Wuthering Heights: Context

This 31-slide PowerPoint introduces key context to Emily Brontë’s ‘Wuthering Heights’.

Students begin by looking at various cover designs of the novel, identifying recurring themes and ideas, before delving into the biographical and literary lives of the Brontës. This then moves into specific focus on Emily Brontë and her trailblazing literary work. The novel’s fascinating publication history and early reviews are explored, before examining how Brontë was influended by Romanticism and the Gothic genre.

Further socio-political context is provided about 19th century England, from Victorian moral frameworks to society’s gender dynamics. Students consider to what extent the novel can be considered a ‘romance’ before exploring its key themes and style as a novel of contrasts and extremes.

Some critical and scholarly ideas about the novel are included for discussion, along with recommendations for how students can take their study of the novel further through cinematic adaptations.