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Wuthering Heights Wednesday

Wuthering Heights Wednesday

April 21, 2010 by Darlene


Yes, once again I am late but at least it’s still Wednesday and not Thursday. I’m dealing with some issues at home that are taking away from my reading and getting things done but here we are now so let’s discuss the next three chapters of Wuthering Heights. A bunch of us are reading Wuthering Heights which is being hosted by Jill over at Fizzy Thoughts. We’re tackling 3 chapters a week and so far so good.

This week’s reading was Chapters 7 through 9 and wow can a lot happen in three chapters. When we ended last week we had left Cathy at Thrushcross Grange. Well after 5 weeks she returns home to Wuthering Heights with not only a healed ankle, but also with better manners (or so they had hoped). Mr. & Mrs. Earnshaw had hoped that the separation would have pulled Cathy and Heathcliff apart some but when Cathy sees him she gives him a hug and kisses.

Mrs. Dean takes it upon herself to clean Heathcliff up – she tells him he’ll be more presentable to Cathy then. Heathcliff wants nothing to do with it but then eventually relents. I liked Mrs. Dean’s description of Heathcliff’s eyes…

  • ‘…and that couple of black fiends, so deeply buried, who never open their windows boldly, but lurk glinting under them, like devil’s spies? Wish and learn to smooth away the surly wrinkles, to raise your lids frankly, and change the fiends to confident, innocent angels, suspecting and doubting nothing, and always seeing friends where they are not sure of foes’ (pg 55, eBook)

So there’s Heathcliff all done up nice and what does Hindley do but degrade him. That man is insufferable. Heathcliff vows to get back at him someday. I’m sure that’s laying the groundwork for something in the pages to come.

Now we’re in the summer of 1778 and Mrs. Earnshaw dies of consumption shortly after giving birth to Hareton (where do they get these names from?). As Hareton grows up he’s terrifed of his father, Hindley (not that I can blame him). At one point Hindley says he’d like to break the brat’s neck and then carries him up the stairs and hangs him off the banister. The man is nuts.

Cathy is one hot tempered woman! It seems it is best to stay clear of her most times especially when she’s mad. Edgar, being blissfully in love, proposes to her and she accepts. She feels that by marrying Edgar she will have the means to help Heathcliff more. She feels that it would degrade her to marry Heathcliff although she loves him. Ok, big problem! Heathcliff hears this conversation. In talking to Mrs. Dean she says this about Heathcliff…

  • ‘…because he’s more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.’ (pg 77, eBook)
  • ‘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 part of it.’ (pg 78/79, eBook)

Unfortunately Heathcliff doesn’t hear this part. The only part he heard before he snuck out was about Cathy demeaning herself to marry him. He disappears and can’t be found. Cathy goes on to marry Edgar but by the end of Chapter 9, Heathcliff is still no where to be found.

So far I’m following what’s going on. I think. Needless to say I’m still confused about the Cathy’s. The one at Wuthering Heights now can’t be the one Heathcliff would have been in love with and I still think that one is dead. I’m anxious to delve further into the story to see how this will all unfold.

You can check out other’s thought on our read-a-long…

  • Literate Housewife
  • Vivienne( Serendipidy)
  • Messy Karen
  • Victoria
  • Jenny (Take Me Away)
  • Ti (Book Chatter)
  • Lisa – Lit And Life
  • J.C. Montgomery (The Biblio Blogazine)
  • Whitney
  • JoAnn (Lakeside Musing)
  • Gentle Reader (Shelf Life)
  • Amy at New Century Reading
  • Geri at One More Foggy Notion
  • Rob at Books are Like Candy Corn

Pop back next week for my thoughts on the next few chapters of Wuthering Heights. I’m really enjoying it!

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Filed Under: Wuthering Heights Wednesday

Wuthering Heights Wednesday Week 1

April 7, 2010 by Darlene


Welcome to Wuthering Heights Wednesday which is being hosted by Jill over at Fizzy Thoughts. The goal is to read 3 chapters every week and post our thoughts on Wednesdays.

The year is 1801 and Mr. Lockwood has just moved in at the Grange and is off to visit his landlord Mr. Heathcliff. He is appalled at the reception he gets there. Mr. Heathcliff is downright rude to him. Chapter 1 concludes with Mr. Lockwood being chased out by Mr. Heathcliff’s dogs when he figures that the dogs ‘would scarcely understand tacit insults’ (pg 7, eBook) and commences to wink and make faces at them. Well they understood and went after him giving me a good giggle.

But Mr. Lockwood is not to be deterred and determines to go visit again the next day but comes up with no better luck. Nobody will answer the door to his incessant banging. His response…

  • ‘”Wretched inmates!” I ejaculated, mentally, “you deserve perpetual isolation from your species for your churlish inhospitality”. (pg 9, eBook)

Needless to say Mr. Lockwood cracks me up and if he continues in this way I’m going to enjoy this book.

On his second visit things get interesting. He meets a woman he assumes is Mr. Heathcliff’s wife but it turns out she is his daughter-in-law. He also meets a disagreeable young man named Hareton Earnshaw. As well it had started snowing outside and was getting worse by the minute. He asks for assistance getting home but is refused. Finally he manages to get himself invited to stay.

Staying though wasn’t such a good idea either as he’s put in some room where apparently Mr. Heathcliff doesn’t like anyone to be. Mr. Lockwood can see why as he has nightmares the whole time. He dreams of someone at the window so he goes to the window…

  • ‘…knocking my knuckles through the glass, and stretching an arm out to seize the importunate branch; instead of which, my fingers closed on the fingers of an little, ice-cold hand! The intense horror of nightmare came over me: I tried to draw back my arm, but the hand clung to it, and a most melancholy voice sobbed, “Let me in–let me in!” ” Who are you?” I asked, struggling, meanwhile, to disengage myself. “Catherine Linton,” it replied, shiveringly…”I’m come home: I’d lost my way on the moor!” As it spoke, I discerned, obscurely, a child’s face looking through the window.'(pg 25, eBook)

So, it seems there is a ghost at Wuthering Heights among other things. It seems everyone is quite rude for some reason. I’m sure in the chapters to follow Mr. Lockwood will be making more of an effort to find out more about his anything but ordinary landlord. Either way I’m actually enjoying this book and I wasn’t sure I would. I always had plans to read it because it’s a classic but just never got that far.

It’s not too late if you’d like to join in with us to read Wuthering Heights. Just head over to Fizzy Thoughts and sign up!

Tune in next week for the next installment in the Wuthering Heights read-a-long.

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Filed Under: Wuthering Heights Wednesday

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