
Wuthering Heights
by Emily Bronte
'Wuthering Heights' Summary
Thirty years earlier, the Earnshaws live at Wuthering Heights with their children, Hindley and Catherine, and a servant — Nelly herself. Returning from a trip to Liverpool, Earnshaw brings a young orphan whom he names Heathcliff and treats as his favourite. His own children he neglects, especially after his wife dies. Hindley beats Heathcliff, who gradually becomes close friends with Catherine.
Hindley departs for university, returning as the new master of Wuthering Heights on the death of his father three years later. He and his new wife Frances allow Heathcliff to stay, but only as a servant.
Heathcliff and Catherine spy on Edgar Linton and his sister Isabella, children who live nearby at Thrushcross Grange. Catherine is attacked by their dog, and the Lintons take her in, sending Heathcliff home. When the Lintons visit, Hindley and Edgar make fun of Heathcliff and a fight ensues. Heathcliff is locked in the attic and vows revenge.
Frances dies after giving birth to a son, Hareton. Two years later, Catherine becomes engaged to Edgar. She confesses to Nelly that she loves Heathcliff, and will try to help but cannot marry him because of his low social status. Nelly warns her against the plan. Heathcliff overhears part of the conversation and, misunderstanding Catherine's heart, flees the household. Catherine falls ill, distraught.
Edgar and Catherine marry, and three years later Heathcliff unexpectedly returns — now a wealthy gentleman. He encourages Isabella's infatuation with him as a means of revenge on Catherine. Enraged by Heathcliff's constant presence at Thrushcross Grange, Edgar cuts off contact. Catherine responds by locking herself in her room and refusing food; pregnant with Edgar's child, she never fully recovers. At Wuthering Heights Heathcliff gambles with Hindley who mortgages the property to him to pay his debts. Heathcliff elopes with Isabella, but the relationship fails and they soon return.
When Heathcliff discovers that Catherine is dying, he visits her in secret. She dies shortly after giving birth to a daughter, Cathy, and Heathcliff rages, calling on her ghost to haunt him for as long as he lives. Isabella flees south where she gives birth to Heathcliff's son, Linton. Hindley dies six months later, leaving Heathcliff as master of Wuthering Heights.
Twelve years later, Isabella is dying and the still-sickly Linton is brought back to live with his uncle Edgar at the Grange, but Heathcliff insists that his son must instead live with him. Cathy and Linton (respectively at the Grange and Wuthering Heights) gradually develop a relationship. Heathcliff schemes to ensure that they marry, and on Edgar's death demands that the couple move in with him. He becomes increasingly wild and reveals that on the night Catherine died he dug up her grave, and ever since has been plagued by her ghost. When Linton dies, Cathy has no option but to remain at Wuthering Heights.
Having reached the present day, Nelly's tale concludes.
Book Details
Language
EnglishOriginal Language
EnglishPublished In
1847Authors

Emily Bronte
England
Emily Jane Brontë (30 July 1818 – 19 December 1848) was an English novelist and poet who is best known for her only novel, Wuthering Heights, now considered a classic of English literature....
Books by Emily BronteDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
Related books

A Man Could Stand Up by Ford Madox Ford
The book follows Christopher Tietjens as he navigates the aftermath of the war and the changes that come with it. He must deal with his estranged wife...

Magnificent Ambersons (Growth Trilogy Vol 2) by Booth Tarkington
The Magnificent Ambersons is a novel that explores the decline of an aristocratic family in the face of a changing world. The Ambersons are a wealthy...

Howards End by Edward M. Forster
It's sad, but true to say that today Edward Morgan Forster's works are known more from their film and television adaptations rather than from their or...

Stranger by August von Kotzebue
The Stranger, originally titled 'Menshenhass und Reue', is a sentimental drama by August von Kotzebue. It tells the story of a man known only as The S...

Comédie Humaine: Le Père Goriot by Honoré de Balzac
Le Père Goriot est un roman d’Honoré de Balzac, écrit en 1834, dont la publication débute dans la Revue de Paris et qui paraît en 1835 en librairie. I...

Clarissa Harlowe, or the History of a Young Lady - Volume 4 by Samuel Richardson
Clarissa Harlowe is a complex and emotionally charged novel that explores themes of virtue, societal pressures, and the destructive power of passion....

Peter Simple by Frederick Marryat
Prepare to set sail on a hilarious and heartwarming adventure with Peter Simple, the most lovable naval hero of all time. Peter Simple is a coming-of...

Merirosvo by Frederick Marryat
Frederick Marryat's *Merirosvo* is a gripping maritime adventure novel set in the late 18th century, during a time when sailing ships were the primary...

Camilla by Fanny Burney
Camilla, Frances Burney's third novel, delves into the complexities of love, courtship, and societal expectations in late 18th-century England. The st...

The Ghost Girl by Henry Kitchell Webster
The frozen body of a young woman is found in the river. But she is not just any young woman. She is the spitting image of a girl who died years ago, a...
Reviews for Wuthering Heights
No reviews posted or approved, yet...