Monday, July 26, 2021

And Least Favorite So Far

#30. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte.  

I quite disliked this book, yet forced my way through it as a form of inoculation, that obsession and control are not a form of love.  And why this is ever billed as a "love" story is beyond me.  The writing is good, and Bronte's playing with time and story-telling is interesting (Lockwood relaying the story Nelly Dean relayed to him, very little of it happening in the present moment of the novel.)  But it takes a long time to tell the story, and the main two characters are detestable, maybe born that way, but also the result of abuse (and indulgence) rained down over and over again for no reason than for the sake of cruelty itself, or the need to be superior over someone else.  It got more readable for me when it was the story of the offspring.

Bronte was very insightful as to human character, especially with Heathcliff, he could be the poster child for what is now known as dark triad personality disorder.  He's cruel, vengeful, violent, manipulative, remorseless, selfish, obsessive, controlling, malevolent, moody, mercurial, and vile.  Cathy is more immature, selfish, indulgent, and somewhat obsessive, and one wonders how she would've turned out with more loving parental guidance, but her father was also obsessed and indulgent of Heathcliff, the mystery child.

In the end, even Hell expelled them, leaving Catherine and Heathcliff to haunt the moors.

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