Wuthering Heights

Author: (English) C. Bront?, translated by Zhang Ling and Zhang Yao
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1999-01-01
Features: Charlotte and the biographer tell us that Emily was independent, open-minded, innocent, resilient, passionate, and introverted. She had a masculine spirit and deeply loved the wilderness she grew up in. In her solitude, apart from sibling bonds, she preferred the company of nature. Her poetry and life's actions reveal her worldview and philosophy of harmony between humans and the universe, leading some to view her as a mystic. In truth, the relationship between humans and nature has always been a significant topic in the history of human civilization. Emily merely followed in the footsteps of philosophers, hermits, scientists, and artists, exploring the relationship between humans and nature through her life and creative work. Due to her brief life, Emily neither received a complete systematic education nor had practical experience with love and marriage, leaving many puzzled about her ability to write Wuthering Heights, such a profound and unique love story. Early on, the "genius theory" was proposed to explain this, but after over a century of research, biographers and critics have presented more convincing evidence. Emily and her sisters grew up in the harsh and monotonous Yorkshire, but their father, Patrick Bront?, came from Northern Ireland, and their mother, Maria Branwell, was Welsh. The ancestors of both parents belonged to the impulsive and romantic Celts, and neither lacked a talent for poetry or writing. Patrick had always aspired to be a writer and even self-published a poetry collection; Maria's love letters to Patrick before marriage were also eloquently written. Inheriting their parents' genetic predispositions and nurtured by the spirit of the wilderness, Emily's artistic talent was clearly not without foundation. Moreover, the clergyman's residence on the edge of the wilderness, though outwardly bleak and humble, was warm and inviting due to the intellectual and supportive atmosphere among her talented siblings. They encouraged and inspired each other from a young age, finding joy in reading and writing. This not only alleviated their material hardships but also honed their writing skills. Emily's writing began with poetry. Before starting Wuthering Heights, she wrote numerous poems and short stories over the course of sixteen or seventeen years, with nearly two hundred surviving today. Regardless of their artistic merit, these works served as valuable preparation for her immortal masterpiece. In other words, writing Wuthering Heights was a continuation of her poetic journey. Her poetry was sincere, powerful, rugged, profound, and sublime—qualities that also define the tone of Wuthering Heights.