Friday 2 June 2017

Not Quite Being Heathcliff.

It struck me coming back from my walk today that there are some notable similarities between my situation and that of Heathcliff in the second half of Wuthering Heights. It further struck me how fortunate it is that I am neither as rich as him, as engaging as him, nor as brutal as him. And I was led to hope that my own version of Catherine Earnshaw does not predecease me, since I wouldn’t relish digging into a grave just so that I can lie next to the coffin.

And there’s a problem in me saying this because the vast majority of people have been – or so it seems to me – led astray in their perception of Cathy and Heathcliff’s relationship by countless misconceived adaptations of the novel. I would like to point people to my own thoughts on the matter here, since the parallels will then be more apposite. I do realise, however, that it’s a big ask and unreasonable of me to expect it.

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