I have yet to read Agnes Grey but Wuthering Heights is one of my favorite books ever! Back in the day I was a huge fan of the Kate Bush song (still am) and when I later heard it was based on an actual book, I got my dad to check it out for me (in translation). I can't have been much older than 12 and most of the novel's layers and nuances were lost on me but a couple of years later I had to read it in English for school and I've been rereading it every couple of years or so. And every time I read it feels like I'm transported to another world. Brontë's characters are both extremely flawed and fascinating.
A couple of decent scholarly articles have been written about Nelly's role in the story and while I myself don't cast Nelly as the villain, she certainly plays a big part in the outcome of certain key moments in the narrative. An innocent bystander, she definitely is not.
I am so impressed that you read the book at 12 years old! I can just agree with your take! I need to look up the takes that have been written about Nelly. Would be interesting to read! Thank you for sharing ☺️🤎
This was a very interesting read! I read Agnes Grey just before Christmas and loved how she wrote interiority. I am also a nanny/governess so it was wildly relatable for me. I found myself comparing and contrasting it with Jane Eyre more than Wuthering Heights, as there are similarities in terms of the protagonists being governesses etc.
It’s been years since I read Wuthering Heights but it’s one of those books that is so unique and captivating, I find myself reflecting on the story and its characters often. Definitely time for a reread!
Thank you for leaving a comment! So interesting hearing it from someone that has worked in the same field. I feel that the way Anne writes, you could tell she was the youngest sister. It feels more rebellious in some ways, more modern and lack of that victorian tone.
I decided to create a lesson plan on Wuthering Heights in time for the new movie. So I’m glad I’ll be able to link to you here and in the future when I read Anne’s books, too. 😊
“I found myself questioning how much of that judgment was shaped by Nelly Dean’s narration. She is, after all, telling the story from her own perspective, and Heathcliff’s voice is largely absent.”
This is a keen insight, Esther!
You are so right, Healthcliff was brought home by the father, and then when the father died, the family just sort of endured this adopted brother they felt no kinship with, except for Cathy.
I always assumed Nelly was pro-Heathcliff/Cathy because of the conversation she has with Cathy when Cathy discusses marrying Edgar Linton, and Nelly chides Cathy and brings up Heathcliff. However, Heathcliff enters the doorway, and Nelly is aware that Cathy says it would degrade her to marry him. Nelly does NOT go out of her way to do anything about what Healthcliff hears. And then he takes off for 3 years.
Happy you liked my take April! Yeah, exactly! Sometimes I think that Nelly only liked the idea of Cathy and Heathcliff because they where ”just as bad” as each other and she thought that Edgar Linton deserved better.
Such a good interpretation and something I had no ability to see when reading it as a teenager. I don’t think I really understood the idea of the unreliable narrator back then. Now I need to re-read it.
i've always thought of places as characters (the moors in wuthering heights - lowood and thornfield in jane eyre...) but this is the first time i've encountered the idea that illness itself is a character in wh. it's super interesting, and now i'm wondering what other "characters" are at play in the novel that i've completely missed... 🤔
I just finished Agnes Grey and haven’t read Wuthering Heights but now feel as though I should bump it up on my TBR list. I really like your acknowledgment of illness in this time period. So much of health and bloom was tied to beauty and frailty with illness. Always makes me want to send myself to the seaside when I’m feeling ill.
What works for me here is the attention to voice and register . The novels have a sharp interior and restraint. a little less intense. reading done with care.
Whether you love the Brontë sisters or not - you've got to respect the hell out of them for writing unique stories and breaking molds to get them published during their time. They were geniuses. Very good analysis of Agnes Grey and Wuthering Heights. To answer your question, personally, it was Jane Eyre for me - because I do believe Charlotte was the biggest genius of them all combined. Maybe even more than our beloved Austen. But all three, JE, AG, and WH left an indelible mark upon literature.
I have yet to read Agnes Grey but Wuthering Heights is one of my favorite books ever! Back in the day I was a huge fan of the Kate Bush song (still am) and when I later heard it was based on an actual book, I got my dad to check it out for me (in translation). I can't have been much older than 12 and most of the novel's layers and nuances were lost on me but a couple of years later I had to read it in English for school and I've been rereading it every couple of years or so. And every time I read it feels like I'm transported to another world. Brontë's characters are both extremely flawed and fascinating.
A couple of decent scholarly articles have been written about Nelly's role in the story and while I myself don't cast Nelly as the villain, she certainly plays a big part in the outcome of certain key moments in the narrative. An innocent bystander, she definitely is not.
I am so impressed that you read the book at 12 years old! I can just agree with your take! I need to look up the takes that have been written about Nelly. Would be interesting to read! Thank you for sharing ☺️🤎
Love Kate Bush!
This was a very interesting read! I read Agnes Grey just before Christmas and loved how she wrote interiority. I am also a nanny/governess so it was wildly relatable for me. I found myself comparing and contrasting it with Jane Eyre more than Wuthering Heights, as there are similarities in terms of the protagonists being governesses etc.
It’s been years since I read Wuthering Heights but it’s one of those books that is so unique and captivating, I find myself reflecting on the story and its characters often. Definitely time for a reread!
Thank you for leaving a comment! So interesting hearing it from someone that has worked in the same field. I feel that the way Anne writes, you could tell she was the youngest sister. It feels more rebellious in some ways, more modern and lack of that victorian tone.
This was so fun to read! I reread Wuthering Heights every December, but I’ve not read Agnes Grey (though it’s on my TBR for the year).
Happy you liked it! I very much recommend Agnes Grey ☺️
I decided to create a lesson plan on Wuthering Heights in time for the new movie. So I’m glad I’ll be able to link to you here and in the future when I read Anne’s books, too. 😊
“I found myself questioning how much of that judgment was shaped by Nelly Dean’s narration. She is, after all, telling the story from her own perspective, and Heathcliff’s voice is largely absent.”
This is a keen insight, Esther!
You are so right, Healthcliff was brought home by the father, and then when the father died, the family just sort of endured this adopted brother they felt no kinship with, except for Cathy.
I always assumed Nelly was pro-Heathcliff/Cathy because of the conversation she has with Cathy when Cathy discusses marrying Edgar Linton, and Nelly chides Cathy and brings up Heathcliff. However, Heathcliff enters the doorway, and Nelly is aware that Cathy says it would degrade her to marry him. Nelly does NOT go out of her way to do anything about what Healthcliff hears. And then he takes off for 3 years.
Happy you liked my take April! Yeah, exactly! Sometimes I think that Nelly only liked the idea of Cathy and Heathcliff because they where ”just as bad” as each other and she thought that Edgar Linton deserved better.
Such a good interpretation and something I had no ability to see when reading it as a teenager. I don’t think I really understood the idea of the unreliable narrator back then. Now I need to re-read it.
Well this was just lovely to read!
i've always thought of places as characters (the moors in wuthering heights - lowood and thornfield in jane eyre...) but this is the first time i've encountered the idea that illness itself is a character in wh. it's super interesting, and now i'm wondering what other "characters" are at play in the novel that i've completely missed... 🤔
I just finished Agnes Grey and haven’t read Wuthering Heights but now feel as though I should bump it up on my TBR list. I really like your acknowledgment of illness in this time period. So much of health and bloom was tied to beauty and frailty with illness. Always makes me want to send myself to the seaside when I’m feeling ill.
What works for me here is the attention to voice and register . The novels have a sharp interior and restraint. a little less intense. reading done with care.
Whether you love the Brontë sisters or not - you've got to respect the hell out of them for writing unique stories and breaking molds to get them published during their time. They were geniuses. Very good analysis of Agnes Grey and Wuthering Heights. To answer your question, personally, it was Jane Eyre for me - because I do believe Charlotte was the biggest genius of them all combined. Maybe even more than our beloved Austen. But all three, JE, AG, and WH left an indelible mark upon literature.
What a great piece. This is the stuff I come to Substack for!
Thank you so much! I am ☺️🤎