Catherine Earnshaw: Female or Fiend?

Emily Brontë's protagonist and her implications in 'Wuthering Heights'

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, British
Cover of the book Catherine Earnshaw: Female or Fiend? by Sarah Jost, GRIN Publishing
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Sarah Jost ISBN: 9783640952373
Publisher: GRIN Publishing Publication: July 6, 2011
Imprint: GRIN Publishing Language: English
Author: Sarah Jost
ISBN: 9783640952373
Publisher: GRIN Publishing
Publication: July 6, 2011
Imprint: GRIN Publishing
Language: English

Seminar paper from the year 2006 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 1, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, course: 19th Century Women Writers I: the Brontës, language: English, abstract: The character of Catherine Earnshaw is one of the most complex and fascinating in world literature. Her story is that of a young woman who 'betrays her deepest self and so destroys herself' but whose love is so strong that not even death can extinguish it. Readers cannot help but be moved by her fate, even though she appears to be a thoroughly unpleasant person in more than just one respect. They are forced to pity her, even though they feel they have every reason to believe that it is her, and her alone, who is to blame for the misery that befalls her. And, worst of all, they see her suffering and dying, but at the same time they cannot help envying her ability to feel as strongly as she does. These confusing and seemingly contradictory impressions have led many critics of the novel to describe Catherine using terms like 'creature of another species, hysterical, savage or demonic' out of a sheer inability to make anything else of her, anything that they could understand. In this paper, I shall attempt to determine whether these 'otherwordly' terms that reek of madness and hell are really necessary or whether it might not be possible to do without them and see Catherine simply as a young woman in a very 18th/19th-century dilemma, a girl who marries the wrong man and ends up heartbroken. I will begin by attempting a characterization of Catherine and then introducing her author, Emily Brontë, to have a closer look at the world and the mind that Catherine is rooted in. Finally I will try to discover the true nature of Catherine's dilemma and whether all these aspects will make it possible to demystify Catherine and return her to the state of a human being.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Seminar paper from the year 2006 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 1, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, course: 19th Century Women Writers I: the Brontës, language: English, abstract: The character of Catherine Earnshaw is one of the most complex and fascinating in world literature. Her story is that of a young woman who 'betrays her deepest self and so destroys herself' but whose love is so strong that not even death can extinguish it. Readers cannot help but be moved by her fate, even though she appears to be a thoroughly unpleasant person in more than just one respect. They are forced to pity her, even though they feel they have every reason to believe that it is her, and her alone, who is to blame for the misery that befalls her. And, worst of all, they see her suffering and dying, but at the same time they cannot help envying her ability to feel as strongly as she does. These confusing and seemingly contradictory impressions have led many critics of the novel to describe Catherine using terms like 'creature of another species, hysterical, savage or demonic' out of a sheer inability to make anything else of her, anything that they could understand. In this paper, I shall attempt to determine whether these 'otherwordly' terms that reek of madness and hell are really necessary or whether it might not be possible to do without them and see Catherine simply as a young woman in a very 18th/19th-century dilemma, a girl who marries the wrong man and ends up heartbroken. I will begin by attempting a characterization of Catherine and then introducing her author, Emily Brontë, to have a closer look at the world and the mind that Catherine is rooted in. Finally I will try to discover the true nature of Catherine's dilemma and whether all these aspects will make it possible to demystify Catherine and return her to the state of a human being.

More books from GRIN Publishing

Cover of the book Americanization - The US strikes back? by Sarah Jost
Cover of the book An investigation of the effects of taxes on work decisions on the example of the WFTC in the UK by Sarah Jost
Cover of the book Portraying the other by Sarah Jost
Cover of the book Das 'Pfahlbürgertum' - Status einer 'doppelten' Rechtsstellung by Sarah Jost
Cover of the book Gender Roles in the Eighteenth Century Represented in the Story of Mary Blandy by Sarah Jost
Cover of the book Media in cuba by Sarah Jost
Cover of the book E-Marketing: Web solutions for engineering company by Sarah Jost
Cover of the book Characterization and symbolism in 'Maus' by Sarah Jost
Cover of the book Mitt Romney - Using Technology To Spread His Vision by Sarah Jost
Cover of the book The dividend puzzle by Sarah Jost
Cover of the book Attitudes towards Glasgow speech by Sarah Jost
Cover of the book Gated Communities in the USA by Sarah Jost
Cover of the book The debate on 'apparatus' and 'ideology' by Sarah Jost
Cover of the book Is the rise of radical Islam a response to authoritarian rule? by Sarah Jost
Cover of the book Stress - Erhöhte Anforderungen an die Gesellschaftsmitglieder - Was erhält den Menschen gesund? by Sarah Jost
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy