Wuthering Heights (Wordsworth Classics)

Introduction and Notes by John S. Whitley, University of Sussex

Wuthering Heights is a wild, passionate story of the intense and almost demonic love between Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, a foundling adopted by Catherine's father.

• After Mr. Earnshaw's death, Heathcliff is bullied and humiliated by Catherine's brother, Hindley.
• Wrongly believing that his love for Catherine is not reciprocated, Heathcliff leaves Wuthering Heights.
• Years later, he returns as a wealthy and polished man, determined to exact a terrible revenge for his former miseries.

The action of the story is chaotic and unremittingly violent, but it is the following elements that elevate this novel to a masterpiece of English literature:

• The accomplished handling of a complex structure
• The evocative descriptions of the lonely moorland setting
• The poetic grandeur of vision

These qualities combine to make Wuthering Heights a unique and unforgettable work of art.