Friday, April 1, 2016
Wuthering Heights
If someone asked me what my favorite genre of novel is, I could not answer them. I like many different novels for many different things. Gothic literature interests me a lot because of the elements. As an actress and lover of theatre, I have experience on playing off of a set, and how that setting helps morph the characters into whatever they need or want to be. Emily Brontë's novel kept up this love for books and the setting of characters because her novel was so well thought out and developed every part of it that I had to be in love.
Wuthering Heights is the first book this year that I actually read every single word and did not skip a beat. Part of that was because it was hard to read, but the other part was because it was very interesting and Emily Brontë's writing style allowed me to grasp the setting in a way that I knew where I was based on the syntax and structure. Brontë's gothic tale definitely drew me in even more because of what a gothic novel entails. Through the setting of the house and the development of the characters, the book drew me in incredibly.
At first, I was scared of the novel. I felt like the novel did not like me and did not care whether or not I liked it. I opened the book and upon the first chapter I saw many words put together that made sense but actually did not make sense. Though, once I got the hang of it I felt as though I was able to grasp what Emily Brontë was writing.
The scenery of the novel is what inspired me to write my process paper on the setting. It perfectly mimicked the characters that lived inside of the world, yet cast a contrast on the only two scenes that remained there. Though they were close together, they were very different along with the people that lived there, and when they intertwined is where the story got very interesting. The characters played off of not only themselves, but each other, and Brontë had a unified event where it was fun and scary to read at the same time.
Overall, Brontë used her wits as a female in the late 17th century to create a novel that was outside not only her, but the whole world's boundary. This artistic form took control of her and created her only novel, which was such a great success because being a woman made it so everyone said she could not do it, and she accomplished a book that is so well thought and developed to the point where the generations could be much like history.
I completely understand what you mean when you say that you did not understand a word when you first opened the book I also experienced the same problem. When I first opened the book, I literally had no idea what was going on. I would read and understand what was I was reading, but not to the degree that would enable me to grasp the authors purpose and why it was important. For some reason I just could not get myself into the book. Luckily, with the guidance of Mrs. Smith as well as the class discussions and audio I was able to reach a point of understanding. Sometimes you just have to go out on the limb and try your best. From my understanding, that is exactly what you did. Because of her writing style is so unique, it can be very difficult to understand especially if you did not have any experience with that style of writing. I am glad that you eventually came to like the book. It makes sense that you would connect with setting since it is one of the most important elements in theater and in books. One environment has the ability to dictate the way someone turn out and explains the reasoning behind ones actions. Taking for example Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange. They are very close to each other, but the people who reside in these houses are complete opposites. One family is proper and polite while the other is reckless and disorganized. That setting would influence their characters do certain things and act a certain way. When think of how the author formulated this novel it is fascinating. The book itself is very complex with a bunch of twists and turns but once you understand what the author is saying, it reveals elements of humankind that one may have never thought of. I enjoyed this essay because it was easy to connect with what you were saying. I found myself feeling the exact way that you did. Normally I am used to seeing your animations with visuals; you should continue to do so because they make the blog more interesting.
ReplyDeleteAs I read your post, I appreciated the way you analyzed your personal experience along with the novel itself. One line which really caught my attention was the way you personified the book with, “At first, I was scared of the novel. I felt like the novel did not like me and did not care whether or not I liked it.” This idea really exemplified your original thoughts and feelings toward the novel, and it was fascinating to see how you developed as a reader throughout your journey with Wuthering Heights. I also enjoyed how you brought scenery and character into your discussion. It made me consider both aspects of the novel in a new way; you compare them to your experience as an actress and how you must play off a set, something I’ve never taken into thought before. Your post was original and creative, yet seeing the novel in a new light was by far my favorite part about it. Another aspect of your post that I liked was the way you incorporated the way in which artistic form took control and crafted the novel. This is yet another thing that I hadn’t considered, so I appreciated the fact that your post highlighted it.
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