AnAnalysisoftheGothicElementsinWutheringHeights

AnAnalysisoftheGothicElementsinWutheringHeights

西安外国语大学陕西西安710000

AnAnalysisoftheGothicElementsinWutheringHeightsAbstract

EmilyBronteisoneofthemostfamousBritishwritersinthe19thcentury,andhermasterpieceWutheringHeightsisconsideredtobeaclassicofBritishliterature.ThisthesisdiscussestheGothicelementsinvolvedinWutheringHeightsinthreechapters.ChapterOnefocusesontheGothicthemes.ChapterTwoelaboratestheGothiccharactersofthenovel.ChapterThreediscussestheGothicenvironment.ThroughtheanalysisoftheGothicelementsinvolvedinEmilyBronte’sWutheringHeights,thisthesishelpsthereadersgetmoreauthenticpicturesandmuchbettercomprehensionofthegreatnovel.

Keywords:Gothicthemescharactersenvironment

1.GothicThemesinWutheringHeights

1.1GoodnessandEvil

ReadersmaylearnaboutthegoodnessandevilfromdifferentinpidualsinthenovelasinthetraditionalGothicnovel.DifferentfromanyotherEnglishnovels,WutheringHeightsnotonlyshowsthegoodnessandevilindifferentpersons,butalsosurpassesthesimpleconflictbetweenthegoodnessandtheevilinthegeneralGothicnovels.Readerscanfeelthetruesthumannatureinthenovel.

1.2LoveandRevenge

TraditionalGothicthemesareoftenconcernedwithconspiracy,killing,rape,incestandsoon.WutheringHeightsisanarrativestoryofloveandrevengeinvolvingconspiracy,hatredandfightfortherightsofproperties.InWutheringHeights,themainthemeisaboutHeathcliff’srevengeinvolvinghatred,conspiracy,fightingfortherightofinheritanceandthedestructivelovebetweenHeathcliffandCathrine,bothofwhichcoincidewiththeGothicthemes.

2.GothicCharactersinWutheringHeights

2.1ImageofHero

Heathcliffistypicallya“hero-villain”.Hebecomesadevilwhenheisfrustratedinloveandismistreatedinlife.Hecanbetakenasa“roguehero”modelfromhisbothenthusiasticandevil,boththepersecutingandpersecutednature.Hismentalityisextremelydistorted.Inaword,itcanbeseenfromtheaboveanalysisthatHeathcliff,asa“hero-villain”,hasvividandcomplexinnerworldwithcontradictorycharacter.Heathcliffiscoincidentwiththeimagesofthegothicnovels.

2.2ImageofHeroine

TraditionalGothicnovelslackofpsychologicaldepthwhendepictingcharacters.Theyarekeentomakeshollowterrorandtopursuethepureexcitementandshortfeelingoftension.Tosumup,fromtheresearchontheGothiccharactersoftheheroandtheheroine,thereaderscouldhavemoreroomtodeveloptheirownthoughtandenhancethedepthofthoughtandtheaestheticawarenessofGothicnovels.

3.GothicEnvironmentinWutheringHeights

3.1NaturalEnvironment

UsuallythewriteroftheGothicnovelmakesthestoryhappeninaancientperiodoraremoteplace,whichwillleadthenovelandthereadersintodeephorror.Fromthesedescriptionsthereadersnotonlycanfeelthefearofthenarrator,butalsohavethefeelingoffrightfromthebottomoftheirinnerheart.ThisistheeffectandthepowerthenaturalelementsoftheGothicnoveslcreate.

3.2SupernaturalFactors

Besidesnaturalenvironment,supernaturalphenomenaarealsousedbyEmilyBronteinthenoveltostrengthentheGothicflavor.InWutheringHeights,Emily,usingthecolorfulimagination,employsthebackwoodsandwildnatureasthenovel’sbackground.ThecombinationofthetraditionalGothicelementsandtherealisticstoriesmakesthereadershaveadeepimpressionontheartisticfascinationofthisnovel.

Conclusion

WutheringHeightsisgenerallyconsideredasEmilyBronte’sgreatestnovelandaclassicofBritishliterature,whichembodiesEmilyBronte’screativecharacteristics,especiallyintheaspectofGothicelements.Throughasketchanalysisofthenovel,EmilyBronte’susingofGothicelementsmirroredinitisimpressiveandthought-provoking.ItwillmakethereadersrecognizeGothicelementsofWutheringHeightsandhaveadeepercomprehensionofthisnovelaswell.

Bibliography

Bronte,Emily.WutheringHeights[M].Beijing:ForeignLanguagesPress,1994.

Cecil,David.EmilyBronteandWutheringHeights––EarlyVictorianNovelists[M].London:Constable,1934.

Kettle,Arnold.AnIntroductiontotheEnglishNovel[M].London:HutchinsonHouse,1951.

Robert,DavyL.ThePrototypeofHeathecliff[M].Cambridge:HarvardUniversityPress,1985.

高继海.《呼啸山庄》的主题与叙事[J].外国文学研究,2008年第3期.

唐晓莉.《呼啸山庄》研究综述[J].廊坊师范学院学报,2008年第3期.

魏晓红.英美文学自主学习与实践[M].天津:天津大学出版社,2011.

标签:;  ;  ;  

AnAnalysisoftheGothicElementsinWutheringHeights
下载Doc文档

猜你喜欢