When Wuthering Heights meets Jane Eyre

王加宇

It seems that Jane Eyre is really popular. At least many people around me speak highly of it. Some of them read the book， and some watch the movie. However， Wuthering Height， actually， is the one I prefer， but it seems like less crowd-pleasing. Few have already read it. Now， lets have a look at them.

Two outstanding women writers emerged in the nineteenth century literary world. They are Charlotte Bronte and Emily Bronte. The Bronte sisters were one of the most extraordinary literary families who ever lived. They spent a great part of time in an isolated Yorkshire village on the edge of the moors， not only cut off from the Victorian world of letters， but also to a large extent from the companionship of young people of their own age and education. Their novels have been translated into many languages and are always high in reading popularity. Especially Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights have a timeless quality. There have been more items of critical writing on the Bronte sisters than on any other English writers except Shakespeare.

Mr. Rochester in Jane Eyre is rude， abrupt， horny， and always on the edge of violence. He likes to order people around， keeping his wife locked in the attic， and teases Jane on at least one occasion until she cries. Heres the crazy part： thats why hes so awesome. He may be fantastically ugly. He may be kind of a jerk. But hes real！ Hes a genuine-seeming character， unlike some stuck-up， pompous， handsome young men who smoothly say all the right things and dont have any personalities of their own. He is never avenging， no matter how much he has been harmed. However， Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights， is an orphan， brought up as a dependent， continually mistreated character， and then become a revengeful， diabolical spirit to the extreme. His raw elemental manly energy is shown， but without any characters or scruples.

Jane Eyre follows a clear storyline， progressing from present to future， childhood to adult. The whole story is written in the first person narrative， from a heroines point of view of narration. The structure of Wuthering Heights works quite well for its story. It follows a cyclical and zigzag time-line.

And then， I want to show you one of the main similarities and differences of the two novels.

Similarity： Gothic Style

Gothic novel or Gothic romance， is “a story of terror and suspense， usually set in a gloomy old castle or monastery.” Gothic novels were very popular in early Victorian England， from 1780-1850. Jane Eyre is a Gothic novel： the mysterious laughter， the hidden mad woman， dreams and portents are a heritage from the Gothic novels. A good example is illustrated in the atmosphere of strangeness and fear created in the red room： the gloomy hangings and furniture， the chill， the silence， the solemnity of the room， the white little face in the mirror， the thought of Uncle Reed， the fear that his spirit might rise before her in the room. A similar effect is created in description of the third floor at Thornfield with its antique furniture and tapestries， its locked doors， its strange inhabitants， and the strange laugh and the terrible cry. Similar touches which add atmosphere to other episodes are the examples of Janes momentary fear when Rochester first rides up with his dog， and the momentary appearance of the blood-red moon the night before her wedding.

Similarly， in the Gothic castles-Wuthering Heights， Lockwood visited by the ghost of dead Catherine gives way to a sadistic impulse to rub the childs wrist across pane till it wails “let me in” and maintains its tenacious gripe， almost maddening us with fear. At the end of the story， there is as well the boy who comes crying that he has seen the ghosts of Heathcliff and a woman wandering on the moor. The love between Catherine and Heathcliff is a kind of Gothic love.

Difference： Love

The love between Jane and Rochester is like a candle， which is bright and warm. When you watch the candle， you can see wishes and dreams that is encouraging. The hope is in reach and there is a beautiful future that is worth fighting for. But the relationship between Catherine and Heathcliff， not love but love and hate， is more like fire， which is burning strongly and dangerously. It hurts both of the lovers and many others with the reality of life. It is also like tough wild in the wilderness， which is ready to tear you into pieces and is yelling and shouting. It is beyond life and death， with its passionless power telling that they are inseparable. At last， she submits to Rochester， willing to be drawn into a leisured middle-class life. The love between Jane and Rochester is based on sacrifice， while Cathys love is a kind of conquering one， her spirit continues to rage in the turbulent air of Wuthering Heights， haunting Heathcliff.

To sum up， Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre are both really terrific books. I learn a lot after reading them.