Wuthering Heights — Emily Bronte
Page 3: “I felt interested in a man who seemed more exaggeratedly reserved than myself.” —> This seems like it’s going to become a huge mistake.
Page 4: Penetralium: the innermost or most secret part of a building.
Page 5: “He is a dark-skinned gypsy in aspect” —> I definitely do not remember this about Heathcliff.
Page 6: “I bestow my own attributes over-liberally on him.” —> This is just a fancy way of saying “I’m projecting my shit onto him, for better or for worse.”
Page 6: “While enjoying a month of fine weather at the sea-coast, I was thrown into the company of a most fascinating creature, a real goddess, in m eyes, as long as she took no notice of me. I ‘never told my love’ vocally; still, if looks have language, the merest idiot might have guessed I was over head and ears: she understood me, at last, and looked a return—the sweetest of all imaginable looks—and what did I do? I confess it with shame—shrunk icily into myself, like a snail, at every glance retired colder and farther; till; finally, the poor innocent was led to doubt her own senses, and, overwhelmed with confusion at her supposed mistake, persuaded her mamma to decamp. But this curious turn of disposition I have gained the reputation of deliberate heartlessness, how undeserved, I alone can appreciate.” —> Lol what! This is absurd.
Page 7: “Not anxious to come in contact with their fangs, I sat still—but, imagining they would scarcely understand tacit insults, I unfortunately indulged in winking and making faces at the trio, and some turn of my physiognomy so irritated madam, that she suddenly broke into a fury, and leapt on my knees.” —> Omfg this is exactly what men do with dogs all the time, and then wonder why dogs don’t like men.
Page 10: Ugh I hate Joseph’s phonetic vernacular.
Page 10: The mother dog’s name is Juno? Cute.
Page 11: “Unluckily, it was a heap of dead rabbits” —> Lol what.
Page 12: “’Get it ready, will you?’ was the answer, uttered so savagely that I started. The tone in which the words were said revealed a genuine bad nature. I no longer felt inclined to call Heathcliff a capital fellow.” —> Oh boy.
Page 14: “’I’ve shown no disrespect,’ was my reply, laughing internally at the dignity with which he announced himself.” —> Right! No one has actually introduced themselves to Lockwood here, so how could he be expected to correctly guess who any of these people are?
Page 17: “with several incoherent threats of retaliation that, in their indefinite depth of virulency, smacked of King Lear.” —> Lol!
Page 10: “She did not know; she answered; she had only lived there a year or two; and they had so many queer goings on, she could not begin to be curious.” —> Oh lord, this does not sound good.
Page 21: Palaver: unnecessarily elaborate or complex procedure (noun); talk unproductively and at length (verb).
Page 22: Honestly I feel like if I had read these writings by Catherine like Lockwood is doing sneakily now, I would be more confused than anything, and bored, and not really even to keep reading.
Page 24: Wtf is happening.
Page 28: “’I am now quite cured of seeking pleasure in society, be it country or town. A sensible man ought to find sufficient company in himself.’” —> Lol this fucking guy.
Page 29: I love the word “orisons” instead of prayers!
Page 30: “‘And you, you worthless—‘ he broke out as I entered, turning to his daughter-in-law, and employing an epithet as harmless as duck, or sheep, but generally represented by a dash.” —> And what word is this supposed to be, exactly?
Page 31: “What with losing myself among the trees, and sinking up to the neck in snow, a predicament which only those who have experienced it can appreciate.” —> Lol! Lockwood is funny!
Page 34: Who the fuck are all of these people, Emily.
Page 39: “I wondered often what my master saw to admire so much in the sullen boy who never, to my recollection, repaid his indulgence by any sign of gratitude. He was not insolent to his benefactor; he was simply insensible, though knowing perfectly the hold he had on his heart, and conscious he had only to speak and all the house would be obliged to bend to his wishes.” —> Hm, yeah, why does he spoil Heathcliff so much? I don’t really understand this favoritism. Just because he found him as an orphan and had a soft spot for him? Or why else?
Page 47: “and many a time I’ve cried to myself to watch them growing more reckless daily, and I not daring to speak a syllable for fear of losing the small power I still retained over the unfriended creatures.” —> This is interesting and curious to me, Nelly.
Page 57: “’Yes, you had the reason of going to bed wit ha proud heart and an empty stomach,’ said I. ‘Proud people breed sad sorrows for themselves.’” —> Lol so true.
Page 59: But like, why are both Hindley and Edgar Linton so mean to Heathcliff? I sort of get Hindley’s jealousy and favoritism, but what’s up with Linton? Update: oh, if I had just kept reading, Edgar didn’t mean it insultingly, apparently, but then he also is just really awful at social convention and reading the room.
Page 63: “observed Mrs Dean, somewhat puzzled at my speech.” —> Lol me too.
Page 70: “‘The crosses are for the evenings you have spent with the Lintons, the dots for those spent with me—Do you see, I’ve marked every day?’” —> Creepy that Heathcliff has been keeping track of Cathy’s socializing habits.
Page 71-72: “Little Hareton, who followed me everywhere, and was sitting near me on the floor, at seeing my tears commenced crying himself, and sobbed out complaints against ‘wicked aunt Cathy,’ which drew her fury on to his unlucky head: she seized his shoulders, and shook him till the poor child waxed livid, and Edgar thoughtlessly laid hold of her hands to deliver him. In an instant one was wrung free, and the astonished young man felt it applied over his own ear in a way that could not be mistaken for jest.” —> What in the actual fuck. What is wrong with all of these people.
Page 72: “Ah, I thought, there will be no saving him—He’s doomed, and flies to his fate!” —> There it is, not just for Edgar Linton, but all of them, really, because of all this nonsense.
Page 78: “’To be sure, considering the exhibition you performed in his presence this afternoon, I might say it would be wise to refuse him—since he asked you after that, he must either be hopelessly stupid, or a venturesome fool.’” —> Lol yeah honestly. Nelly is the only one who speaks the truth here.
Page 80: “‘Because you are not fit to go there,’ I answered. ‘All sinners would be miserable in heaven.’” —> Damn, Nelly! She basically just told Cathy to go to hell with this comment.
Page 82: Catherine, for god’s sake, have some fucking dignity. This is just embarrassing to read.
Page 89: “Then the doctor had said that she would not bear crossing much, she ought to have her own way; and it was nothing less than murder, in her eyes, for any one to presume to stand up and contradict her.” —> Lol.
Page 99: “‘No! I tell you, I have such faith in Linton’s love that I believe I might kill him, and he wouldn’t wish to retaliate.’” —> What is with these people and their murderously intense passions of love?
Page 104: I have no idea what Joseph just said here—something about drinking and gambling at night?
Page 107: I do not understand how Ellen Dean could continuously watch how horrible these people are and not want to leave them immediately forever.
Page 114: Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with these people?
Page 120: “I went about my household duties, convinced that the grange had but one sensible soul in its walls, and that lodged in my body.” —> Mostly true, except as I said before, it would be more sensible to leave the Grange altogether at this point.
Page 122: This is some real Ophelia flower madness behavior going on here, but with Catherine and feathers instead.
Page 136: “Any relic of the dead is precious, if thwy were valued living.” —> Ope. Well, this means Isabella is going to die soon, then, huh.
Page 137: Wow I had completely forgotten about little Hareton, Hindley’s son, in all of this family madness.
Page 142: “‘and I think the concentrated essence of all the madness in the world took up its abode in my brain the day I linked my fate with theirs!’” —> Lol yes, unfortunately so, Isabella.
Page 148: “‘And yet,’ I interrupted, ‘you have no scruples in completely ruining all hopes of her perfect restoration, by thrusting yourself into her remembrance, now, when she has nearly forgotten you, and involving her in a new tumult of discord and distress.’” — >Yep, exactly. Nelly speaks the only sense yet again.
Page 149: Man, Heathcliff is still the fucking worst.
Page 149: “‘She abandoned them under a delusion,’ he answered, ‘picturing in me a hero of romance, and expecting unlimited indulgences from my chivalrous devotion.’” —> This feels exactly the same angle as how people are misinterpreting this book as a love story, how Isabella initially viewed Heathcliff as someone to have a crush on without really knowing him, and assuming things about him.
Page 151: “‘The single pleasure I can imagine is to die, or to see him dead!’” —> Jesus Christ.
Page 159: “and in a stride or two was at her side, and had her grasped in his arms.” —> Oh lord, here we fucking go again.
Page 162: “I did not feel as if I were in the company of a creature of my species” —> Hm, is this low-key racist? Or high-key racist? Or just kinda going off the theme of Heathcliff being good with dogs? Or associated with dogs, which would go back to the high-key racist point.
Page 166: Wait Catherine was pregnant that whole time? There were a couple of mentions of her “condition” but they all sounded more like mental breakdowns to me.
Page 166: “We redeemed the neglect afterwards, but its beginning was as friendless as its end is likely to be.” —> Jesus Christ, these fucking people. This is referring to the new baby.
Page 166: “No angel in heaven could be more beautiful than she appeared; and I partook of the infinite calm in which she lay.” —> Yeah, the only calm she’s experienced in literally her entire life.
Page 167: “I don’t know if it be a peculiarity in me, but I am seldom otherwise than happy while watching in the chamber of death, should no frenzied or despairing mourner share the duty with me. I see a repose that neither earth nor hell can break; and I feel an assurance of the endless and shadowless hereafter — the Eternity they have entered — where life is boundless in its duration, and love in its sympathy, and joy in its fulness.” —> This is so lovely.
Page 169: This whole diatribe of Heathcliff about wanting Catherine to haunt him would be almost romantic if it weren’t for Heathcliff being an absolute asshole to everyone around him, including Catherine. It’s almost loving, in a weird, twisted, narcissistic sort of way, I suppose.
Page 170: “and for observing on the floor a curl of light hair, fastened with a silver thread, which, on examination, I ascertained to have been taken from a locked hung round Catherine’s neck. Heathcliff had opened the trinket, and cast out its contents, replacing them by a black lock of his own. I twisted the two, and enclosed them together.” —> Again, this would almost be cute and romantic if Heathcliff wasn’t a complete narcissistic sociopath. I mean, here he put his own hair in the locket and took Catherine’s out.
Page 173: “’Laughter is sadly out of place under this roof, and in your condition!’” —> Okay so Isabella is pregnant now too, then, or what.
Page 177: “‘“You’d better open the door, you—“ he answered, addressing me by some elegant term that I don’t care to repeat.’” —> Lol oh boy.
Page 178: “His hair and clothes were whitened with snow, and his sharp cannibal teeth, revealed by cold and wrath, gleamed through the dark.” —> Uh, what.
Page 181: “’”And his mouth watered to tear you with his teeth; because, he’s only half a man — not so much.”’” —> See, am I supposed to interpret this from a racial standpoint, that they’re calling him less than a man for his color? I’ve been interpreting it as far as moral standing or quality of character, and, yes, I agree, clearly Heathcliff is not much of a man for the way he treats other people.
Page 182: “‘“But then,” I continued, holding myself ready to flee; “of poor Catherine had trusted you, and assumed the ridiculous, contemptible, degrading title of Mrs Heathcliff, she would soon have presented a similar picture! She wouldn’t have borne your abominable behavior quietly; her detestation and disgust must have found voice.”’” —> Now this is an interesting thought experiment, to consider whether Catherine would have ended up in the situation as Isabella had she married him. They loved each other in part because they couldn’t be together, so it probably still would have been a disaster if they were together, and I bet they both would have found disgust with each other in the end.
Page 193: “Her hat was hung against the wall, and she seemed perfectly at home, laughing and chattering, in the best spirits imaginable, to Hareton, now a great, strong lad of eighteen, who stared at her with considerably curiosity and astonishment; comprehending precious little of the fluent succession of remarks and questions which her tongue never ceased pouring out.” —> Has Cathy ever even met Hareton before? Or does she even know who he is?
Page 196: “’He’s not, he’s not my cousin, Ellen!’ she went on, gathering fresh grief from reflection, and flinging herself into my arms for refuge from the idea.” —> Girl, calm down, what the fuck.
Page 197: “it had none of the timid susceptibility that would have given zest to ill-treatment, in Heathcliff’s judgment.” —> Speaking of Hareton’s “fearless nature” here, which them implies that other characters, like Isabella and even Catherine and Edgar, had timid susceptibility to Heathcliff treating them like shit. Which is maybe true for Isabella.
Page 197: “and the scenes of riot common in Hindley’s time” —> Riot Common would be a cool name for a punk band.
Page 198: “Then the language he had held to her rankled in her heart; she who was always ‘love,’ and ‘darling,’ and ‘queen,’ and ‘angel,’ with everybody at the Grange; to be insulted so shockingly by a stranger! She did not comprehend it; and hard work I had, to obtain a promise that she would not lay the grievance before her father.” —> Lol spoiled only child alert.
Page 201: “My master inquired what was the matter. ‘I can’t sit on a chair,’ sobbed the boy.” —> Lol what.
Page 204: “‘As we shall now have no influence over his destiny, good or bad, you must say nothing of where he is gone to my daughter; she cannot associate with him hereafter; and it is better for her to remain in ignorance of his proximity, lest she should be restless, and anxious to visit the Heights — merely tell her, his father sent him for him suddenly, and he had been obliged to leave us.’” —> Oh, Linton, you know this is going to go horrible wrong, stupid idea as it is from the beginning.
Page 220: “’He does not know his letters,’ he said to his cousin. ‘Could you believe in the existence of such a colossal dunce?’” —> Lol Linton.
Page 222-223: “Miss Cathy, conversant with no bad deeds except her own slight acts of disobedience, injustice and passion, rising from hot temper, and thoughtlessness, and repented of on the day they were committed, was amazed at the blackness of spirit that could brood on, and cover revenge for years; ad deliberately prosecute its plans, without a visitation of remorse. She appeared so deeply impressed and shocked at this new view of human nature—excluded from all her studies and all her ideas till now—that Mr Edgar deemed it unnecessary to pursue the subject.” —> Yeah, poor Cathy, she’s been so innocent with her good upbringing that she’s never known anything but kindness and being spoiled.
Page 232: “‘remember you don’t forget resolutions formed in the hour of fear.’” —> This is good advice.
Page 233: “‘I’ve got your letters, and if you give me any pertness, I’ll send them to your father. I presume you grew weary of the amusement, and dropped it, didn’t you?’” —> Ooooh shit, Heathcliff. But also, hang on, why wouldn’t he first assume that her father forbade her from writing back, which is closer to what actually happened? Why would this be his first assumption about why the letters stopped, and why would no one be able to guess the real reason?
Page 238: “Linton denied that people ever hated their wives; but Cathy affirmed they did, and in her wisdom, instanced his own father’s aversion to her aunt.” —> Yep, duh, exactly.
Page 239: “‘You little liar! I hate you now,’ she panted, and her face grew red with passion.” —> Ah fuck, here we go again in a new generation.
Page 240: “‘Since you are in the habit of passing dreadful nights,’ I said, ‘it won’t be Miss who spoils your ease; you’d be the same, had sne never come—‘” —> Lol true, Nelly. She’s so savage sometimes.
Page 242: “‘I’m older than he is, you know, and wiser, less childish, am I not?’” —> Wellllll…..
Page 251: “At last, his cries were choked by a dreadful fit of coughing; blood gushed from his mouth, and he fell on the ground.” —> Jesus. Tuberculosis really was just such a common thing for these people back then, huh.
Page 254: “‘About three times, I think, we have been merry, and hopeful, as we were the first evening; the rest of my visits were dreary and troubled—now, with his selfishness and spite; and now with his sufferings: but I’ve learnt to endure the former with nearly as little resentment as the latter.’” —> Oh Cathy, you can have a better life than this, enduring selfishness and spite from a stupid little young man.
Page 255: “Mr Linton was alarmed and distressed more than he would acknowledge to me. In the morning, Catherine learnt my betrayal of her confidence, and she learnt also that her secret visits were to end.” —> Good. This is the one situation when Mr Linton should interfere, and of course Nelly would tell him, because he’s the one employing her and it’s her reputation and livelihood on the line. And, like, if Cathy stopped going, yeah, she’d be upset for a little while, but eventually in time she could move on and have a better life. Waaahhh.
Page 258: “‘and though I have faults which render me unworthy of Catherine, she has excused them, and, for her sake, you should also.’” —> Ehhhhh I don’t know about this, Linton.
Page 271: “’I know how to chastise children, you see,’ said the scoundrel, grimly” —> Abuse children, actually, Heathcliff.
Page 271: “’Wash away your spleen,’ he said.” —> This is a great phrase.
Page 272: “’Papa wants us to be married,’ he continued, after sipping some of the liquid. ‘And he knows your papa wouldn’t let us marry now; and he’s afraid of my dying, if we wait; so we are to be married in the morning, and you are to stay here all night; and, if you do as he wishes, you shall return home next day, and take me with you.’” —> So this was Heathcliff’s plan all along, huh. I mean, I knew he wanted them to marry, but he basically met them out on the Heights and then kidnapped Cathy to bring her back to Wuthering Heights under the guise of soothing Linton and having tea, but really solely to lock her in and force her to marry Linton. Fucking Heathcliff, man, he fucking sucks.
Page 274: “’You cannot deny that you entered my house of your own accord, in contempt of his injunctions to the contrary.’” —> But you tricked her by saying Linton wouldn’t make it back on his own, and Linton was too afraid of just going alone with his father.
Page 274: “’Catherine, his happiest days were over when your days began. He cursed you, I dare say, for coming into the world (I did, at least).’” —> That’s not true at all. Edgar may mark Catherine’s death over little Cathy’s birth, but her birth was a joy to him and they lived in happiness together for years. It’s more correct at the end there, that Heathcliff was mad about it all, rather than Edgar.
Page 282: “However, he felt his will had better be altered—instead of leaving Catherine’s fortune at her own disposal, he determined to put it in the hands of trustees, for her use during life; and for her children, if she had any, after her. But that means, it could not fall to Mr Heathcliff should Linton die.” —> There we go! Finally some real sense and good thinking, and, most importantly, good action!
Page 288: “‘Mr Heathcliff, you have nobody to love you; and however miserable you make us, we shall still have the revenge of thinking that your cruelty rises from your greater misery! You are miserable, are you not? Lonely, like the devil, and envious like him? Nobody loves you—nobody will cry for you, when you die!’” —> You fucking tell him, Cathy.
Page 288: I still don’t really understand why Nelly, at least, but also Cathy, has never wanted to just leave. Cathy clearly always wanted to explore beyond the Grange, so she’s always had a spirit of adventure and willingness to see new places. So why wouldn’t they go to Gimmerton first and then even down to London? Isabella did it with a newborn baby; she escaped and did okay for herself for many years, until she died. So clearly it’s possible. They just don’t want to.
Page 292-293: “‘Walk out of the room!’ cried the master, ‘and let me never hear a word more about him! None here care what becomes of him; if you do, act the nurse; if you do not, lock him up and leave him.’” —> Fucking hell, Heathcliff.
Page 294: The fact that Linton is dead now and Heathcliff literally didn’t show a single emotion about it, not even joy for how much he hated him. What a fucking sociopath.
Page 301: “’But, I’ve most of them written on my brain and printed in my heart, and you cannot deprive me of those!’” —> Hell yeah, Cathy.
Page 302: “’I won’t have them, now!’ she answered. ‘I shall connect them with you, and hate them!’” —> Cathy, what the fuck. This is all giving me such emotional whiplash on how changeable and inconsistent they all are.
Page 305: “This September, I was invited to devastate the moors of a friend, in the north” —> >What does this even mean.
Page 308: Jesus Christ, Joseph, just shut up for once!
Page 314: “’Well! What else should I have done, Ellen? He wouldn’t shake hands, and he wouldn’t look—I must show him some way that I like him, that I want to be friends.’” —> Whyyyyy are all these characters so changeable?
Page 320: “‘You must learn to avoid putting me in a passion, or I shall really murder you, some time!’” —> Jesus Christ, Heathcliff.
Page 321: “and was attached by ties stronger than reason could break—chains, forged by habit, which it would be cruel to attempt to loosen.” —> Hmm.
Page 324: Monomania: in 19th century psychiatry, a form of partial insanity conceived as a single psychological obsession in an otherwise sound mind. Or: excessive concentration on a single object or idea. What a cool word!
Page 337: “’They are afraid of nothing,’ I grumbled, watching their approach through the window. ‘Together they would brave satan and all his legions.’” —> Almost cute and romantic again except that everyone sucks in this book, even this couple.
