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Wuthering Heights 读书报告
full title· Wuthering Heights
author·Emily Brontë
type of work·Novel
genre·Gothic novel (designed to bothhorrify and fascinate readers with scenes of passion and cruelty;supernatural elements; and a dark, foreboding atmosphere); alsorealist fiction (incorporates vivid circumstantial detail into aconsistently and minutely thought-out plot, dealing mostly with therelationships of the characters to one another)
language·English (including bits ofYorkshire dialect)
time and place written·In 1846–1847, Emily Brontëwrote Wuthering Heights in the parsonage of the isolatedvillage of Haworth, in Yorkshire.
date of first publication·1847
publisher·Thomas C. Newby
narrator·Lockwood, a newcomer to thelocale of Wuthering Heights, narrates the entire novel as an entryin his diary. The story that Lockwood records is told to him byNelly, a servant, and Lockwood writes most of the narrative in hervoice, describing how she told it to him. Some parts of Nelly’sstory are narrated by other characters, such as when Nelly receivesa letter from Isabella and recites its contents verbatim.
point of view·Most of the events of thenovel are narrated in Nelly’s voice, from Nelly’s point of view,focusing only on what Nelly can see and hear, or what she can findout about indirectly. Nelly frequently comments on what the othercharacters think and feel, and on what their motivations are, butthese comments are all based on her own interpretations of theother characters—she is not an omniscient narrator.
tone·It is not easy to infer theauthor’s attitude toward the events of the novel. The melodramaticquality of the first half of the novel suggests that Brontë viewsCatherine and Heathcliff’s doomed love as a tragedy of lostpotential and wasted passion. However, the outcome of the secondhalf of the novel suggests that Brontë is more interested incelebrating the renewal and rebirth brought about by the passage oftime, and the rise of a new generation, than she is in mourningHeathcliff and Catherine.
tense·Both Lockwood’s and Nelly’snarrations are in the past tense.
setting (time)·The action of Nelly’s storybegins in the 1770s; Lockwood leaves Yorkshire in 1802.
setting (place)·All the action of WutheringHeights takes place in or around two neighboring houses on theYorkshire moors—Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange.
protagonists·Heathcliff, Catherine
major conflicts·Heathcliff’s great naturalabilities, strength of character, and love for Catherine Earnshawall enable him to raise himself from humble beginnings to thestatus of a wealthy gentleman, but his need to revenge himself forHindley’s abuse and Catherine’s betrayal leads him into a twistedlife of cruelty and hatred; Catherine is torn between her love forHeathcliff and her desire to be a gentlewoman, and her decision tomarry the genteel Edgar Linton drags almost all of the novel’scharacters into conflict with Heathcliff.
rising action·Heathcliff’s arrival atWuthering Heights, Hindley’s abusive treatment of Heathcliff, andCatherine’s first visit to Thrushcross Grange set the majorconflicts in motion; once Heathcliff hears Catherine say it would“degrade” her to marry him, the conversation between Nelly andCatherine, which he secretly overhears, drives him to run away andpursue his vengeance.
climax·Catherine’s death is theculmination of the conflict between herself and Heathcliff andremoves any possibility that their conflict could be resolvedpositively; after Catherine’s death, Heathcliff merely extends anddeepens his drives toward revenge and cruelty.
falling action·Heathcliff destroys Isabellaand drives her away, takes possession of young Linton, forcesCatherine and Linton to marry, inherits Thrushcross Grange, thenloses interest in the whole project and dies; Hareton and youngCatherine are to be engaged to be married, promising an end to thecycle of revenge.
themes·The destructiveness of a lovethat never changes; the precariousness of social class
motifs·Doubles, repetition, theconflict between nature and culture
symbols·The moors, ghosts
foreshadowing·Lockwood’s initial visit toWuthering Heights, in which the mysterious relationships andlurking resentments between the characters create an air ofmystery; Lockwood’s ghostly nightmares, during the night he spendsin Catherine’s old bed, prefigure many of the events of the rest ofthe novel.
WutheringHeights 内容摘要总结
In 1801, Mr. Lockwood, a rich man from the south of England,rents Thrushcross Grange in the north ofEngland for peace and recuperation. Soon after his arrival, hevisits his landlord, Mr.Heathcliff, who lives in the remote moorland farmhousecalled "Wuthering Heights." He finds the inhabitants of WutheringHeights to be a rather strange group: Mr. Heathcliff appears agentleman but his mannerisms suggest otherwise; the reservedmistress of the house is in her mid-teens; and a young man appearsto be one of the family, although he dresses and talks like aservant.
Being snowed in, Mr. Lockwood stays the night and is shown to anunused chamber, where he finds books and graffiti from a formerinhabitant of the farmhouse named Catherine. When he falls asleep,he has a nightmare in which he sees Catherine as a ghost trying to enterthrough the window. Heathcliff rushes to the room after hearing himyelling in fear. He believes Mr Lockwood is telling the truth, andinspects the window, opening it in a futile attempt to letCatherine's spirit in from the cold. After nothing eventuates,Heathcliff shows Mr Lockwood to his own bedroom, and returns tokeep guard at the window.
As soon as the sun rises, Mr Lockwood is escorted back toThrushcross Grange by Heathcliff. There, he asks his housekeeper,Nelly Dean, to tell him the story of the family from theHeights.
Thirty years prior, the Earnshaw family lived at WutheringHeights. The children of the family are the teenaged Hindley andhis younger sister, Catherine. Mr. Earnshaw travels to Liverpool, where hefinds a homeless dark-skinned boy whom he decides to adopt, naminghim "Heathcliff." Hindley finds himself robbed of his father'saffections and becomes bitterly jealousof Heathcliff. However, Catherine grows very attached to him. Soon,the two children spend hours on the moors together and hate everymoment apart.
Because of the domestic discord caused by Hindley's andHeathcliff's sibling rivalry,Hindley is eventually sent to college. However, he marries a womannamed Frances and returns three years later, after Mr. Earnshawdies. He becomes master of Wuthering Heights, and forces Heathcliffto become a servant instead of a member of the family.
Several months after Hindley's return, Heathcliff and Catherinetravel to Thrushcross Grange to spy on the Linton family. However,they are spotted and try to escape. Catherine, having been caughtby a dog, is brought inside the Grange to have injuries tended towhile Heathcliff is sent home. Catherine eventually returns toWuthering Heights as a changed woman, looking and acting as a lady.She laughs at Heathcliff's unkempt appearance. When the Lintonsvisit the next day, Heathcliff dresses up to impress her. It failswhen Edgar, one of the Linton children, argues with him. Heathcliffis locked in the attic, where Catherine later tries to comfort him.He swears vengeance onHindley.
In the summer of the next year, Frances gives birth to a son,Hareton, but she dies before the year is out. This leads Hindley todescend into a life of drunkenness and waste.
Two years pass and Catherine has become close friends withEdgar, growing more distant from Heathcliff. One day in August,while Hindley is absent, Edgar comes to visit Catherine. She has anargument with Nelly, which then spreads to Edgar who tries toleave. Catherine stops him and, before long, they declarethemselves lovers.
Later, Catherine talks with Nelly, explaining that Edgar hadasked her to marry him and she had accepted. She says that she doesnot really love Edgar but Heathcliff. Unfortunately she could nevermarry Heathcliff because of his lack of status and education. Shetherefore plans to marry Edgar and use that position to help raiseHeathcliff's standing. Unfortunately, Heathcliff had overheard thefirst part about not being able to marry him and runs away,disappearing without a trace. After three years, Edgar andCatherine are married.
Six months after the marriage, Heathcliff returns as agentleman, having grown stronger and richer during his absence.Catherine is delighted to see him although Edgar is not so keen.Edgar's sister, Isabella, now eighteen, falls in love withHeathcliff, seeing him as a romantic hero. He despises her butencourages the infatuation, seeing it as a chance for revenge onEdgar. When he embraces Isabella one day at the Grange, there is anargument with Edgar which causes Catherine to lock herself in herroom and fall ill.
Heathcliff has been staying at the Heights, gambling withHindley and teaching Hareton bad habits. Hindley is graduallylosing his wealth, mortgaging the farmhouse to Heathcliff to repayhis debts.
While Catherine is ill, Heathcliff elopes with Isabella. Thefugitives marry and return two months later to Wuthering Heights.Heathcliff hears that Catherine is ill and arranges with Nelly tovisit her in secret. In the early hours of the day after theirmeeting, Catherine gives birth to her daughter, Cathy, and thendies.
The day after Catherine's funeral, Isabella flees Heathcliff andescapes to the south of England where she eventually gives birth toLinton, Heathcliff's son. Hindley dies six months after Catherine.Heathcliff finds himself the master of Wuthering Heights and theguardian of Hareton.
Twelve years later, Cathy has grown into a beautiful,high-spirited girl who has rarely passed outside the borders of theGrange. Edgar hears that Isabella is dying and leaves to pick upher son with the intention of adopting him. While he is gone, Cathymeets Hareton on the moors and learns of her cousin's and WutheringHeights' existence.
Edgar returns with Linton who is a weak and sickly boy. AlthoughCathy is attracted to him, Heathcliff wants his son with him andinsists on having him taken to the Heights.
Three years later, Nelly and Cathy are on the moors when theymeet Heathcliff who takes them to Wuthering Heights to see Lintonand Hareton. He has plans for Linton and Cathy to marry so that hewill inherit Thrushcross Grange. Cathy and Linton begin a secretfriendship.
In August of the next year, while Edgar is very ill, Nelly andCathy visit Wuthering Heights and are held captive by Heathcliffwho wants to marry his son to Cathy and, at the same time, preventher from returning to her father before he dies. After five days,Nelly is released and Cathy escapes with Linton's help just in timeto see her father before he dies.
With Heathcliff now the master of both Wuthering Heights andThrushcross Grange, Cathy has no choice but to leave Nelly and togo and live with Heathcliff and Hareton. Linton dies soonafterwards and, although Hareton tries to be kind to her, sheretreats into herself. This is the point of the story at whichLockwood arrives.
After being ill with a cold for some time, Lockwood decides thathe has had enough of the moors and travels to Wuthering Heights toinform Heathcliff that he is returning to the south.
In September, eight months after leaving, Lockwood finds himselfback in the area and decides to stay at Thrushcross Grange (sincehis tenancy is still valid until October). He finds that Nelly isnow living at Wuthering Heights. He makes his way there and shefills in the rest of the story.
Nelly had moved to the Heights soon after Lockwood left toreplace the housekeeper who had departed. In March, Hareton had anaccident and has been confined to the farmhouse. During this time,a friendship developed between Cathy and Hareton. This continuesinto April when Heathcliff begins to act very strangely, seeingvisions of Catherine. After not eating for four days, he is founddead in Catherine's room. He is buried next to Catherine.
Lockwood departs but, before he leaves, he hears that Haretonand Cathy plan to marry on New Year's Day. Lockwood passes thegraves of Catherine, Edgar and Heathcliff, pausing to contemplatethe peaceful quiet of the moors.
WutheringHeights人物性格分析
