#oh wow catherine and heathcliff's relationship is so romantic

[ladsofsorrow24]

thinking about wuthering heights again (i've finished reading the book last week) and how near the end when heathcliff has become delirious, nelly revealed how hareton, not cathy, is the one who looks a bit too much like catherine, even though he's the son of the guy that heathcliff hates the most

and the irony that even heathcliff's own son, linton and his niece, cathy who's the daughter of the woman he sacrificed his heart for hate him so badly

but hareton, the son of his nemesis who ended up loving him and mourning him like an actual son and family member

idk man i feel bad for hareton, really yet i'm glad that he and cathy don't have to go through shit anymore... their tomentor finally succumb to his death

[mermaidsirennikita]

Sadly, the Wuthering Heights furor has also led to people (many of whom, let us be real, simply dislike the book or otherwise only think of it when it's brought up) to discourse about the content of the novel versus the wrongness of Emerald Fennell's choices with regards to the movie, which of course, has opened up the classic "IT'S NOT A ROMANCE! IT'S NOT A LOVE STORY! BAD PEOPLE! HATE STORY!"

... Which is... also a bad take.

First off, to be very clear, "Romance" is not inherently "genre romance", which is the thing I blog a lot about that was solidified in the latter half of the twentieth century (and which, no doubt, was influenced on some level by WH as much as Jane Eyre, Austen novels and so on). Wuthering Heights is a romance, it's just not a genre romance/romance novel. And indisputably, Wuthering Heights is a love story.

It may not be a love story you like. It may not be a love story with a happily ever after (though I will say—this is one of the few books where I think it's pretty debatable, as "wandering the moors as ghosts", if that is what happened, is kind of... what Cathy and Heathcliff would've wanted... and their ultimate desire was to be TOGETHER, regardless of whether or not it damned them, so is it an HEA in their freaky minds? Maybe so lol). It may ALSO be an abuse story in which the lovers act horribly to each other.... though, I gotta say, MUCH WORSE to literally everyone else in their lives than they do to each other...

But it's a love story. That is one of several things it happens to be. The entire novel is driven by this central love story between Heathcliff and Cathy—a love that is, contrary to what a surface-level reading or reading by word of mouth would imply... very much mutual. I've already gone on about how Cathy Earnshaw is not Heathcliff's victim the way Isabella Linton is, and how Cathy is very much as involved in the love affair as he is. But truly, while their individual internal struggles are the framework and what keeps them apart in many ways—Heathcliff being a man of color and subject to racist abuse, Cathy conforming to society and classist pressures when her natural temperament is very much not of society—what propels the story is this romance.

Because they are supposed to be read as extremely similar, and as two people who do not truly identify with anyone but one another. They're supposed to be read as like minds. They're supposed to be read as thwarted. Some of the things those two say about each other and to each other are legitimately some of the most romantic lines I've ever read.

I mean, are they also kind of sick and wrong? Sure! But I do find it kind of rich to see people who are totally fine with reading dark romance wring their hands over the public at large interpreting Heathcliff and Cathy's relationship as an epic romance. I don't have an issue with anyone enjoying either! But. Let us be real. Part of why y'all are even enjoying work like that is the standard that books like WH set, and the fact that WH does speak to the lure of the dark and the tragedy of people who are super imperfect... and also super in love... continuously fucking up their own lives (and the lives of basically everyone around them) in this push-pull of denial and desire.

When people say "HOW COULD ANYONE EVER INTERPRET THIS AS ROMANTIC?" I just have to question... did you read the book? Because even if it's not for YOU, if it's not romantic TO YOU, surely you can see why other people (me and mine lol) read lines like these and go, "Wow, romantic":

“Catherine Earnshaw, may you not rest as long as I am living. You said I killed you--haunt me then. The murdered do haunt their murderers. I believe--I know that ghosts have wandered the earth. Be with me always--take any form--drive me mad. Only do not leave me in this abyss, where I cannot find you! Oh, God! It is unutterable! I cannot live without my life! I cannot live without my soul!”

(fun fact: I do have a part of the above quote tattooed on my body and I'm very happy about it)

"My great miseries in this world have been Heathcliff's miseries, and I watched and felt each from the beginning: my great thought in living is himself. If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be; and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger: I should not seem a part of it."

"Hush, my darling! Hush, hush, Catherine! I'll stay. If he shot me so, I'd expire with a blessing on my lips."

[said when her damn husband is almost at the door lol]

"I’m not wishing you greater torment than I have, Heathcliff. I only wish us never to be parted: and should a word of mine distress you hereafter, think I feel the same distress underground, and for my own sake, forgive me!"

"'Heathcliff, dear! you should not be sullen now. Do come to me, Heathcliff.’

In her eagerness she rose and supported herself on the arm of the chair. At that earnest appeal he turned to her, looking absolutely desperate. His eyes, wide and wet, at last flashed fiercely on her; his breast heaved convulsively. An instant they held asunder, and then how they met I hardly saw, but Catherine made a spring, and he caught her, and they were locked in an embrace from which I thought my mistress would never be released alive..."

"Kiss me again; and don’t let me see your eyes! I forgive what you have done to me. I love my murderer—but yours! How can I?"

[Read: she is the murderer he is talking about. He's saying she doomed herself to death a long time ago, and he hates her for it. While also crying and kissing her lmao]

They're sickos! Nobody can argue otherwise. But that does not mean they're not in love, and it doesn't mean this isn't a love story, and wagging your fingers at people who read this as the obviously destructive love story this is and find it romantic... doesn't change that.

And the thing is that the book makes it pretttyyyy clear that even if Heathcliff and Cathy has assholery programed into their personalities, WITHOUT the contexts of how they were raised and the society that expects them both to conform to prescribed roles, they would probably just... be together. Like, they victimize people, especially Heathcliff. But they are also victims. The book isn't about a critique of two people Emily Bronte dreamed up; it's a critique of the CIRCUMSTANCES by way of Gothic, subversive melodrama. At the end of the day, their feelings, however passionate they are, are not inherently subversive. Their feelings are NATURAL. But they're twisted and contorted into something ugly through circumstance and the characters' responses to those circumstances.

For Heathcliff, A LOT of those circumstances that did twist him are in fact out of his control. Which is why we hate that casting, right?

But all that said, a love story being dirtybadwrong and about Bad People doesn't mean it isn't a love story, lol. Again—we don't even expect genre romance to be about good people.

Like. Yeah. We know Heathcliff and Cathy are assholes. You're not breaking new ground with that take. The book is still, in many ways, about those assholes being in love.

[letmetellyouaboutmyfeels]

Hi! Long time follower here, never talked. Love your blog. Please please give us the Wuthering Heights rant. I really want it now!

My dear nonny, I’m truly sorry it’s taken me so long to get to this.

First off, I have to admit two prejudices when it comes to my reading of Wuthering Heights. First, I’m not a fan of Romantic literature. Second, I’m not a fan of what I would call “interpersonal dramas.” For example, TV shows like This is Us or films like August: Osage County are not my cup of tea. They’re about the dramatic and serious relationship between characters and family members and I just don’t care. I get that in my real life, give me dragons.

So that influences my opinion of WH and makes me predisposed to not be a fan. But I just really fucking hate that book, I’m sorry, I do, and it’s not because of any lack of writing skill involved in writing it, it’s because it’s a goddamn misery piece about people being assholes to each other and then dying miserably.

Like, I get it, we’re supposed to feel bad for Heathcliff because of his lower status and how people treat him, but he’s also an asshole? He eavesdrops on a conversation that he only hears part of (and therefore misunderstands) and proceeds to punish the person who was speaking, and she has no idea that’s why he’s doing it or what he overheard. God FORBID he tell her.

But then I suppose I’m an idiot for expecting anybody in this damn novel to talk to anybody about anything. Communication is something none of these people have ever heard of in their entire lives. And yes I get it! Suppressed emotions! Hidden passions! Yearning! Guess who did all of that while still having characters treat each other (generally, at least in regard to the heroes) with respect and communicating and learning the folly of not communicating?

JANE FUCKING AUSTEN AND SHE DID IT WITHOUT STUPID PLOT CONTRIVANCES

My God, Heathcliff, I fucking get it, you’re fucking miserable, you know what I’d say if one of my friends went out and brooded in a fucking torrential rainstorm? GET BACK INSIDE AND BROOD IN FRONT OF THE FIRE YOU FUCKING MORON. The whole Romantic movement had a lot of focus on the power and beauty of wild, untamed nature, but there’s a line between appreciating nature and just going out to prove to everyone how sad you are and wallowing in self pity and I have no tolerance for that bullshit.

Oh! And that’s even if we IGNORE the racist undertones of Heathcliff being dark skinned and compared to people from places like India and called racial slurs as a result and how he turns into a violent petty vengeful man who abuses the woman he claims to love YEAH THAT’S A GREAT REPRESENTATION OF PEOPLE OF COLOR RIGHT THERE the only thing almost as infuriating is how in every adaptation he’s played by a white man. *screams into pillow*

And maybe? We’re supposed to read WH and Heathcliff’s journey as a cautionary tale of sorts? Hey look what happens when you let rage, jealousy, and vengeance consume you. Not a great look. Not that I’m saying any of the Bronte sisters were the kind of people to write morality tales. But perchance we weren’t supposed to like Heathcliff so much? That’s up for debate but doesn’t change the fact that far too many people in this world seem to think he’s a goddamn “tortured romantic hero.” Ha. Ha ha. Ha. Honey he’s not tortured he’s a bully. Cool story! Still murder!

And I’m sorry but I fucking hate the treatment of women in this. Nothing against the women themselves, really, but they’re not anything other than plot devices to be used by the men to hurt the other men in the story. Catherine only ever makes one solid choice for herself and that’s marrying Edgar and then Heathcliff proceeds to punish her for it for years.

Yeah, there’s nothing more romantic than, “If I can’t have you, nobody can.” Wow look my panties just fucking fell off, that was so romantic. *gags*

God and poor Isabella, he manipulates her and uses her and abuses her. Also Edgar, can we talk about Edgar? Edgar’s a good dude. He’s a good dude who loves Catherine and loves his daughter and really didn’t deserve this bullshit. But oh no, his soul isn’t made of the same stuff as Catherine’s, their souls aren’t the same, don’t you see? He’s not PASSIONATE and YEARNING and TORTURED!

Look, I get the temptation of that whole shtick when you’re sixteen. But if there’s something that age and experience has taught me, and most other people, it’s that relationships that are full of sweeping passion and tortured emotion are not the sort of relationships with which you can actually build a life together. While it’s said by a cultist trying to manipulate a lonely and traumatized woman, the quote, “Does he feel like home to you?” in Midsommar is a very apt question to ask. Finding someone upon whom you can rely, with whom you feel safe, with whom you feel comfortable, someone who is willing to put in the time and dedication to their relationship with you, is far more important than sex in a nor’easter and frankly I never saw the appeal of that tortured sweeping romance even when I was sixteen.

Everyone’s talking about how this guy is an “enduring icon” and such bullshit when the fact is he’s abusive. He never showed Catherine proper appreciation while she was alive and chose instead to hurt her, he abused everyone else around him whether they deserved it (Hindley) or not (Isabella). Catherine’s not a ton of fun either, faking insanity to hurt her husband because he doesn’t want her to cheat on him and then falling into actual insanity and starving herself to death because she can’t see her One True Goddamn Love.

If was her one true love then WHY DIDN’T SHE MARRY HIM? YOU CAN’T HAVE YOUR CAKE AND EAT IT TOO. THAT’S NOT HOW THIS WORKS. If you love someone, you love them enough to say, “yeah we won’t be rich but we’ll find our way in the world.” Catherine loved her status and material comforts more than she loved Heathcliff, full stop, I don’t want to hear anything more about her tough choice.

And it’s okay that she wanted financial security and social status! There is nothing wrong with that, especially when Edgar was a pretty good guy all things considered! But for God’s sake woman stop throwing a tantrum like a fucking five year old. You made your choice. You don’t get to whine and cry about it. You can’t refuse to marry the guy and then get mad when you can’t have an affair with him. You should’ve fucking married him! Why is this so hard for people to understand!? She’s spoiled! Cathy’s just fucking spoiled!

Maybe it’s the autism but this is why I fucking hate dramas. Nobody communicates. Nobody is logical. Everyone blows everything out of proportion. God I hate people.

And again, I’m not saying that these characters were written to be characters that you root for, nor am I saying they’re characters you’re supposed to condemn. If anything I would say they’re characters you’re supposed to be drawn into in spite of yourself and get swept up in “THE DRAMA” of it all. Which is fine but honest to God that doesn’t make this book any better than any of the dozens and dozens of other similar stories out there. And whatever the author’s intentions, the way readers throughout the years have sighed and pined over this book and acted like it was such a great example of doomed romance pisses me the fuck off.

It’s not anything special, sorry. It’s about a bunch of horrible people doing horrible things to each other because they’re all petty and selfish, and the only other kind of people who exist are victims and idiotic bystanders. It’s not romantic, Heathcliff and Catherine’s romance is unhealthy obsession that’s more about themselves than about each other, and I fucking hate it.