surmise it was bacterial in nature, (considering the author did die from tuberculosis and it was common at the time).  Remember, this was before antibiotics.

What else?  Much has been written about Catherine and Heathcliff's primordial love and longing for each other, perhaps in a way never read before this book was published, or at least in Emily Bronte's Victorian era.  Doubtless, this story influenced later literature and movies, e.g., The Notebook, the Twilight Series, Gone with the Wind - likely many others.  It's hard to argue against the language and imagery in this novel.  Emily Bronte's vocabulary is almost Shakespearean.  The pages really come alive, and for that reason alone it may be worth checking out.  The author's years of isolation in the English countryside gave her ample time for reading and practicing her art, not to mention the necessary solitude to conjure up colorful characters and their soap opera-ish relationship drama.  Which brings me to my critiques.  

Although colorful, I don't think Heathcliff was a very believable character; possibly because the author lived mostly in isolation in the country, and she interacted little with society at large, or the various urban characters residing within.  Also, and as a related critique, I think part of the issue is with a woman, (who lived in isolation), trying to write a complex male character in Heathcliff.  Male writers have the same problem - writing complex believable female characters.  I'm interested in writing my own fiction - but writing complex female characters scares me, (and it should).  Most likely, I will get it wrong.  Male characters won't be an issue, I don't think, since I am one, and I've been close friends with far more bro-bros.  
 
Heathcliff basically skirts the line between two believable male characters - but overall he didn't quite work for me.  Let me explain.  One, is the guy who "breaks bad" because all is lost and resentment takes over all senses.  If Heathcliff went this route, I'd buy it.  He loses Catherine to Edgar - a civilized man with money.  But as his character is developed and described in the book often as a kind of brooding, strong alpha male, and also by words like: "goblin", "mad dog", and "imp of Satan", this character would have stopped at nothing to get Catherine back, including but not limited to, killing or assaulting Edgar - and possibly the rest of his family, followed by stealing horses and getting lost in the country moors with Catherine until they both turn into feral, arduous love ghosts.  In fact, the book sets up this possibility BEAUTIFULLY, when Heathcliff and Edgar Linton finally meet, after Catherine has been married and living with Edgar Linton for some years.  Heathcliff comes to Thrushcross Grange by invitation from Cathy, (you know, he's just "a friend"), to meet Edgar and Edgar's sister Isabella. Heathcliff of course talks some shit to Edgar, "I compliment you [Cathy] on your taste.  And that is the slavering, shivering thing you preferred to me!  I would not strike him with my fist, but I'd kick him with my foot, and experience considerable satisfaction.  Is he weeping, or is he going to faint for fear?" (On a side note, the visual of some top-hatted Victorian-dressed gentleman dropping some spin kicks in the English countryside sounds pretty awesome:  "Jolly good time I say chap!  Yur face is bloody and blue hence from my heel strikes.  Good day sir!")  So, Edgar's heard enough and then "...my master quickly sprang erect, and struck him [Heathcliff] full on the throat a blow that would have leveled a slighter man.  It took his breath for a minute; and while he choked, Mr. Linton walked out by the back door into the yard, and from thence to the front entrance."  Heathcliff, after gathering himself exclaims, "By hell, no! (translation: haaaaallllll nawwwwww) I'll crush his ribs in like a rotten hazel-nut before I cross the threshold!  If I don't floor him now, I shall murder him some time; so, as you value his existence, let me get at him!"  Edgar has some servants there to protect him, so Heathcliff can't return the strike with spin kicks.  And that's it.  He later marries Edgar's sister Isabella as a revenge of sorts, maybe? I think in the spirit of his character, Heathcliff would have pummeled or killed Edgar right there, or at least conspired to later - and done it.  Leading up to this physical encounter he's already brooding around like a caged alpha male lion.  I get it, it's Victorian culture, and guys don't punch each other in the throat, and they certainly don't get "unshackled", but Heathcliff is not a "Victorian" character - he's half animal to say the least, and he doesn't play by the same rules.  He's not civilized like Edgar.  He wouldn't just marry Isabella to get back at Edgar, if that was his intention.  There should have been napalm spin kicks, ok.    
 
The other possible character Heathcliff could have been is more of an Ebeneezer Scrooge type.  There are instances when Heathcliff is heartless and cold to his neighbors and friends, only caring for himself.  In fact, at times it seemed like more of his default mode.  It's hard to see a cold, calculating, brooding man just go bananas over Catherine when he meets with her later in the story, before her untimely death.

In short, Heathcliff isn't believable to me because he's in between two very different male archetypes.  In other words, I've never met a guy like him, because I don't think they exist, but I've met the two archetypes I've described above on many occasions.  I think Emily did her best to make a passionate, strong, male character, but it came across to me as more of a complicated female character - a strong, passionate, brooding, conniving type - a type who festers on revenge over past slights or relationships, but won't take any real action either immediate or physical to enact goals, or right perceived wrongs.  The passivity, combined with the traits described above, are believable to me, if it's a female character.

Beyond what I feel are the novel's shortcomings, it does evoke a distinct setting and place.  The English countryside, clinching to the edge of society, has a certain mystery to it.  By the end we are left with an impression that somewhere beyond the gates, Catherine and Heathcliff's ghosts are forever pining for each other amongst the windswept moors.   
 
Summary:  Colorful Victorian soap opera/melodrama with not entirely believable characters.    
 
Rating:  6.0

-E.B.
2018-02-05