The Tamesis
Wuthering Heights Tell us that love should hurt. Actually it should burn. In Emily Bronte’s own words, it rips your heart out, digs out your soul, and drives you crazy. Fans of the controversial but highly anticipated adaptation starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi were reminded of this when the first full trailer for the 19th-century classic was released this fall.
The trailer depicts Cathy (Robbie) and Heathcliff (Elordie) meeting as children and becoming embroiled in what it calls “the greatest love story ever told.” While it’s unclear how far Fennell will deviate from the 1847 novel – the film has prompted skepticism from literary figures who point out that Heathcliff is described as “dark-skinned” in the book and Cathy wears a shiny red dress in the film, among other things – it will be a major cinematic event, with an original song by Charli XCX and a Valentine’s Day release date.
Make no mistake: Wuthering HeightsFocusing on the strong bond that develops between Cathy and Heathcliff, and the destruction that ensues when social mobility prevents them from being together, it’s a heartbreaking story that offers meaningful commentary on everything from class and revenge to intergenerational trauma. But for me, it’s always been about one thing and one thing only, and that’s Heathcliff, aka literature’s original bastard. Thoughtful, handsome, and irreparably troubled, he epitomizes everything a straight woman should be frombut still tend to run toward. I At least do this.
Unfortunately, I’ve had a long-standing crush on terrible men. Those high-performing alcoholics who swear off alcohol after an argument, only to get hammered a week later? Tick. Those self-destructive avoidants who are addicted to you one minute and repulse you the next? Tick. Those tortured artists who haven’t discovered Bedstead yet and trade in empty promises and constant love bombing? Tick, tick, and then a few more ticks.
I blame it all on the Brontës—partly because it’s more convenient than analyzing my own self-destructive patterns, but mostly because I still believe that the precedent for chasing toxic love stories was set for me by Heathcliff in my teenage years. To be clear, he is indeed a hateful character in the books. Not only does this man growl and scare children, but he also hangs dogs and beats women (obviously, these are personality traits we should all ignore when dating).
