I decided to read one of the Brontës, since I saw the second half of Masterpiece Theatre's Jane Eyre. On Sunday, on my way home from a brunch in Oak Park, I stopped in Wicker Park at my favorite used book store. I bought Wuthering Heights, Very Good, Jeeves! by Wodehouse, and The Flight of the Falcon by Daphne du Maurier. It's too cold to read anything realistic. I wish, though, I had bought du Maurier's book about her great aunt who was the Duke of York's mistress (as in "The Mighty Duke of York, he had 10,000 men..."). I was also looking for some Dashiell Hammett, but there were none on the shelves. I feel the need for a good long soak in some noir.
Anyhow, this week I've been wading through the moors surrounding Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange and have been a little confused. Are there Brontë lovers out there? Can someone explain to me something? Catherine and Heathcliff are supposed to be these idealized romantic lovers, or so I thought going into the book, right? Why? I find them to be some of the more annoying, selfish and destructive characters I've read about in a while. Is this because I came in expecting Jane Austen and not some gothic twisted romance?
Great, I just read on Amazon that the du Maurier book I got was "dreadfully dull." I guess the tagline on the cover that said it was a "stunning gothic masterpiece" was an overstatement. I should have got the other one. Damn.
My mom bought me a copy of Wuthering Heights when I was a teen, thinking that I was the right age for it, and, like you, I thought that the characters were really annoying. That's when I realized, early on, that there were entire genres of respectable (and disrespectable) literature that were not for me....
Posted by: H. Wren | February 08, 2007 at 10:20 AM
Stick with it, Claire! I read WH in high school and hated the characters, but I remember the payoff at the end being totally worth it. I also remember eventually deciding that Heathcliff was really hot. Of course, now I don't remember the ending, or why I decided Heathcliff was so hot. Maybe I'll have to read it again.
Posted by: Dan | February 08, 2007 at 07:20 PM
It's been a long time since I've read it, but I need a new commute book starting tomorrow, and I know it's on my bookshelf at home, so I'll read in solidarity with you.
Posted by: amy | February 08, 2007 at 08:30 PM
Wuthering Heights is the definitive gothic twisted romance and the Brontës' work, while classic and lurid, does not approach Austen's sublime and subtle touch, IMHO. But that doesn't make Wuthering Heights any less fun.
Posted by: grasshopper | February 08, 2007 at 10:18 PM
I'm rounding the bend now and am hoping for a payoff. Thanks for all the thoughts. I knew I could turn to my well-read blog friends for some help through this. It's definitely twisted.
Posted by: Claire | February 08, 2007 at 11:49 PM
I have to say it:
When I first saw the title, without reading a word, I thought:
Is she goin going to compare that cute kitten of hers to Heathclif the cat.
Then I thought: Heathclif?! I haven't thought of him in years.
Then I actually read and now I feel quite tragic.
Posted by: Adorable Girlfriend | February 09, 2007 at 01:58 AM
Hee! I thought the same thing (about Heathcliff the cat). …I am a bad English major.
Posted by: Kristen | February 09, 2007 at 06:41 AM
I'm just catching up on your blog and need to weigh in, even though you're probably done by now... ALL the characters in WH are obnoxious, but it's that over the top, crazy angst that makes them enjoyable. They wouldn't be enjoyable characters to be with all the time (no wonder Emily was so messed up!), but they are good to return to every now and then. And Heathcliff IS hot, have you seen the movie? Mmmm, Ralph (also, how did I only NOW realize he is Lord Voldemort? I must Netflix me some Harry Potter stat!). The made for tv version captures all the angst, but is quite possibly the worst movie I've ever watched, the awfulness only tempered by steamy teen guitar-playing angst and young Katherine Heigl.
Anyhow, Mr Rochester is also pretty obnoxious, but Jane tempers that.. Charlotte was a more balanced author. You might enjoy Villette.
And if you haven't read anything by Reginald Hill, keep an eye out in the used book store. Dalziel and Pascoe are the perfect British counterpoint to Sam Spade!
(I have a lot to say on this subject apparently..)
Posted by: e. | February 13, 2007 at 10:01 AM