Emily Brontรซ's Wuthering Heightsisn't just another Victorian novel -... Show more
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13/12/2025
English Literature
Wuthering Heights Context
326
โข
13 Dec 2025
โข
Understanding the Context of Wuthering Heights
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@gh0styb0i
1 / 3
Emily Brontรซ's Life and Background
Emily Brontรซ lived a rather isolated life in Yorkshire from 1818 to 1848, dying tragically young at just 30. She grew up in Haworth on the Yorkshire moors with her famous siblings Charlotte and Anne, raised by a strict religious aunt after their mother died early.
Her father was a church rector, and Emily herself became a teacher - one of the few respectable jobs available to women then. The lack of freedom she experienced, combined with the wild, stormy landscape of the Yorkshire moors, heavily influenced her writing.
Wuthering Heights was published in 1847 under the male pseudonym "Ellis Bell" because female authors weren't taken seriously. Many Victorian readers found the novel's passionate love and depictions of cruelty absolutely shocking - there's no explicit content, but the emotional intensity was considered inappropriate for the time.
Key Point: The novel draws heavily on the gothic tradition, featuring supernatural elements, dark atmospheres, and unreliable narrators - just like Frankenstein or Dracula.
Gothic Elements and the Romantic Hero
Gothic novels create atmosphere through specific elements that you'll spot throughout Wuthering Heights. Think isolated settings, supernatural events, death and violence, plus pathetic fallacy where the weather reflects the characters' emotions.
The novel features the classic Romantic Hero - a character type that was already well-established by the 1840s. These heroes are brooding and abrasive at first, appearing cold and distant, but become fiercely loving and devoted. Heathcliff fits this pattern perfectly, just like Mr Darcy or Mr Rochester from other novels you might know.
England in the 1840s was facing severe economic depression, particularly affecting industrial areas like Liverpool where Heathcliff originates. The upper classes feared revolt from the working poor, who lived in conditions so appalling that William Blake called these areas "dark Satanic Mills."
Key Point: The geographical isolation of the Yorkshire setting means normal social rules don't apply at Wuthering Heights - this freedom allows the extreme passions and behaviours to flourish.
Historical Context and Social Class
The Industrial Revolution was transforming Britain when Brontรซ wrote her novel, but the 1830s-40s brought economic recession and terrible living conditions for workers. Poor quality of life, unemployment, and unequal wages led to social unrest and violence.
Social class was rigidly structured: upper-class landowners hired working-class labourers, with a growing middle class in between, and an underclass struggling at the bottom. This system creates much of the tension in the novel, especially around Heathcliff's mysterious background and social climbing.
Emily Brontรซ herself was seen as a strange, isolated woman who rarely left her Yorkshire home. Her family suffered from frequent illness and early deaths, which explains the novel's preoccupation with mortality and suffering.
Key Point: Understanding this context of capitalism, industrial change, and rigid class structure helps explain why Heathcliff's story of revenge and social mobility was so compelling and disturbing to Victorian readers.
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This app is really great. There are so many study notes and help [...]. My problem subject is French, for example, and the app has so many options for help. Thanks to this app, I have improved my French. I would recommend it to anyone.
Samantha Klich
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Wow, I am really amazed. I just tried the app because I've seen it advertised many times and was absolutely stunned. This app is THE HELP you want for school and above all, it offers so many things, such as workouts and fact sheets, which have been VERY helpful to me personally.
Anna
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Best app on earth! no words because itโs too good
Thomas R
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Just amazing. Let's me revise 10x better, this app is a quick 10/10. I highly recommend it to anyone. I can watch and search for notes. I can save them in the subject folder. I can revise it any time when I come back. If you haven't tried this app, you're really missing out.
Basil
Android user
This app has made me feel so much more confident in my exam prep, not only through boosting my own self confidence through the features that allow you to connect with others and feel less alone, but also through the way the app itself is centred around making you feel better. It is easy to navigate, fun to use, and helpful to anyone struggling in absolutely any way.
David K
iOS user
The app's just great! All I have to do is enter the topic in the search bar and I get the response real fast. I don't have to watch 10 YouTube videos to understand something, so I'm saving my time. Highly recommended!
Sudenaz Ocak
Android user
In school I was really bad at maths but thanks to the app, I am doing better now. I am so grateful that you made the app.
Greenlight Bonnie
Android user
very reliable app to help and grow your ideas of Maths, English and other related topics in your works. please use this app if your struggling in areas, this app is key for that. wish I'd of done a review before. and it's also free so don't worry about that.
Rohan U
Android user
I know a lot of apps use fake accounts to boost their reviews but this app deserves it all. Originally I was getting 4 in my English exams and this time I got a grade 7. I didnโt even know about this app three days until the exam and it has helped A LOT. Please actually trust me and use it as Iโm sure you too will see developments.
Xander S
iOS user
THE QUIZES AND FLASHCARDS ARE SO USEFUL AND I LOVE THE SCHOOLGPT. IT ALSO IS LITREALLY LIKE CHATGPT BUT SMARTER!! HELPED ME WITH MY MASCARA PROBLEMS TOO!! AS WELL AS MY REAL SUBJECTS ! DUHHH ๐๐๐ฒ๐ค๐โจ๐๐ฎ
Elisha
iOS user
This apps acc the goat. I find revision so boring but this app makes it so easy to organize it all and then you can ask the freeeee ai to test yourself so good and you can easily upload your own stuff. highly recommend as someone taking mocks now
Paul T
iOS user
The app is very easy to use and well designed. I have found everything I was looking for so far and have been able to learn a lot from the presentations! I will definitely use the app for a class assignment! And of course it also helps a lot as an inspiration.
Stefan S
iOS user
This app is really great. There are so many study notes and help [...]. My problem subject is French, for example, and the app has so many options for help. Thanks to this app, I have improved my French. I would recommend it to anyone.
Samantha Klich
Android user
Wow, I am really amazed. I just tried the app because I've seen it advertised many times and was absolutely stunned. This app is THE HELP you want for school and above all, it offers so many things, such as workouts and fact sheets, which have been VERY helpful to me personally.
Anna
iOS user
Best app on earth! no words because itโs too good
Thomas R
iOS user
Just amazing. Let's me revise 10x better, this app is a quick 10/10. I highly recommend it to anyone. I can watch and search for notes. I can save them in the subject folder. I can revise it any time when I come back. If you haven't tried this app, you're really missing out.
Basil
Android user
This app has made me feel so much more confident in my exam prep, not only through boosting my own self confidence through the features that allow you to connect with others and feel less alone, but also through the way the app itself is centred around making you feel better. It is easy to navigate, fun to use, and helpful to anyone struggling in absolutely any way.
David K
iOS user
The app's just great! All I have to do is enter the topic in the search bar and I get the response real fast. I don't have to watch 10 YouTube videos to understand something, so I'm saving my time. Highly recommended!
Sudenaz Ocak
Android user
In school I was really bad at maths but thanks to the app, I am doing better now. I am so grateful that you made the app.
Greenlight Bonnie
Android user
very reliable app to help and grow your ideas of Maths, English and other related topics in your works. please use this app if your struggling in areas, this app is key for that. wish I'd of done a review before. and it's also free so don't worry about that.
Rohan U
Android user
I know a lot of apps use fake accounts to boost their reviews but this app deserves it all. Originally I was getting 4 in my English exams and this time I got a grade 7. I didnโt even know about this app three days until the exam and it has helped A LOT. Please actually trust me and use it as Iโm sure you too will see developments.
Xander S
iOS user
THE QUIZES AND FLASHCARDS ARE SO USEFUL AND I LOVE THE SCHOOLGPT. IT ALSO IS LITREALLY LIKE CHATGPT BUT SMARTER!! HELPED ME WITH MY MASCARA PROBLEMS TOO!! AS WELL AS MY REAL SUBJECTS ! DUHHH ๐๐๐ฒ๐ค๐โจ๐๐ฎ
Elisha
iOS user
This apps acc the goat. I find revision so boring but this app makes it so easy to organize it all and then you can ask the freeeee ai to test yourself so good and you can easily upload your own stuff. highly recommend as someone taking mocks now
Paul T
iOS user
Understanding the Context of Wuthering Heights
๐ธ๐ฆ๐ธ๏ธ๐ฑ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฌ๐ธ๏ธ๐ฆ๐ธ
@gh0styb0i
Emily Brontรซ's Wuthering Heightsisn't just another Victorian novel - it's a dark, passionate story that shocked readers when it was published in 1847. Understanding the context behind this gothic masterpiece will help you appreciate why it caused such controversy... Show more
Emily Brontรซ's Life and Background
Emily Brontรซ lived a rather isolated life in Yorkshire from 1818 to 1848, dying tragically young at just 30. She grew up in Haworth on the Yorkshire moors with her famous siblings Charlotte and Anne, raised by a strict religious aunt after their mother died early.
Her father was a church rector, and Emily herself became a teacher - one of the few respectable jobs available to women then. The lack of freedom she experienced, combined with the wild, stormy landscape of the Yorkshire moors, heavily influenced her writing.
Wuthering Heights was published in 1847 under the male pseudonym "Ellis Bell" because female authors weren't taken seriously. Many Victorian readers found the novel's passionate love and depictions of cruelty absolutely shocking - there's no explicit content, but the emotional intensity was considered inappropriate for the time.
Key Point: The novel draws heavily on the gothic tradition, featuring supernatural elements, dark atmospheres, and unreliable narrators - just like Frankenstein or Dracula.
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Gothic Elements and the Romantic Hero
Gothic novels create atmosphere through specific elements that you'll spot throughout Wuthering Heights. Think isolated settings, supernatural events, death and violence, plus pathetic fallacy where the weather reflects the characters' emotions.
The novel features the classic Romantic Hero - a character type that was already well-established by the 1840s. These heroes are brooding and abrasive at first, appearing cold and distant, but become fiercely loving and devoted. Heathcliff fits this pattern perfectly, just like Mr Darcy or Mr Rochester from other novels you might know.
England in the 1840s was facing severe economic depression, particularly affecting industrial areas like Liverpool where Heathcliff originates. The upper classes feared revolt from the working poor, who lived in conditions so appalling that William Blake called these areas "dark Satanic Mills."
Key Point: The geographical isolation of the Yorkshire setting means normal social rules don't apply at Wuthering Heights - this freedom allows the extreme passions and behaviours to flourish.
Sign up to see the contentIt's free!
Access to all documents
Improve your grades
Join milions of students
By signing up you accept Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
Historical Context and Social Class
The Industrial Revolution was transforming Britain when Brontรซ wrote her novel, but the 1830s-40s brought economic recession and terrible living conditions for workers. Poor quality of life, unemployment, and unequal wages led to social unrest and violence.
Social class was rigidly structured: upper-class landowners hired working-class labourers, with a growing middle class in between, and an underclass struggling at the bottom. This system creates much of the tension in the novel, especially around Heathcliff's mysterious background and social climbing.
Emily Brontรซ herself was seen as a strange, isolated woman who rarely left her Yorkshire home. Her family suffered from frequent illness and early deaths, which explains the novel's preoccupation with mortality and suffering.
Key Point: Understanding this context of capitalism, industrial change, and rigid class structure helps explain why Heathcliff's story of revenge and social mobility was so compelling and disturbing to Victorian readers.
We thought youโd never ask...
What is the Knowunity AI companion?
Our AI Companion is a student-focused AI tool that offers more than just answers. Built on millions of Knowunity resources, it provides relevant information, personalised study plans, quizzes, and content directly in the chat, adapting to your individual learning journey.
Where can I download the Knowunity app?
You can download the app from Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
Is Knowunity really free of charge?
That's right! Enjoy free access to study content, connect with fellow students, and get instant help โ all at your fingertips.
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Most popular content: Gothic Literature
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Can't find what you're looking for? Explore other subjects.
Students love us โ and so will you.
4.9/5
App Store
4.8/5
Google Play
The app is very easy to use and well designed. I have found everything I was looking for so far and have been able to learn a lot from the presentations! I will definitely use the app for a class assignment! And of course it also helps a lot as an inspiration.
Stefan S
iOS user
This app is really great. There are so many study notes and help [...]. My problem subject is French, for example, and the app has so many options for help. Thanks to this app, I have improved my French. I would recommend it to anyone.
Samantha Klich
Android user
Wow, I am really amazed. I just tried the app because I've seen it advertised many times and was absolutely stunned. This app is THE HELP you want for school and above all, it offers so many things, such as workouts and fact sheets, which have been VERY helpful to me personally.
Anna
iOS user
Best app on earth! no words because itโs too good
Thomas R
iOS user
Just amazing. Let's me revise 10x better, this app is a quick 10/10. I highly recommend it to anyone. I can watch and search for notes. I can save them in the subject folder. I can revise it any time when I come back. If you haven't tried this app, you're really missing out.
Basil
Android user
This app has made me feel so much more confident in my exam prep, not only through boosting my own self confidence through the features that allow you to connect with others and feel less alone, but also through the way the app itself is centred around making you feel better. It is easy to navigate, fun to use, and helpful to anyone struggling in absolutely any way.
David K
iOS user
The app's just great! All I have to do is enter the topic in the search bar and I get the response real fast. I don't have to watch 10 YouTube videos to understand something, so I'm saving my time. Highly recommended!
Sudenaz Ocak
Android user
In school I was really bad at maths but thanks to the app, I am doing better now. I am so grateful that you made the app.
Greenlight Bonnie
Android user
very reliable app to help and grow your ideas of Maths, English and other related topics in your works. please use this app if your struggling in areas, this app is key for that. wish I'd of done a review before. and it's also free so don't worry about that.
Rohan U
Android user
I know a lot of apps use fake accounts to boost their reviews but this app deserves it all. Originally I was getting 4 in my English exams and this time I got a grade 7. I didnโt even know about this app three days until the exam and it has helped A LOT. Please actually trust me and use it as Iโm sure you too will see developments.
Xander S
iOS user
THE QUIZES AND FLASHCARDS ARE SO USEFUL AND I LOVE THE SCHOOLGPT. IT ALSO IS LITREALLY LIKE CHATGPT BUT SMARTER!! HELPED ME WITH MY MASCARA PROBLEMS TOO!! AS WELL AS MY REAL SUBJECTS ! DUHHH ๐๐๐ฒ๐ค๐โจ๐๐ฎ
Elisha
iOS user
This apps acc the goat. I find revision so boring but this app makes it so easy to organize it all and then you can ask the freeeee ai to test yourself so good and you can easily upload your own stuff. highly recommend as someone taking mocks now
Paul T
iOS user
The app is very easy to use and well designed. I have found everything I was looking for so far and have been able to learn a lot from the presentations! I will definitely use the app for a class assignment! And of course it also helps a lot as an inspiration.
Stefan S
iOS user
This app is really great. There are so many study notes and help [...]. My problem subject is French, for example, and the app has so many options for help. Thanks to this app, I have improved my French. I would recommend it to anyone.
Samantha Klich
Android user
Wow, I am really amazed. I just tried the app because I've seen it advertised many times and was absolutely stunned. This app is THE HELP you want for school and above all, it offers so many things, such as workouts and fact sheets, which have been VERY helpful to me personally.
Anna
iOS user
Best app on earth! no words because itโs too good
Thomas R
iOS user
Just amazing. Let's me revise 10x better, this app is a quick 10/10. I highly recommend it to anyone. I can watch and search for notes. I can save them in the subject folder. I can revise it any time when I come back. If you haven't tried this app, you're really missing out.
Basil
Android user
This app has made me feel so much more confident in my exam prep, not only through boosting my own self confidence through the features that allow you to connect with others and feel less alone, but also through the way the app itself is centred around making you feel better. It is easy to navigate, fun to use, and helpful to anyone struggling in absolutely any way.
David K
iOS user
The app's just great! All I have to do is enter the topic in the search bar and I get the response real fast. I don't have to watch 10 YouTube videos to understand something, so I'm saving my time. Highly recommended!
Sudenaz Ocak
Android user
In school I was really bad at maths but thanks to the app, I am doing better now. I am so grateful that you made the app.
Greenlight Bonnie
Android user
very reliable app to help and grow your ideas of Maths, English and other related topics in your works. please use this app if your struggling in areas, this app is key for that. wish I'd of done a review before. and it's also free so don't worry about that.
Rohan U
Android user
I know a lot of apps use fake accounts to boost their reviews but this app deserves it all. Originally I was getting 4 in my English exams and this time I got a grade 7. I didnโt even know about this app three days until the exam and it has helped A LOT. Please actually trust me and use it as Iโm sure you too will see developments.
Xander S
iOS user
THE QUIZES AND FLASHCARDS ARE SO USEFUL AND I LOVE THE SCHOOLGPT. IT ALSO IS LITREALLY LIKE CHATGPT BUT SMARTER!! HELPED ME WITH MY MASCARA PROBLEMS TOO!! AS WELL AS MY REAL SUBJECTS ! DUHHH ๐๐๐ฒ๐ค๐โจ๐๐ฎ
Elisha
iOS user
This apps acc the goat. I find revision so boring but this app makes it so easy to organize it all and then you can ask the freeeee ai to test yourself so good and you can easily upload your own stuff. highly recommend as someone taking mocks now
Paul T
iOS user