Concerned about next week's radio 4 adaptation of Wuthering Heights

[ItrustAdrianlearnshislesson]

I am worried it may be trans exclusive.....

I am worried it will exclude middle aged vegetarians myself

Well it will exclude me as I hated the story. How anyone can look on Heathcliffe as romantic, brooding , sexy whatever. The two main characters were totally un-likeable. In my middle class, middle aged pescatarian, hetero , cat loving, single woman opinion that is!

I read WH and Pride and Prejudice every year for much of my teenage years. Darcy was evidently superior, he actually helped Elizabeth, whereas all Heathcliff ever did was fuck things up.

even as a stary eyed teenager I could spot an abusive nutjob when it was writ quite as large as it is in WH.

Do love the book though. Listened to the trailer and thought I should get it out again.

Love the book but no idea why anyone thinks Heathcliffe is a hero, he's an ass. the book is uncomfortable to read as he is such a nasty, controlling asshat.

I just don't understand why Emily Bronte has excluded middle class southerners from the Home Counties from her story? Wuthering Heights excludes people who don't live on Yorkshire moors in the 19th century. It would be so much better and more inclusive if it centred people like me instead.

Heathcliffe was a controlling vindictive bastard based, I believe, on the author's brother Bramwell. It's curious how he became a romantic hero however, the book draws such relationships with forensic detail.

Edgar Linton I always suspected of closet gay tendencies. Probably was really a woman. Cathy Earnshaw, with her wild ways, was obviously really a man. Such a shame they didn't have the advantage of being trans in those benighted days.

Will the misogynist lead finally get his comeuppance? What a (Heath)cliffehanger!

I'll be in the happy to be excluded because Heathcliffe was awful and the relationship wasn't something anyone should aspire to corner with Deathray.

I'd never heard that one about Heathcliff being based on Bramwell, interesting. He's usually portrayed (Bramwell) as a slightly hopeless drunk, whereas Heathcliff comes across as a sociopath.

As a native Yorkshireperson I am so sorry you have been excluded! Perhaps we could write a revisionist version with more cats and fewer bastards.

I much prefer Tom Jones to either Darcey or Heathcliffe.

more cats and fewer bastards

The recipe for a happy life I'd say

V glad to read this thread. I thought Heathcliffe was an arsehole too. Never really got why everyone loved him. And Cathy was a pain in the arse

I loved the writing I think. everyone's hearts beating visibly through their chests, the spooky ghost story element, all that melodrama. very attractive to a teenager!

As a Yorkshire woman, I love the book. Just like Cathy I fall for the tall, dark and gruesome broody men. Didn't work out for me either

I think that book was part of how I realized that I was always going to be the Wednesday Addams kind of goth rather than the "romantic" kind.

On the same note - Mr Rochester, what an arsehole.

Yeah, absolute prick. I liked the Wide Sargasso Sea take on the whole situation.

when I was at uni, at the end of each semester after I'd wrung myself out with the exams, I used to buy a stack of mills and boons from a second hand shop and settle down for a few days to do nothing but read trash and drink tea / beer depending on the time of day (look, I never said I was a good feminist right?).

The heroes always split pretty neatly into Heathcliff or Darcy. I tend to think of them as archetypes for all romantic fiction (I think GG might mention this in the female eunuch?).

Also, thinking back I realise that what I would now regard as rapes were a common occurrence in those books. That is men just continuing with physical 'seduction', after a woman has said no, until she 'changes her mind'.

Obviously this was being sold to women as being for their titillation. Fucking odd now I come to look back on it.

hang on, isn't Wide Sargasso Sea an answer to Jane Eyre?

sorry, just seen the post above

Yeah, absolute prick. I liked the Wide Sargasso Sea take on the whole situation.

YY.

Wouldn't it be great to have a romantic hero who was charming and funny and absolutely lovely to the heroine? Still not sure why this is not a thing that exists.

Wouldn't it be great to have a romantic hero who was charming and funny and absolutely lovely to the heroine? Still not sure why this is not a thing that exists

I can't be a 100% sure as it is a long time since I read it but Tom Jones might be. The female characters are fairly determined and strong minded too.

I think you're right, Lass. I loved Tom Jones. And a pp who said Mr. Rochester was terrible, I agree but my 15 yo self would think that was heresy.

Captain Wentworth is charming and decent. Persuasion is one of my favourite books for that very reason.

You're laughing, but I have heard the argument earnestly put forward that the text explores queer and trans identity because Cathy says 'I am Heathcliff' and Heathcliff is a man.