It is hard to find a more
perfectly constructed novel than Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights . The tale is perfectly balanced
through the ingenious use of the framed narrative, with the story being revealed through the voices of Nelly Dean and Lockwood: who both add their own spin to the tale, coloured by their relation to the
events and their personalities. Rarely has an author created such interesting characters in narrators, allowing their involvement to the story to be as important as the enigmatic characters of Heathcliff and Catherine.
The novel benefits from its fast-paced plot, beginning as it was at the end, and never dwelling unnecessarily on excessive sentiment or allowing the story to become mawkish. The powerful love between Heathcliff and Catherine is dealt with beautifully and evokes a sense of union that goes beyond the physical, and indeed the grave.
It is vital in reading this novel to appreciate the gothic element and see how Brontë uses this device to create a brooding atmosphere. The location of the story on the moor echoes Brontë’s own childhood and provides a domineering and barren setting for the events of the tale to unfold upon. The ghostly occurrences that take place inside the gothic pile of the Earnshaw’s family residence are mirrored in the pathetic fallacy of the surrounding moor land and yet are never allowed to become too extreme.
This novel is deservedly a classic, and a compelling read that leaves a haunting memory upon the mind of the reader that lingers long after the final page is turned. Brontë cleverly creates mystery and intrigue around her characters and never lets her masterpiece slip into the stagnant waters of gloom; the ending is inspiring and adds to the memorable feel of the novel.