How Emily Bronte Introduces the Reader to the Themes of Enclosure and the Supernatural in Wuthering Heights

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How Emily Bronte Introduces the Reader to the Themes of Enclosure and the Supernatural in Wuthering Heights

It took many attempts to get Wuthering Heights published and when it

finally was it received a lot of negative reviews because the

contemporary readers weren't ready for Emily's style of realism. A

Victorian critic July 1848 from Graham's Magazine reviewed Wuthering

Heights as "vulgar depravity and unnatural horrors" and described the

author as, "a human being could have written such a book. without

attempting suicide." Emily Bronte lived a very difficult life and was

quite isolated from people she shows this in her story of Wuthering

Heights. Her sisters both wrote books which were quite

autobiographical, but Emily's story of Wuthering Height's was more of

imagination and emotion rather then real life experiences.

The novel opens with a date "1801" and is written in the form of a

journal/diary using first person narration, "I shall be troubled

with." This gives the book an authorial voice and it gives an in depth

detail of the plot, this also allows the reader to gain a personal

reflection, as well as opinions and emotions. However, this means that

there could be a slightly biased view of events from the narrator

towards specific characters and issues as his memory unfolds. Yet this

use of first person narration creates an intimate relationship between

Lockwood and the reader because the reader is allowed to feel through

Lockwood.

In the first beginning lines of the book there is a sense of enclosure

with the description of the actual location of Wuthering Heights, "so

completely removed from the stir of society." And then ...

... middle of paper ...

...lowly being drawn into their blasphemous ways.

Emily Bronte subtly builds up themes of enclosure and supernatural.

She does this through description and uses natural aspects of life to

elaborate ideas of enclosure and supernatural. As, she uses weather

and physical location a lot to create an image in the reader's mind.

Wuthering Heights was the only one of Emily Bronte's books which was

published and it is a metaphysical novel because she recognised the

problems of her time and used these along side some of her personal

experiences and created Wuthering Heights which reflects the social

upheaval in England at the time Wuthering Heights was set. I think

Emily Bronte effectively introduces the two themes by involving the

reader. Also, the description and imagery makes the reader feel as if

they're part of the story.

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