My high school reading list and I did not get along. There were very few books I enjoyed reading at that age, and the one I remember loving the most was Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. And honestly, that tracks even to this day because I do love a dramatic, gloomy, and depressing affair with a villain at its heart.
It’s been almost two decades since I read Brontë’s classic tale, and I decided to join the reader community at large to reread Wuthering Heights in anticipation of the latest movie adaptation by director Emerald Fennell.
I was going into this reread blind because I had absolutely no memory of the story. And picking up the book amidst a miasma of movie advertising really muddied the waters and my expectations.
Was this the greatest romance of all time? Is Heathcliff the original bad boy? I learned a lot on my journey after enjoying both media, and I need to set some things straight.
A Miserable Affair and A Love Story
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The Source Material |
2026 Movie Adaptation |
| The book isn’t a romance. It’s about one man, so terribly hated and mistreated that he grows into a wretched villain who wants to burn the world down around him. Do Heathcliff’s actions stem from his love for Catherine? Absolutely. But it’s not a love story. Not even a tragic one. There is but a fleeting love that appears in this story, and it’s so fragile that it crumples like fine lace in the rain before we see generations of family members terrorized at the hands of the monster they created. | Emerald Fennell delivers the romance I never saw in Brontë’s tale. The movie is exactly the love story I had originally expected in my reread. And oh, does Fennell feed our feral hearts. She zooms in on the story to focus solely on Catherine and Heathcliff, showcasing their closeness, desires, and painful longing. We see the sacrifices they make for one another and the consequences of those choices. This truly is a love story, but it’s not a happy one. |
Red Flags and The Hopelessly Devoted
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The Source Material |
2026 Movie Adaptation |
| My heart broke for the poor, abandoned boy that Heathcliff was at the beginning of this story. And a part of me still mourns who he was before the world turned him cruel. But my god, he becomes an absolutely horrendous adult. He is vile and despicable, and not in a sexy, alluring way, ladies. He is a fascinating character and a great villain, but I would never describe his actions as romantically obsessed declarations that can be forgiven away. There is such a thing as doing bad things for love, but Heathcliff constantly crosses the line into “I’ll just make everyone as miserable as I am” territory. In the book, his touch burns, and it always leaves a nasty, red mark. | Now here is a Heathcliff you can understand and hurt for unapologetically. He’s not perfect, and his blinding love for Catherine does lead him to do and say some questionable things. But this version of Heathcliff is much softer, like a tortured, devoted soul who can’t help but take lashings for Catherine’s love. Heathcliff wants to be petty at times and seeks some revenge, but this version of the story changes so much to allow him to be made more human when Catherine’s love shines upon him. Heathcliff here is more subdued and completely devoted to Catherine, taking her punches and harsh whims in stride, if only it means he gets to be near her. |
Lost In Translation and A Visual Feast
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The Source Material |
2026 Movie Adaptation |
| Another reason why I don’t classify this story as a romance is that we see so little of the actual love shared between Catherine and Heathcliff. We get a wonderful account of how inseparable they were growing up, thanks to their nanny and the story’s narrator, Nelly. But her perspective is very limited. Nelly can’t show us the private moments that Catherine and Heathcliff share. And honestly, a lot of the nuances of their relationship get lost in the older prose because it’s wrapped in hidden meanings and flowery language that obfuscates much of what’s going on. | Words alone were enough to convey the longing and love shared between Catherine and Heathcliff here, but it strikes even deeper when we see their confusion, torment, and desire. The female gaze is all up on this story, and it’s delicious. Every shared look, subtle gesture, facial expression, and verbal declaration hooks you in and claims you as a victim of their love story. No words can capture the push-and-pull nature of their relationship. The visual elements tell a stronger love story. I gasped when Healthcliff is revealed in the misty moors, swooned when he shielded Catherine’s eyes from the rain, and withered away at the confident, smug looks he delivered over a tobacco pipe. |
Generational Trauma and Fated Lovers
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The Source Material |
2026 Movie Adaptation |
| This is a story about hurt people hurting people. One generation causes unjust pain, and the next one perpetuates it because they don’t know any better, or they’re just hell-bent on ruining everyone’s lives because their life is ruined. If this is a love story, it’s one about how love can become so corrupted that it hurts and infects everyone in terrible ways. | The movie hurts, but in a much different sense. There are terrible people and pain, whether it’s physical, verbal, or emotional. But these elements shape the tale of the fated lovers, capturing every moment that contributed to their triumph and downfall. This story only has room for Catherine and Heathcliff, and they will find a way to love each other, damn the consequences. |
I loved both Brontë’s book and Fennell’s movie, but they’re telling two very different stories. I highlighted some key differences to help you decide which story to seek out. And if you’re still not sure where to start, take this little quiz and tally up your score to see which version of Wuthering Heights will satisfy your needs.
Characters
- The characters need to be deplorable. I want to hate them and myself by the end of the story. (1 point)
- A little nuance would be good. I’d like a story with flawed characters making hard choices. (2 points)
Prose
- Flowery language and verbose prose that pulls me into the time period. (1 point)
- More modernized language with some old-timey flourishes. (2 points)
Theme
- Generational trauma (1 point)
- Fated lovers (2 points)
POV
- Let’s hear from a larger character ensemble. (1 point)
- I only have eyes for the love interests. (2 points)
Scoring:
4 points: Back to the stacks. You’re reading Emily Brontë’s beloved classic.
5 to 6 points: Lucky you! Be horrified and have your heart broken just like me after consuming both.
7 to 8 points: Feast your eyes. You’re watching Emerald Fennell’s latest interpretation.
