Analysis of Wuthering Heights
“Wuthering Heights is a strange, inartistic story”(Atlas, WH p. 299). “Wuthering Heights is a strange sort of book” (Douglas, WH p.301). “This is a strange book” (Examiner, WH p.302). “His work [Wuthering Heights] is strangely original” (Britannia, WH p.305). These brief quotes show that early critics of Emily Bronte’s first edition of Wuthering Heights, found the novel baffling in its meaning - they each agreed separately, that no moral existed within the story therefore it was deemed to have no real literary value. The original critical reviews had very little in the way of praise for the unknown author or the novel. The critics begrudgingly acknowledged elements of Wuthering Heights that could be considered strengths – such as, “rugged power” and “unconscious strength” (Atlas, WH p.299), “purposeless power” (Douglas, WH p.301), “evidences of considerable power” (Examiner), “power and originality” (Britannia, WH p.305). Strange and Powerful are two recurring critical interpretations of the novel. The critics did not attempt to provide in depth analysis of the work, simply because they felt that the meaning or moral of the story was either entirely absent or seriously confused.
The authorship of Wuthering Heights was an element of much discussion by critics. They believed the work to be the efforts of an inexperienced and unpracticed writer. The critical reviews, in my opinion, would have expressed even harsher judgments had it been commonly known that the author was in fact a young woman. “In Wuthering Heights, the reader is shocked, disgusted, almost sickened by details of cruelty, inhumanity, and the most diabolical hate and vengeance…”(Douglas, WH p. 302). Had this particular critic been aware of the author’s true identity, his barely concealed dislike for the work would have had no constraint.
Charlotte Bronte assumed the role of intermediary between her late sister and the perplexed and hostile readers of Wuthering Heights (Sale and Dunn, WH p. 267). Charlotte attempted to provide Emily’s readers with a more complete perspective of her sister and her works. She selectively included biographical information and critical commentary into the revised 1850 edition of Wuthering Heights, which gave the reader a fuller appreciation of the works of Emily Bronte. Charlotte championed the efforts of her younger sister and believed that Emily’s inexperience and unpracticed hand were her only shortcomings. Charlotte explains much of Emily’s character to the readers through the disclosure of biographical information.
Both male and female brains are different and extends into a difference of what they can
In Margaret Matlin’s textbook The Psychology of Women, the first consistent theme discussed is in regards to gender differences. Contrary to popular belief, psychological gender differences are typically small and inconsistent. Throughout the text, there are numerous situations, examples, and statistical data to support these findings. One example is the lack of gender differences in cognitive abilities. Matlin (2012) states, “Unfortunately, however, when people who are not experts discuss gender comparisons in thinking, they almost always emphasize gender differences. Meanwhile, they ignore the substantial evidence for gender similarities” (143). When people who
In Ralph Ellison’s novel, Invisible Man, the narrator who is the main character goes through many trials and tribulations.
Association for Psychological Science. "Sex Differences In Memory: Women Better Than Men At Remembering Everyday Events." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 21 February 2008..
As we all know the brain is one of the most amazing mysteries in the world; there is a lot to be discovered. This topic hits home for me because most of my life I have always wanted to know how is the brain any different between men and women.
Jane Eyre, written by Charlotte Brontë, was published in 1847 by Smith, Elder & Company, in London. This year is exactly ten years into Queen Victoria’s sixty-four year reign of the British Empire. The Victorian Era was renowned for its patriarchal Society and definition by class. These two things provide vital background to the novel, as Jane suffers from both. Jane Eyre relates in some ways to Brontë’s own life, as its original title suggest, “Jane Eyre: An Autobiography”. Charlotte Brontë would have suffered from too, as a relatively poor woman. She would have been treated lowly within the community. In fact, the book itself was published under a pseudonym of Currer Bell, the initials taken from Brontë’s own name, due to the fact that a book published by a woman was seen as inferior, as they were deemed intellectually substandard to men. Emily Brontë, Charlotte’s sister, was also forced to publish her most famous novel, Wuthering Heights, under the nom de plume of Ellis Bell, again taking the initials of her name to form her own alias. The novel is a political touchstone to illustrate the period in which it was written, and also acts as a critique of the Victorian patriarchal society.
Currently, it is still unknown how different men and women really are, at least in the aspect regarding the brain and one’s thought processes. It is a controversial topic, just being discovered and many studies conflict with each other regarding the subject, which leaves for open questions and missing answers. Originally, there was a common understanding that at least cognitively, both genders were born similar. The way their environment affected them was what made them different, and the society surrounding them believably had the largest impact on the difference of an individual. In contrast however, studies in recent times conflict with these older beliefs revealing quite the opposite. Some of today's psychologists agree that a few differences exhibited by male and female brains are innate (Khazan). To be specific, each gender has been found to have correlations in the way they both navigate. Men are more likely in dealing with directions to go about it in a cardinal fashion, using an innate, spatial ability to guide themselves. They rely on specific directions and knowledge in order to correctly know exactly where they are or what they are looking for is in relation to their environment. While females typically navigate memorizing landmarks to travel (Navigational Differences). There are many different theories concerning as to why both genders may have this relation, and as of now they are still being looked into with highly successful studies. As time passes, more and more of these studies are revealing information about the brain, and innate differences among it and the genders. Evidence proves that since the day they are born men and women are different mentally, specifically in the way of navigating and following directi...
Overall, sex differences have a remarkable effect on memory. According to the research in the article “Sex Differences in Episodic Memory” by psychologists Herlitz and Rehnman, although, men do have decent visuospatial tasks involved in episodic memory, the psychologists’ research determined that women have superior verbal-production tasks and visuospatial tasks; they are able to have both. As a result, the winner of the argument between Joan and John would be Joan. Women do have better memory.
According to Lahtela et al., (1985) gender differences on reaction task can be attributed to females excelling over counterparts on semantic component reaction tasks; while, males excel over counterparts on spatial features reaction tasks. Another possible alternative explanation for gender differences on reaction tasks is males and females brains differences. fMRI brain scans show that there is a higher bilateral symmetry in female brain and a higher asymmetry in male brains (Kalb et al., 2004). These brain differences can have an impact on incoming stimuli though the dorsal and the ventral stream cortical. The “dorsal stream provides the basis for conscious and unconscious knowledge of ‘where’ something is in visual space, as well as the tracking of object movement” While, the “ventral stream processing provides information for conscious recognition of ‘what’ something is, including its associated characteristics” (McGivern et al., 2012). Through the dorsal and cortical streams operating in union, it allows incoming stimulus to be processed toge...
Ralph Ellison’s The Invisible Man harkens to DuBois’ idea of being “in the world, but not of it,” (vii). The text grapples with the concept of existing in the world yet not being authentically seen by the people of the world. The condition of the narrator, his invisibility, allows Ellison to explore double consciousness, the process of becoming aware of one’s duality, and the effects that existing as two selves can have on the psyche.
Using a name to define a person is the simplest way for an individual to remain visible throughout life. Ralph Ellison’s novel, Invisible Man, purposely leaves the storyteller nameless for that exclusive reason, “’What’s his name?’ The boy read my name off a card” (Ellison 198). Ellison painstakingly excites the reader in anticipation for the narrator’s name to be revealed. The reader is constantly is awaiting a connection with the raconteur by knowing his name, but only to be disappointed. As frustrating as it is for the reader not to know the narrator’s name, Ellison’s methodical approach to writing is only fully appreciated when one examines the steps of invisibility according to the life of the invisible man. By being unidentified, does the narrator become invisible? Or is invisibility the purposeful unacknowledgement of an individual due to race? In the end, these questions are never completely answered. Nevertheless, Ellison depicts three essential, separate stages that display the development of transforming from a visible man into an invisible one: first the subject is denied ambition, second the subject is denied the right to be his own person, and third, consequently due to the two heretofore specified, the subject turns invisible – fortunately there is hope the subject can reappear.
Research shows gender differences in episodic memory. These differences vary in magnitude as a function of the type of material to be remembered. Throughout the life span, verbal episodic-memory tasks yield differences favoring women. In contrast, episodic-memory tasks requiring visuospatial processing result in differences favoring men. There are also sex differences favoring women on episodic-memory tasks requiring both verbal and visuospatial processing and on face-recognition tasks.
Sandra Witelson is a neuroscientist who has spent much of her career studying the brains functions, and how they differ in women and men. In an interview done in, “"Science Suggests Men and Women Think Differently,” she explained her thoughts on the male and female brain. When asked about the significant differences in the male and female brain that she discovered through her research, she replied: “The very first one that I reported was that when a young boy is doing things relevant for reading, he is using one side of his brain. He uses the other side for non-reading skills. In a girl, there is much more of a bilateral involvement in these skills. So, in the normal six-year-old, the brain is organized to do the same task, but it's organized in a very different way.” In other words,...
The setting is the backbone for a novel it sets the tone and gives the reader a mental image of the time and places the story takes place. The Wuthering Heights Estate in Emily Bronte’s novel “Wuthering Heights” is one of the most important settings in the story. Wuthering Heights sets mood for the scenes taken place in the house, and reflects the life of Heathcliff through its description, furniture, windows, gates, and the vegetation.
Bronte's Use of Language and Setting in Wuthering Heights Between pages 15 and 18 there are identifiable ways in which 'Bronte' uses 'language and setting' to establish the characters and create a distinguishable atmosphere. In this essay, themes, genres and styles will be discussed to show how 'Bronte' establishes the characters; there will also be a discussion of the 'gothic' elements which Wuthering Heights contains. Many people would argue that the style of 'Wuthering Heights' is peculiar and complex, the power of Wuthering Heights owes much to its complex narrative structure and to the device of having two conventional people relate a very unconventional tale. Bronte importantly introduces the element of 'the supernatural' into chapter 3 which is an important technique as it grips the reader. Lockwood has come into contact with the ghost of Cathy, who died 18 years before, Some might argue that she is a product of Lockwood's imagination, and it is clear that Bronte has presented these facts in this way so that the reader can make up their own mind on the subject.