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
Ticonderoga; A Story of Early Frontier Life in the Mohawk Valley by George Payne Rainsford James
Set in the rugged frontier of the Mohawk Valley, "Ticonderoga" tells the story of a family seeking a quiet life in the backwoods. The arrival of a mys...
Mare au diable by George Sand
Sur l'avis de son beau-père, malgré sa réticence, le laboureur Germain, veuf de vingt-huit ans, va se rendre à Fourche pour rencontrer celle qui devie...
Lost Illusions: Ève and David by Honoré de Balzac
In the concluding volume of Balzac's 'Lost Illusions' trilogy, we return to the provincial town of Angoulême. Lucien's sister Ève and her husband Davi...
Señor de Bembibre by Enrique Gil y Carrasco
Don Álvaro, the lord of Bembibre, is deeply in love with Doña Beatriz, the daughter of Don Alonso, the lord of Arganza. However, Don Alonso has alread...
Pillars of Society by Henrik Ibsen
Pillars of Society is a realist drama set in a small Norwegian town. The central character, Karsten Bernick, is a successful businessman known for his...
Hermann und Dorothea by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Hermann und Dorothea ist ein episches Gedicht von Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, das im Jahr 1797 veröffentlicht wurde. Das Werk erzählt die Geschichte v...
A Sicilian Romance by Ann Radcliffe
The Marquis Mazzini's daughters, Emilia and Julia, are beautiful and accomplished young ladies. Julia quickly falls in love with the young and handsom...
Notre-Dame de Paris by Victor Hugo
Chef-d'œuvre de la littérature romantique, Notre-Dame de Paris est une épopée gothique et historique qui explore les thèmes de l'amour, de la beauté,...
Wieland; Or, The Transformation: An American Tale by Charles Brockden Brown
Wieland; Or, The Transformation is a chilling novel that explores the themes of identity, family, and the supernatural within the context of pre-Revol...
Reviews for Wuthering Heights
No reviews posted or approved, yet...