DAYS, NIGHTS AND WUTHERING HEIGHTS
By greenleafT
Hi! I'm new here. Rather cheekily, I've named this column after my book.
My story is daring and controversial, so I've been given an opportunity to explain why I'm messing up Emily Bronte's classic novel.
And, later on, I'll be writing about some categories of fiction on Wattpad.
OK... Cue dramatic music, darkly romantic, full of the sense of loss and yearning.
Cue Cathy, her long dress billowing, her tangled locks flying, as she runs across picturesque moorland towards...
Ruggedly handsome Heathcliff, in an unbuttoned loose white shirt and breeches (buttoned!).
And the lovers run towards each other...
Cue horrible screechy rewind effect.
As, in an act of sheer cultural vandalism, I restart proceedings with the pop-up blurb for my book.
NON-TEEN ROMANCE (G)
INTRODUCTION
'A controversial take on Emily Bronte's classic novel. Sophie and Leo are both novelists. They collaborate to write a startling book that tells the story of Heathcliff's abused wife, Isabella. The authors, who have both suffered bereavement, grow closer. But who, precisely, is writing the book - the couple, or the mysterious 'Scribs'?'
Admittedly, you probably do have to be at least half-crazy to question the great Emily Bronte's treatment of one of her characters - and then go to the extreme of writing a novel based on your objections. Well, if I'm crazy, I'm in the right company, because there have been many theories regarding the mental health of some of the Heights' main characters!
I start my story in the modern world with Sophy and Leo. However, in keeping with the novel's dark moods and complexities, they are both bereaved. Leo's late wife was, like me, a Bronte fan but - strangely enough - shared my objections to the way in which Isabella, an abused woman, was depicted. Leo has promised to tell Isabella's story - if given some imaginative leeway. He asks Sophie to write the book with him. Their collaboration and developing relationship is one of three storylines.
It all sounds gloomy but hey, I'm writing it, so it should be colourful as well as edgy - and I hope it provides food for thought.
The second narrative is the book the novelists write about Isabella.
Then they add the third storyline, which is linked to the other two and is set in a rough, tough, challenging future. In fact, a venture into a type of sci-fi!
Why three stories? Partly in tribute to Emily Bronte's complicated narrative techniques. Partly for the buzz, because it seems interesting; and partly to see how the three worlds interact.
I'll mention two of the main influences on me.
The seeds were sown when I read Margaret Drabble's Introduction to the Everyman edition, copyright originally 1978. I think we're allowed to quote for academic purposes, so I shall. She wrote:
'Heathcliff's abuse of Isabella, and Emily's tacit approval of that abuse, leave an uneasy impression.'
Her words, which I now regard as classic British understatement, set me on the trail that led to my book.
Another significant influence was the 2011 film of Wuthering Heights, directed by Andrea Arnold. This is known as the one with 'the black Heathcliff'. It is an impressive, pared-down version of the story.
To quote from The Guardian's critic, Philip Bradshaw, 10 Nov 2011: it shows the 'real, unpretty toughness of the moors' and the 'hardscrabble existence' of farming families there. As Heathcliff, the foundling child, is black, he meets with 'overt and brutal racism' from, in particular, the son of the house. Cathy, though, befriends him and they embark on a 'passionate childhood romance'.
But then the father of the family dies. Heathcliff's supposed brother treats him badly. Cathy, though she loves Heathcliff deeply, marries someone more genteel, with money. Oh dear. Cue turmoil.
NEXT WEEK: A QUIZ FOR BOOKWORMS
A LOOK AT FANTASY, IN THE 'HEIGHTS' AND ON WATTPAD
PLUS DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF ISABELLA
ANY QUESTIONS? Please post them on the Mag's profile page, or on mine.
