What makes wuthering heights a gothic novel

The genre takes its name from Otranto's medieval—or Gothic—setting; early Gothic novelists tended to set their novels in remote times like the Middle Ages and in remote places like Italy Matthew Lewis's The Monk , or the Middle East William Beckford's Vathek , Elements of the Gothic have made their way into mainstream writing. Whether or not Wuthering Heights should be classified as a Gothic novel certainly it is not merley a Gothic novel , it undeniably contains Gothic elements.

In true Gothic fashion, boundaries are trespassed, specifically love crossing the boundary between life and death and Heathcliff's transgressing social class and family ties. The weather-buffeted Wuthering Heights is the traditional castle, and Catherine resembles Ann Radcliffe's heroines in her appreciation of nature. Like the conventional Gothic hero-villain, Heathcliff is a mysterious figure who destroys the beautiful woman he pursues and who usurps inheritances, and with typical Gothic excess he batters his head against a tree.

There is the hint of necrophilia in Heathcliff's viewings of Catherine's corpse and his plans to be buried next to her and a hint of incest in their being raised as brother and sister or, as a few critics have suggested, in Heathcliff's being Catherine's illegitimate half-brother.

Middle-class women who wanted to write were hampered by the conventional image of ladies as submissive, pious, gentle, loving, serene, domestic angels; they had to overcome the conventional patronizing, smug, unempowering, contemptuous sentimentalizing of women by reviewers like George Henry Lewes, who looked down on women writers:.

In fact, they probably are second only to Romeo and Juliet in this regard. Unlike Shakespeare 's lovers, who are kept apart by the society in which they live, Catherine and Heathcliff are themselves responsible for their failure to fulfill their love for one another.

Their own passionate natures make their union impossible. The novel contains a so-called framing device , which is a story that surrounds the primary narrative and sets it up. Lockwood's visit to Wuthering Heights and the supernatural occurrence he witnesses there frame Nelly's narration of the novel's main story.

In Another Country: A Feminist Analysis Not once does she feel the regret of doing what her brothers warned her against. Words: - Pages: 8. Words: - Pages: 7. Words: - Pages: 4. Summary Of A Midsummer Night's Dream For instance the case of Hermia she should have obeyed her father by marrying the suitor presented to him rather than running away.

Words: - Pages: 5. Common Themes In Gothic Literature The main character may have some sort of affliction and do horrible things that makes the reader question their initial observations regarding this character. Words: - Pages: 3. Related Topics. Ready To Get Started?

Create Flashcards. Discover Create Flashcards Mobile apps. Follow Facebook Twitter. The main characters, on the other hand, are always ineffectual which they do not give much effect on the story plot. Despite being one of the most easily ignored characters in the story, a little explication of his letters can uncover extreme and bizarre behavior. By using some oddly coded language as well as some more overt interactions, Mary Shelley paints Robert Walton as a man of extreme psychological complexes comparable to Victor Frankenstein himself.

Edgar Allen Poe specialized in the art of gothic writing and wrote many stories that portrayed disturbing events and delved deeply into the minds of its characters. The three main gothic elements that are evident in this story are the unique setting, the theme of death and decay, and the presence of madness. This affected his composition and actually, the English Gothic novel began with his 'Gothic story '; 'The Castle of Otranto '.

Fundamentally, a Gothic novel is said to incorporate sorcery, riddle, heavenly, uncanny and tension. The interpretation of a Gothic novel contrasts from reader to reader. A Gothic work is to have a unquestionable mixing of remote setting, destroyed strongholds, dilapidated houses, mazes, cells, dull halls, cellar, moonlight, candles, winding stairs, fierce interests, inbreeding, odd fixation, and condemnations. This sort makes sentiments of agony, riddle, dread, tension since their point is to investigate humankind 's dull side and question humanity about what is great and underhandedness, address what part the powerful shows, and experience dread or fear.

It was published in under the pseudonym of Ellis Bell, and attracted considerable critical attention: many people were shocked and horrified by the sheer violence of Emily 's novels. The plot of the Gothic novels typically involved the common innocent folk getting themselves ensnared in a complex, mysterious and oftentimes evil paranormal intrigue, usually against a feeble, vulnerable damsel.

The gothic novels were more than some sinister tales told to horrify …show more content… The settings often play a significant part in the unfolding of the narrative: their features may directly influence the action; they may also symbolize some aspects of the personalities of the protagonists. Wuthering Heights is a novel of passion, revenge, and the destructiveness of a love that is too fierce.