作者及家庭背景
Emily Brontë was born in Thornton, Yorkshire, in the north of England. Her father, the Rev. Patrick Brontë, had moved from Ireland to Weatherfield, in Essex, where he taught in Sunday school. Eventually he settled in Yorkshire, the centre of his life's work. In 1812 he married Maria Branwell of Penzance. Patrick Brontë loved poetry, he published several books of prose and verse and wrote to local newspapers. In 1820 he moved to Hawort, a poverty-stricken little town at the edge of a large tract of moorland, where he served as a rector and chairman of the parish committee.
作品背景
Wuthering Heights has been filmed several times. William Wyler's version from 1939, starring Merle Oberon as Cathy and Laurence Olivier as Heathcliff, is considered on of the screen's classic romances. However, the English writer Graham Greene criticized the reconstructing of the Yorkshire moors in the Conejo Hills in California. "How much better they would have made Wuthering Heights in France," wrote Greene. "They know there how to shoot sexual passion, but in this Californian-constructed Yorkshire, among the sensitive neurotic English voices, sex is cellophaned; there is no egotism, no obsession. So a lot of reverence has gone into a picture which should have been as coarse as a sewer." (Spectator, May 5, 1939) Luis Bunñuel set the events of the amour fou in an arid Mexican landscape. The music was based on melodies from Tristan and Isolde by Richard Wagner.
"Sleep not, dream not; this bright day
Will not, cannot last for aye;
Bliss like thine is bought by years
Dark with torment and with tears."
(from 'Sleep not', 1846)
Emily Brontë died of tuberculosis in the late 1848. She had caught cold at her brother Branwell's funeral in September. After the appearance of Wuthering Heighs, some skeptics maintained that the book was written by Branwell, on the grounds that no woman from such circumscribed life, could have written such passionate story. In 1848 Charlotte and Anne visited George Smith to reveal their identity and to help quell rumors that a single author lay behind the pseudonyms. After her sisters' deaths, Charlotte edited a second edition of their novels, with prefatory commentary aimed at correcting what she saw as the reviewers' misunderstanding of Wuthering Heights. The complex time scheme of the novel had been taken as evidence by the critics, that Emily had not achieved full formal control over her narrative materials. However, her model in layering narrative within narrative may have been Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1818). Emily's refusal to reduce ambiguity to simplistic clarity did not have any immediate influence on the novel form until Wilkie Collins experimented with multivocal first-person narratives in such works as The Woman in White (1860) and The Moonstone (1868).
内容简介
One of the finest romantic films ever filmed, this 1939 Samuel Goldwyn production rates with many - including myself - as being the most beloved version of Emily Bronte's haunting novel. Although it stops at chapter seventeen and the ending is seen as a bit trite by some, it's a brilliantly enacted, finely mounted production with beautiful photography and authentic period detail set-wise. Merle Oberon is well-cast as the selfish, vain and rather shallow Cathy. What makes her character so intriguing and interesting is that no matter what happens to her materially, she has an undying love for the gypsy-blooded heathen named Heathcliff. Laurence Olivier, never a great success in films prior to this, gives a brutally honest account of everything Bronte's Heathcliff should be: proud, bold, vengeful & darkly brooding -a tortured soul in general. Wyler's guiding hand is patent throughout: it was Olivier himself who gave credit to the meticulous director in teaching him the particular ropes of screen acting: it shows! Lady-like Isabella is well-played by the Irish Geraldine Page, while Ellen, the long-suffering servant is played sympathetically by the fine character actress Flora Robson. David Niven, ideally cast as the milquetoasty Edgar Linton, actually had a clause in his contract which freed him from having to do crying scenes! A timeless masterpiece of the "haunting" love story genre, this was Goldwyn's personal favourite of all his films.
评价(转贴)
As we know the family Bronte are British household writers.Emily Bronte is one of them.She is a poet and novelist.She wrote 193 poems and only one novel which helps her lay in English even the world literature history status.It's "Wuthering Heighes".
Wuthering Heights was a house's name.Its owner was Mr Earnshaw.He had three childern——Hindley,Catherina and Heathcliff.The last child was adopted.As time went by,Catherina and Heathcliff fell in love but Hindley hated the latter.After their father died,Hindley began to be cruel to Heathcliff.Catherina wanted to help Heathcliff get rid of Hindley,so she married with Edgar Linton.However, Heathcliff didn't know it.He was angry and left.He didn't come until he became rich and he began his revenge.Hindley always drank and play cards after his wife died.Heathcliff made use of it and own his property.Then he marride with Edgar's sister——Isabella and afflicted her.Then he made his son and Edgar's daughter get married and own Edgar's property which ended his revenge.
The whole story is filled with love and hatred.It seems love is easy to be changed into hatred.Life always don't go like we eapect.Many stones and rivers are in the way.We will meet people we don't like or the people we love hurt us.When we are confronted with these,we always burn with anger and defend against them.Maybe there will be a while you will feel very happy after you make him upset,but you'll regret sooner or later.
There is a sentence in well-known "Three Character Classic " that man 's nature is good.I believe everyone can find goodness in their hearts.But why there are still so many people in the hatred?Because they don't know how to forgive others.They are always implusive.Therefore,they should learn to control their emotions.They should calm down at first and stand on the others' side to think about if they were him,what they will do.Maybe they will understand him and become more broad -minded.
Forgive others is forgive yourself.If you hate someone,your heart will be afflicted,too.You will not feel comfortable,either.Trying to forgive others,you will find you like being released.
Besides hatred,the book also talks about love.It tells us that "All shall be well,Jack shall have Jill".At the end of the story,after Catherina and Heathcliff died,people always saw them playing togather near the church or even in Wuthering Heights.So at last,they were togather in heaven.And it also teaches me that if you love someone,try to understand him.Don't miss him.Don't care much about his money or background.Live happily is the most important.
After I read the whole story,I also find an interesting thing.In the earlier time,people didn't care about blood lineage when they intend to marry someone.Heathcliff's son was Catherina's daughter's cousin,but they got married.It will not be allowed nowadays.
At last,I want to say,we only have one life,don't do things that we will regret and try to be more tolerant.