The Recovery of Human Nature

【Abstract】The Gothic mystery and horror atmosphere of Wuthering Heights make it to be one of the eeriest and the most elusive British novels in the history of English literature. In order to deeply interpret the unique structure of the novel and its corresponding construction of the theme， this paper intends to use the theory of defamiliarization narrative as the basis for interpretation.

【Key words】Wuthering Heights; defamiliarization; narrative structure; human nature

【作者簡介】鄭金金（1995.03-），女，漢族，河南洛陽人，碩士研究生在讀，首都師范大學外國語學院，外國語言學及應用語言學專業。

1. Theoretical basis

“One of Shklovskys most important ideas from the theory of prose was his principle of ‘defamiliarisation. Shklovsky argued that as things become more familiar， we stop paying attention to them. In some cases we stop noticing them entirely. This is what happens to our everyday language， it gets automatized. Shklovsky thought that it was the function of literary texts， and all other arts， to make people perceive the world from new and different perspectives”. In order to break the habit of the way the readers read， and to make them no longer numbly listen to a frigid and boring story about love and hate， the author must fully attract peoples reading interest and arouse their feeling of novelty. Thus， the creative distortion of the narrative structure becomes the authors first choice.

2. Narrative Structure

In Wuthering Heights， the author gives up the linear narrative technique of telling a story from the beginning to the end; however， it is not a flashback， either， but a structural model that begins from the middle. Specifically， Chapters 1 through 3 are about Lockwood， a strange guest visited Wuthering Heights in 1801 for the first time. Before this time， many things had happened in Wuthering Heights， but he knew nothing about it. Through the eyes of this stranger， we see a world full of haze， weirdness and inexorability. He noticed Heathcliffs queer behavior. He also had a distinct view of little Catherine： “the most exquisite little face; very fair; flaxen ringlets， or rather golden， hanging loose on her delicate neck”， but was austere， cool， grave and indifferent. He found Catherines faded hieroglyphics diary by accident and was flurried. All of these make the readers wonder： what happened？ What caused all these horror and mystery？ The defamiliarization effect produced by such a narrative structure thus makes the story in suspense， attracting readers and Lockwood to seek the answer together. This leads to Chapters 4 through 30. This part is flashback. Nelly told the past of Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange to satisfy Lockwoods curiosity. Close to the end of the story， the cause and effect of the whole story are completely presented to the readers， and the readers cannot help but be shocked and indignant： how can there be such a bitter love story in the suffering world， how can there be such a wild revenge！ This suspense has just ended up; the next suspense is coming again： what is the final destiny of the characters in the novel？ Chapters 31 to 34 tell about Lockwoods revisit to Wuthering Heights in February 1802. From here on， the order is in positive sequence. At this time， Heathcliff ends his hatred through death and gives up his vengeance. The novel ended with a little boy herding the sheep saw Heathcliff and Catherine hand in hand strolling over the wasteland. With the end of the story， the readers bloodcurdling emotions are once again aroused; at the same time they are shocked by the love that transcends life and death.

The whole plot is always suspenseful， interlocking， and the atmosphere is always full of tension， capturing the readers heart. With such a complicated narrative structure， the readers original reading habits have been broken， and it is necessary for them to clarify the chronological order of the plot between the three parts over and over again. As a result， the reading time is extended， the aesthetic length is expanded， resulting in alienation and barrier in understanding and reflecting on human nature with their emotions ups and downs.

3. Conclusion

Wuthering Heights has a powerful artistic power， and this strong shocking effect is inseparable from the defamiliarization narrative approach adopted by the author. The fate of the hero just tells us “‘love and ‘hate as a whole. ... ‘Hate wants to establish its absolute rule in the human world， despite how powerful it is， it cannot do it. Breaking through hatred， the love that was finally established is the recovery of the frozen， numb humanity. Humanity has been liberated from the degeneration. Human beings are always hopeful”.