Wuthering Heights is the only novel written by the English author Emily Brontë. It was first published in 1847 under the name "Ellis Bell." The story follows two large estates and their families on the West Yorkshire moors, the Earnshaws and the Lintons, and their complicated relationships with Heathcliff, the Earnshaws' foster son. The novel explores themes such as love, possession, revenge, and reconciliation. It is inspired by Romantic and Gothic writing styles and is regarded as a classic in English literature.

The book was accepted by publisher Thomas Newby along with Agnes Grey by Emily's sister, Anne Brontë, before the success of their sister Charlotte Brontë's novel Jane Eyre. However, Wuthering Heights and Agnes Grey were published later. The first American edition appeared in April 1848, published by Harper & Brothers in New York. After Emily Brontë's death, her sister Charlotte edited a second edition of Wuthering Heights, which was released in 1850.

At the time of its release, reviews of the book were divided. Today, Wuthering Heights is considered one of the greatest novels written in English. It caused controversy because of its descriptions of mental and physical cruelty, such as domestic abuse, and because it challenged the rules of Victorian society, including ideas about religion, morality, and class. The novel has inspired many adaptations in various forms of media.

Plot

In 1801, Mr. Lockwood, the new tenant at Thrushcross Grange in Yorkshire, visits his landlord, Heathcliff, at his remote farmhouse, Wuthering Heights. There, he meets a quiet young woman (later known as Cathy Linton), Joseph, a grumpy servant, and Hareton, an uneducated young man who speaks like a servant. Everyone is unfriendly and unwelcoming. Trapped by snow for the night, Lockwood reads diary entries written by the former occupant of his room, Catherine Earnshaw, and has a nightmare in which a ghostly Catherine begs to enter through the window. Heathcliff, awakened by Lockwood's screams, becomes very upset.

Lockwood returns to Thrushcross Grange and becomes ill. While recovering, Lockwood's housekeeper, Ellen "Nelly" Dean, tells the story of the strange family.

Thirty years earlier, the Earnshaws lived at Wuthering Heights with their two children, Hindley (age fourteen) and Catherine (age six), and their servant, Nelly. After a trip to Liverpool, Earnshaw brings home an orphan boy named Heathcliff. Heathcliff's background is unknown, but he is described as looking like a gypsy, possibly a Lascar, an American, or a Spanish castaway. Earnshaw treats Heathcliff as his favorite child and neglects his own children, especially after his wife dies. Hindley often beats Heathcliff, but Heathcliff gradually becomes close friends with Catherine.

Hindley leaves for university and returns three years later as the new master of Wuthering Heights after his father's death. He and his wife, Frances, force Heathcliff to live as a servant.

Edgar Linton and his sister Isabella live nearby at Thrushcross Grange. Heathcliff and Catherine spy on them during one of their walks across the moors. When Catherine is bitten by the Lintons' dog, the Lintons take her in but send Heathcliff home. During a visit, Hindley and Edgar mock Heathcliff, leading to a fight. Heathcliff is banished to an attic and vows to seek revenge.

Frances dies after giving birth to a son, Hareton. Two years later, Catherine accepts Edgar's marriage proposal. She tells Nelly she deeply loves Heathcliff but cannot marry him because of his low social status. Nelly warns her not to associate with Heathcliff. Heathcliff overhears part of the conversation, misunderstands Catherine's feelings, and flees. Catherine becomes very sick.

Mr. and Mrs. Linton, the parents of Edgar and Isabella, both die from fever. By Mr. Linton's will, Thrushcross Grange must be passed down to Edgar's male heirs or, if none exist, to Isabella's heirs.

Three years after leaving, Heathcliff returns unexpectedly, now wealthy. He takes advantage of Isabella's infatuation to harm Edgar. Edgar drives Heathcliff away, and Catherine locks herself in her room, refusing food for three days. At Wuthering Heights, Heathcliff uses Hindley's gambling addiction to take control of the estate. Heathcliff tricks Isabella into running away with him, but they soon return.

Heathcliff secretly visits the seriously ill and pregnant Catherine. She dies shortly after giving birth to a daughter, Cathy. Heathcliff becomes angry, calling on Catherine's ghost to haunt him. Isabella, hurt by Heathcliff's obsession and abuse, flees south and gives birth to Heathcliff's son, a sickly boy named Linton. Hindley dies six months later from alcoholism, and Hareton inherits Wuthering Heights, though Heathcliff takes control.

Twelve years later, after Isabella's death, Linton, who is expected to inherit Thrushcross Grange, is brought back to live there. Heathcliff insists Linton must live with him. Cathy and Linton become friends. Heathcliff plots to have them marry, hoping to control Cathy's inheritance. After Edgar's death, the young couple moves to Wuthering Heights. Heathcliff becomes more wild, admitting he has opened Catherine's grave twice. When Linton dies, Cathy, his widow, has no choice but to stay at Wuthering Heights, where Heathcliff mistreats her.

Nelly concludes the story.

Lockwood moves away, returning eight months later to pay his rent. Nelly, now the housekeeper at Wuthering Heights, updates him.

Cathy asked Hareton for forgiveness, and their reconciliation led to love. She later confronted Heathcliff about illegally taking their properties. Overcome by grief and growing weaker, Heathcliff avoided the young couple. He eventually stopped eating and was found dead in Catherine's old room.

Hareton has reclaimed Wuthering Heights, and Cathy has been teaching him to read. They plan to marry and move to the Grange, now owned by Cathy. Joseph has left to care for Wuthering Heights. Locals say they have seen the ghosts of Catherine and Heathcliff together on the moors. Lockwood visits the graves of Catherine, Edgar, and Heathcliff, now resting side by side, and believes all three are finally at peace.

Characters

• Heathcliff: A child of unknown background found in Liverpool, who is taken in by Mr. Earnshaw and brought to Wuthering Heights. He is cared for reluctantly by the Earnshaw family and spoiled by Mr. Earnshaw. He and Mr. Earnshaw’s daughter, Catherine, become close, and their deep bond is the main focus of the first part of the story. When Catherine announces her engagement to marry Edgar Linton, Heathcliff leaves. He returns three years later, having gained wealth and legal knowledge, which he uses to seek revenge against Edgar and Hindley. His actions and their effects are the main focus of the second part of the story. After Edgar and Hindley are dead, Heathcliff plans to harm their children, Cathy and Hareton. He marries Edgar’s sister, Isabella, at age 20 and dies at 38 without a will. Since he has no living relatives, his estate would legally belong to the government. However, because his inheritance from Edgar and his son Linton has not yet been fully settled, most of his wealth is unlikely to be taken by the government. Heathcliff is often compared to a Byronic hero, but his changing behavior makes it hard to classify him. His name, "Heathcliff," is both his first and last name, showing his unclear social position. Some believe Heathcliff’s character was inspired by Branwell Brontë, who struggled with alcohol and drug addiction. Though Heathcliff himself is not an addict, his character may reflect Branwell’s experiences.

• Catherine Earnshaw: Called Cathy by Heathcliff and Catherine by Edgar. She is first introduced through Lockwood’s discovery of her diary and carvings after her death. As a child, she is wild and difficult to control. As an adult, she appears polite but still shows wildness, selfishness, and cruelty. She marries Edgar at age 17. Her life is mostly described in the first part of the story, but her strong connection to Heathcliff, even after her death, drives the second part. She is unsure whether she wants to be more like Heathcliff or more like Edgar. Some critics say her decision to marry Edgar represents a choice to embrace society over nature, leading to problems for others. She dies shortly after giving birth to her daughter.

• Edgar Linton: Introduced as a child in the Linton family, he lives at Thrushcross Grange and is a respected local landowner and magistrate. His manners are very different from Heathcliff’s, who dislikes him, and from Catherine’s, who is drawn to him. He marries Catherine at age 21 instead of Heathcliff because of his higher social status, causing problems for everyone. He loves his wife and daughter but cannot protect his family’s land or property from Heathcliff. His efforts to keep his property safe fail because his lawyer betrays him. After Edgar dies, his daughter, Cathy, inherits his personal belongings and becomes the executor of his will.

• Ellen (Nelly) Dean: Known as Nelly to those close to her, she is the main storyteller of the novel. She works as a servant for three generations of the Earnshaws and two of the Lintons. Born poor, she considers herself Hindley’s foster sister. She lives among the rough people of Wuthering Heights but is also familiar with the more refined ways of Thrushcross Grange. Both Catherine and Heathcliff trust her, as does Isabella, but not Edgar. She arranges the burials of Hindley and Edgar according to their wills. Heathcliff later asks her to do the same for him. Some critics argue that Nelly’s choices as a narrator influence the story and question how much her account can be trusted.

• Isabella Linton: Edgar’s younger sister. After Heathcliff returns, she falls in love with him despite Catherine’s warnings and becomes involved in his revenge plan. At age 19, Heathcliff tricks her into running away with him and treats her cruelly after their marriage. He physically abuses her, keeps her trapped, and is strongly implied to have raped her. When she becomes pregnant and fears for her child’s safety, she escapes to London and gives birth to their son, Linton. She raises him alone until he is 12, then sends him to live with her brother, Edgar, before she dies. Heathcliff’s claim to keep the Thrushcross Grange estate after Linton dies is based on a legal right called "curtesy" from his marriage to Isabella.

• Hindley Earnshaw: Catherine’s older brother. He dislikes Heathcliff from childhood and bullies him before being sent to university. At age 20, he returns with his wife, Frances, after Mr. Earnshaw dies. Though more mature, he still hates Heathcliff. After Frances’s death, he becomes destructive, neglects his son, and ruins the Earnshaw estate through drinking and gambling. He allows Heathcliff to return to Wuthering Heights, first for the rent Heathcliff pays and later to recover lost money. Heathcliff beats Hindley after Hindley tries to kill him with a gun. Hindley dies less than a year after Catherine and leaves his son with a heavily mortgaged estate.

• Hareton Earnshaw: The son of Hindley and Frances, raised first by Nelly and later by Heathcliff. He is the heir to the Wuthering Heights estate but speaks with an accent like Joseph’s and is treated like a servant, unaware he is being kept from his inheritance. He can only read his own name. Joseph tries to teach him pride, but Hareton cannot inherit the estate while it remains mortgaged to Heathcliff. Heathcliff teaches him harsh language to punish Hindley. His appearance is not fully described in the text.

Publication history

The original text published by Thomas Cautley Newby in 1847 is available online in two parts. The novel was first published together with Anne Brontë's Agnes Grey in a three-volume format: Wuthering Heights filled the first two volumes, and Agnes Grey made up the third. In the 1850 edition, the Wuthering Heights chapters were renumbered as a single volume. Volume I of the 1847 edition includes chapters 1 to 14, while Volume II includes chapters 15 to 34.

In 1850, Charlotte Brontë edited the original text for the second edition of Wuthering Heights and added a foreword. She corrected errors in punctuation and spelling but also made Joseph's heavy Yorkshire dialect less intense. Writing to her publisher, W. S. Williams, she said:

Irene Wiltshire, in an essay about dialect and speech, examines some of the changes Charlotte made.

Critical response

Early reviews of Wuthering Heights were not all the same. Many critics praised the novel’s strong imagination and powerful ideas, but they found the story confusing and were upset by the harsh and self-centered behavior of the characters. In 1847, when people often judged books based on the author’s background, many critics were curious about who wrote the Bell novels, which were also published at the same time.

The Atlas review called the book a "strange, inartistic story," but it also noted that each chapter seemed to show "a sort of rugged power."

Graham's Lady Magazine wrote: "It is hard to understand how someone could write such a book without giving up before finishing a dozen chapters. It is a mix of vulgar bad behavior and unnatural horror."

The American Whig Review wrote:

Douglas Jerrold’s Weekly Newspaper wrote:

The Literary World wrote:

The English poet and painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti admired the book. In 1854, he said it was "the first novel I’ve read for an age, and the best (as regards power and sound style) for two ages, except Sidonia." However, he also called it "a fiend of a book – an incredible monster… The action is laid in hell, – only it seems places and people have English names there."

Rossetti’s friend, the poet Algernon Charles Swinburne, also admired the novel. In an essay on Emily Brontë published in The Athenaeum in 1883, he wrote: "As was the author’s life, so is her book in all things: troubled and taintless, with little of rest in it, and nothing of reproach. It may be true that not many will ever take it to their hearts; it is certain that those who do like it will like nothing very much better in the whole world of poetry or prose."

Until late in the 19th century, Jane Eyre was considered the best novel by the Brontë sisters. This view changed in the 1880s after the publication of a biography of Emily Brontë by A. Mary F. Robinson in 1883. In 1925, the modernist novelist Virginia Woolf praised the greatness of Wuthering Heights:

Similarly, Woolf’s contemporary, John Cowper Powys, called Emily Brontë’s work in 1916 "tremendous." In 1926, Charles Percy Sanger’s research on the timeline of Wuthering Heights showed that Emily carefully planned the novel and disproved Charlotte Brontë’s claim that her sister wrote without thinking. However, a later critic, Albert J. Guerard, said it was "a splendid, imperfect novel" that Emily sometimes lost control over. In 1934, Lord David Cecil wrote in Early Victorian Novelists that Emily Brontë was not properly appreciated, even by those who admired her. In 1948, F. R. Leavis excluded Wuthering Heights from the great tradition of English novels, calling it "a 'kind of sport'—an anomaly with 'some influence of an essentially undetectable kind.'" In 1971, the novelist Daphne du Maurier called Wuthering Heights a "supreme romantic novel":

In 2003, writer and editor Robert McCrum listed Wuthering Heights among the 100 greatest novels of all time. In 2015, he included it in his list of the 100 best novels written in English. He said:

In 2015, author and book reviewer Jane Ciabattari asked 82 book critics outside the UK to name the 100 greatest British novels. Wuthering Heights was ranked number 7. In 2018, Penguin listed Wuthering Heights as number 71 in its list of 100 must-read classic books, saying: "Widely considered a staple of Gothic fiction and the English literary canon, this book has gone on to inspire many generations of writers – and will continue to do so." In 2020, journalist Ceri Radford and TV producer Chris Harvey included Wuthering Heights in a list of the 40 best books to read during lockdown. Harvey said: "It’s impossible to imagine this novel ever provoking quiet slumbers; Emily Brontë’s vision of nature blazes with poetry."

Setting

John Cowper Powys, a novelist, explains how the setting is important in literature. Virginia Woolf points out how the Yorkshire landscape of Haworth influenced the poetic vision of Emily and Charlotte Brontë. Wuthering Heights is an old house located high on the Pennine moorland in West Yorkshire. Lockwood, who moves into Thrushcross Grange, describes it first.

In 1934, Lord David Cecil wrote about the differences between the two main settings in Wuthering Heights. Walter Allen, in his 1954 book The English Novel, said the two houses in the novel symbolize two opposing ideas that eventually come together. David Daiches, in the 1965 Penguin English Library edition, said Cecil's idea was well-argued but not completely correct. The 2002 Oxford Companion to English Literature mentions that the novel's ending shows the two different worlds and moral systems from the Heights and the Grange coming together.

There is no proof that either Thrushcross Grange or Wuthering Heights is based on a real building, but some locations have been suggested. Top Withens, a ruined farmhouse near Haworth Parsonage, was suggested by Ellen Nussey, a friend of Charlotte Brontë, as the model for Wuthering Heights. However, its structure does not match the farmhouse described in the novel. High Sunderland Hall, where Emily worked as a governess in 1838, was also suggested as a model. But it is too grand for a farmhouse.

Ponden Hall is known as the possible inspiration for Thrushcross Grange because the Brontës visited there. However, it is more similar in size to Wuthering Heights than the Grange. Brontë biographer Winifred Gerin thought Ponden Hall was the model for Wildfell Hall in Anne Brontë's book The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. Helen Smart, however, suggests Shibden Hall in Halifax parish might be more likely, based on Hilda Marsden's article "The Scenic Background of Wuthering Heights."

Point of view

The story is mostly told by Nelly Dean, the housekeeper, to Lockwood. However, the novel uses several narrators—five or six total—to share the story from different viewpoints. Emily Brontë uses this method, called a frame story, to tell most of the story. For example, Lockwood, the first narrator, shares Nelly’s story, and Nelly tells the story of another character. Using a character like Nelly Dean is a common literary technique borrowed from Gothic novels. This method helps make the story feel more mysterious and exciting.

The story is told from different perspectives:
Critics have questioned whether the two main narrators can be trusted. Some believe the author shows Lockwood in a negative light, as he thinks of himself as a wise romantic but acts like a self-important person who looks down on others. There are also hints that Nelly’s story may be influenced by her own personal opinions.

The story also includes parts from Catherine Earnshaw’s old diary and short sections told by Heathcliff, Isabella, and another servant.

Influences

Brontë had a very good education in classical subjects for a woman of her time. She knew about Greek tragedies and could read Latin well. She was also greatly influenced by the poets John Milton and William Shakespeare. There are references to Shakespeare's plays, including King Lear, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, and Hamlet, in Wuthering Heights.

A major source of information for the Brontës was the newspapers their father read, such as The Leeds Intelligencer and Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine. Blackwood's Magazine helped the Brontës learn about world events and provided material for their early writing. Emily Brontë may have known about the debate on evolution, which began in 1844 when Robert Chambers started discussing it. This debate raised questions about divine purpose and the natural world.

Romanticism also influenced the Brontës. This included the Gothic novel, the stories of Walter Scott, and the poetry of Byron. Some feminist critics believe the Brontës' stories are examples of the Female Gothic genre. This genre explores how women are trapped in their homes and controlled by men, and how they try to escape these restrictions. Emily Brontë's character Cathy Earnshaw and Charlotte Brontë's character Jane Eyre are examples of women who face these challenges.

According to Juliet Barker, Walter Scott's novel Rob Roy (1817) had a big influence on Wuthering Heights. Though Wuthering Heights is often seen as a classic Yorkshire story, it was also inspired by Scott's stories set in the Scottish borderlands. Rob Roy is set in the wild areas of Northumberland, among rough and quarrelsome landowners, while Cathy Earnshaw shares similarities with Diana Vernon, who is also out of place among her family.

From 1833, Charlotte and Branwell Brontë's stories, called the Angrian tales, included characters known as Byronic heroes. These characters were very attractive, passionate, and showed arrogance and cruelty. The Brontës first learned about Byron through an article in Blackwood's Magazine from August 1825. Byron had died the year before. Byron became known for being bold and breaking rules.

Emily Brontë wrote in the tradition of the romance, a type of story defined by Walter Scott as "a made-up story in prose or verse that focuses on unusual and exciting events." Scott said romances differ from novels, which are based on everyday life. However, stories like Wuthering Heights, Scott's own historical romances, and Moby Dick are often called novels. In many European languages, the words for "romance" and "novel" are the same, such as le roman in French and der Roman in German. This kind of romance is different from the modern love story genre, which usually ends happily. Emily Brontë's writing style was influenced by the Gothic novel.

Horace Walpole's The Castle of Otranto (1764) is usually considered the first Gothic novel. Walpole wanted to mix the exciting elements of medieval romances with the realistic style of modern novels. Gothic stories from the 18th century often took place in Europe and the past.

Ellen Moers, in her book Literary Women, created a feminist theory that connects female writers like Emily Brontë with Gothic fiction. Some critics say Catherine Earnshaw is like a Gothic demon because she changes who she is to marry Edgar Linton, pretending to be more domestic than she truly is. Others say Catherine's relationship with Heathcliff follows the pattern of Gothic stories, where a woman is harmed by her lover's intense emotions and is trapped by his unfulfilled desires.

At one point in the story, Heathcliff is thought to be a vampire. Some people believe both he and Catherine are meant to be seen as vampire-like characters.

Syndy McMillen Conger says Brontë changed traditional Gothic stories, which had become too strict, and made the Gothic style more respected. Conger also notes that Catherine Earnshaw is different from traditional Gothic heroines, who usually choose between a dark lover and a kind one. Catherine, however, feels torn between two lovers.

Carol Margaret Davison says Wuthering Heights, like the other Brontë sisters' stories, is connected to the Female Gothic tradition, especially the works of Charlotte Smith and Ann Radcliffe, such as The Romance of the Forest and The Mysteries of Udolpho. This is especially clear in the second part of the story, where Cathy is taken to Wuthering Heights by Heathcliff and forced to marry his son, Linton. This follows common themes in the Female Gothic, where a virtuous woman is trapped by a bad person who wants to marry her for her money. By 1847, the Female Gothic style was no longer popular, but the Brontë sisters still read it. In Female Gothic stories, the main female character often resists her captor by pretending to be passive, controlling her emotions, and fainting, while forming an alliance with a man who supports her. Diane Long Hoeveler says this "Gothic Feminism" helped women imagine ways to stand up against unfair treatment by men in their lives. Emily Brontë's story is different because Cathy, as Linton's widow, openly and bravely fights Heathcliff, defeating him through her own strength, even though she still needs Hareton's help. Hoeveler believes the Brontë sisters' use of Gothic themes showed how women could fight for their rights in a male-dominated society. By changing the settings of Gothic stories from European castles to English countryside homes, the Brontës made it possible for Gothic themes to be used in Victorian stories like Bleak House and The Woman in White, which are still read today.

Themes

Childhood is a key theme in Wuthering Heights. Emily Brontë believed that "The Child is Father of the Man" (a quote from the poet Wordsworth). Wordsworth, influenced by educational thinkers like Rousseau, studied how childhood shapes a person’s character. This idea led to the development of the German bildungsroman, or "novel of education," such as Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre (1847), George Eliot’s The Mill on the Floss (1860), and Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations (1861). Brontë’s characters are deeply shaped by their childhoods, though she is less hopeful than other writers of her time that suffering can lead to personal growth.

Heathcliff leaves Gimmerton as a poor worker but returns three years later as a wealthy gentleman. However, Edgar Linton at first refuses to let him enter the family rooms at Thrushcross Grange. Catherine, upset and amused, teases Edgar about his strict views on class, suggesting they set up two tables in the parlor: one for the "gentry" (Edgar and Isabella) and one for the "lower orders" (herself and Heathcliff).

Lockwood arrives at Thrushcross Grange in 1801, a time when, according to Q.D. Leavis, "the old farming culture, based on family life, was being challenged by social changes." By 1847, the Industrial Revolution had transformed much of England, especially West Yorkshire. This shift disrupted traditional class relationships, creating a new middle class that redefined what it meant to be a "gentleman" and challenged old ideas about family background and character.

Marxist critic Arnold Kettle sees Wuthering Heights as a symbol of 19th-century England’s class system, focusing on property, marriage, education, religion, and social status. Heathcliff uses his enemies’ tools—money and arranged marriages—as well as methods like taking property and making deals, which were common among the ruling class.

Later, Marxist scholar Terry Eagleton explored how the landed gentry and aristocracy clashed with the rising industrial middle class in Myths of Power: A Marxist Study of the Brontës (1975). The village of Haworth in West Yorkshire was especially affected by these changes due to its mix of large estates and industrial areas.

There has been debate about Heathcliff’s race or ethnicity. In the novel, he is first described as a "dark-skinned gipsy" with "black eyes," later as "as white as the wall behind him," and "pale…with an expression of mortal hate." Mr. Linton suggests Heathcliff might be a "Lascar" (a term for Indian or Malaysian sailors), an American, or a Spanish castaway. There are only fourteen brief mentions of Heathcliff’s appearance. Mr. Earnshaw calls him "as dark almost as if it came from the devil," and Nelly Dean jokingly guesses his parents might be an emperor and a queen. Novelist Caryl Phillips suggests Heathcliff might have been an escaped slave, noting how he is treated like property and referred to as "it." However, Brontë had used similar naming methods in her earlier writings. Maja-Lisa von Sneidern argues that Brontë clearly shows Heathcliff’s racial difference, pointing to Liverpool’s role in the slave trade. Others note that Heathcliff’s description fits Dark Celts or Dark Irish, as Terry Eagleton suggests. Michael Stewart believes Heathcliff’s race is unclear, saying Brontë intentionally leaves this part of the story open.

Until the 1970s, feminist interpretations of Wuthering Heights were rare, as the novel was often seen as centered on Heathcliff rather than Catherine. A major change came in 1979 with Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar’s essay "Looking Oppositely" in The Madwoman in the Attic. They argue the novel responds to and challenges the male-dominated myth of human origins in Milton’s Paradise Lost, where Eve is portrayed as weak and destined for domestic life. Though the novel does not directly reference Milton, Gilbert and Gubar point to themes like heaven and hell, salvation and damnation. They highlight a scene where Catherine tells Nelly she plans to marry Edgar, describing a dream where she finds herself in heaven.

For Gilbert and Gubar, Catherine is the opposite of Milton’s Satan, who falls from heaven to hell. Catherine, a wild and untamed girl, moves from the chaotic world of Wuthering Heights to the ordered world of Thrushcross Grange. This "fall" destroys her, as she finds the rigid, hierarchical world of "heaven" unappealing and the chaotic world of "hell" more fulfilling. Her growing awareness of sexuality leads her to adopt the customs of society, which separates her from Heathcliff and traps her in a life of domestic expectations.

At the time, creativity was often linked to masculinity, with men seen as the "fathers" of their work, while women’s writing was dismissed as trivial or unnatural. Gilbert and Gubar argue that 19th-century women writers challenged this by showing how patriarchal ideas forced women into extreme roles: either "domestic angels" or "monstrous" figures. In Wuthering Heights, Brontë creates a shared, natural self for Catherine and Heathcliff, which is destroyed when they are absorbed into the patriarchal world. Catherine becomes mad and dies, while Heathcliff becomes dangerous and destructive.

Adaptations

The earliest film version of Wuthering Heights was made in England in 1920. It was directed by A.V. Bramble. No copies of this film are known to exist today. The most famous film adaptation was made in 1939. It was directed by William Wyler and starred Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon. This version left out the story of the second generation (young Cathy, Linton, and Hareton) and did not accurately follow the book. It won the 1939 New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Film and was nominated for the 1939 Academy Award for Best Picture.

Nigel Kneale’s script was used for two BBC television productions. The first was in 1953, with Richard Todd as Heathcliff and Yvonne Mitchell as Cathy. It was broadcast live, and no recordings are known to exist. The second version was made in 1962, starring Claire Bloom as Catherine and Keith Michell as Heathcliff. This version is stored at the BFI but has not been shown to the public. Kneale’s script was also adapted for Australian television in 1959. It was broadcast live from Sydney and recorded for later viewing, though it is unclear if the recording still exists.

In 1958, a version of Wuthering Heights aired on CBS television as part of the DuPont Show of the Month series. It starred Rosemary Harris as Cathy and Richard Burton as Heathcliff. The BBC made a four-part television version in 1967, featuring Ian McShane and Angela Scoular.

Les Hauts de Hurlevent is a French television series with six 26-minute episodes. It was created and directed by Jean-Paul Carrère and broadcast on ORTF between 1964 and 1968.

The 1970 film version, starring Timothy Dalton as Heathcliff, was the first color adaptation of the novel. It was not well received at first but has gained acceptance over time. This version portrays Hindley more kindly and changes his story. It also suggests that Heathcliff might be Cathy’s illegitimate half-brother.

In 1978, the BBC made a five-part television version of the book. It starred Ken Hutchinson, Kay Adshead, and John Duttine, with music by Carl Davis. This version is considered one of the most accurate adaptations of Emily Brontë’s story.

The 1992 film Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, starring Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche, includes the story of the second generation, which many other adaptations left out.

More recent adaptations include ITV’s 2009 two-part drama series, starring Tom Hardy, Charlotte Riley, Sarah Lancashire, and Andrew Lincoln. A 2011 British film, starring Kaya Scodelario as Catherine Earnshaw and James Howson as Heathcliff, was directed by Andrea Arnold.

Some adaptations change the story’s setting. For example, the 1954 version, Abismos de pasión, directed by Luis Buñuel, is set in Catholic Mexico. Heathcliff and Cathy are renamed Alejandro and Catalina. In this version, Alejandro claims to have become rich by making a deal with Satan. The New York Times praised this film as a faithful yet creative retelling of the novel. In 1985, French director Jacques Rivette moved the story to France in 1931. Yoshishige Yoshida’s 1988 version is set in medieval Japan, where the Heathcliff character, Onimaru, is raised by priests who worship a fire god. Filipino director Carlos Siguion-Reyna made a film titled Hihintayin Kita sa Langit (1991), starring Richard Gomez and Dawn Zulueta. It became a classic in the Philippines.

In 2003, MTV released a version set in a modern California high school. It received poor reviews. Wuthering High, a 2015 Lifetime movie, is set in Malibu, California.

The 1966 Hindi film Dil Diya Dard Liya, directed by Abdul Rashid Kardar and Dilip Kumar, is based on the novel. It stars Dilip Kumar, Waheeda Rehman, and others. The film was well-received by critics, though it was not as successful as some of Dilip Kumar’s other movies. The 2000 Hindi film Dhadkan, directed by Dharmesh Darshan, is also based on the novel. It stars Akshay Kumar and Shilpa Shetty.

In 2022, Emma Mackey starred in a biopic titled Emily, which follows Emily Brontë’s life and the inspiration she drew for writing Wuthering Heights. In 2026, a loose adaptation of the novel, directed by Emerald Fennell, was released. It stars Margot Robbie as Catherine Earnshaw and Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff.

The novel has also been adapted into operas by Bernard Herrmann, Carlisle Floyd, and Frédéric Chaslin (most cover only the first half of the book) and a musical by Bernard J. Taylor. In 2021, Emma Rice directed a theatrical version that was shown online and at the Bristol Old Vic. It later appeared at the National Theatre in 2022.

Works inspired byWuthering Heights

Mizumura Minae's book A True Novel (Honkaku shosetsu) (2002) is inspired by Wuthering Heights and can be seen as a version of the story set in Japan after World War II.

In Jane Urquhart's Changing Heaven (1990), the novel Wuthering Heights and the ghost of Emily Brontë appear as important parts of the story.

In her 2019 novel The West Indian, Valerie Browne Lester creates a story about Heathcliff’s origins in 1760s Jamaica.

K-Ming Chang’s 2021 chapbook Bone House was published by Bull City Press as part of their Inch series. The collection tells a story about a person who moves into a mansion owned by a butcher, and the house has its own strange life. This version reimagines Wuthering Heights with a focus on queer identity and being Taiwanese-American.

Canadian author Hilary Scharper’s novel Perdita (2013) was strongly influenced by Wuthering Heights, especially in how it uses powerful, harsh, and lonely landscapes to shape the story.

The poem “Wuthering” (2017) by Tanya Grae uses Wuthering Heights as a symbol for a larger idea.

Maryse Condé’s Windward Heights (La migration des coeurs) (1995) reimagines Wuthering Heights in Cuba and Guadeloupe at the start of the 20th century. Condé said she created this work as a tribute to Emily Brontë.

In 2011, a graphic novel version of Wuthering Heights was published by Classical Comics. The story was adapted by Scottish writer Sean Michael Wilson and illustrated by artist John M. Burns. This version closely follows the original novel and was nominated for the Stan Lee Excelsior Awards.

Kate Bush’s 1978 song “Wuthering Heights” is likely the most famous creative work inspired by Wuthering Heights that is not a direct adaptation. Bush wrote the song when she was 17 and included it as the first track on her debut album. She was inspired by watching the 1967 BBC adaptation of the novel when she was 8. The song is told from Catherine’s perspective as she begs Heathcliff to let her into his house. It includes lines from Catherine, such as “Let me in! I’m so cold!” and mentions her having “bad dreams in the night.” Critic Sheila Whiteley noted that Bush’s voice sounds ethereal, similar to Catherine’s mental state, and that her singing style has both childlike purity and a sensual quality. Singer Pat Benatar covered the song in 1980 on her album Crimes of Passion. Brazilian heavy metal band Angra released a version of Bush’s song on their 1993 debut album Angels Cry. A 2018 version by Jimmy Urine added electropunk elements.

The 1976 album Wind & Wuthering by the English rock band Genesis references Wuthering Heights in its title and in the names of two tracks: “Unquiet Slumbers for the Sleepers…” and “…In That Quiet Earth.” These titles are based on the final lines of the novel.

Songwriter Jim Steinman said he wrote the 1989 song “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” while thinking about Wuthering Heights. He described the song as about being trapped by love and compared it to Heathcliff digging up Cathy’s body and dancing with it under the moonlight.

The 2008 song “Cath…” by indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie was inspired by Wuthering Heights.

Wuthering Heights is also the name of a Danish-Swedish power metal band.

In 2024, an indie band called Mili released a song called “Through Patches of Violet.” The song includes themes from Wuthering Heights, such as unspoken love. The song features two voices, performed by Cassie Wei, representing Heathcliff and Catherine. The song was originally created for a game called Limbus Company, which includes characters and story elements from Wuthering Heights.

In November 2025, Charli XCX announced her album Wuthering Heights, which was inspired by her work on a film adaptation of the novel. The album will be released on 13 February 2026, at the same time as the film. The album will also include music from the film’s original score by Anthony Willis.