While viewers are divided into two camps and arguing about the film “Wuthering Heights” by Emerald Finnell, we offer you a few passionate and dark stories that will appeal to all lovers of Emily Bronte's Gothic novel.
“Far from the Madding Crowd,” Thomas Hardy
One of the last representatives of Victorian literature, the English writer Thomas Hardy is most often mentioned when it comes to books in the style of “Wuthering Heights”. Like Emily Bronte, Hardy criticizes the patriarchal system of old England and the moral norms of contemporary society. His novels mostly deal with love triangles – love, rather unhappy, although very passionate. That is why the release of new works by Hardy was accompanied by heated discussions and scandals at the time.
Those who liked the novel “Wuthering Heights” are recommended to read Hardy's book “Far from the Madding Crowd” from 1874, which brought the author worldwide success. First of all, it is the story of a woman who challenges social norms; a story of love and trials. The events of the novel unfold on a farm in Wessex and tell about the relationship of a young woman, Bathsheba Everdeen, with her neighbor William Boldwood, the faithful shepherd Gabriel Oak and the carefree Sergeant Troy. The heroine, Bathsheba Everdeen, is one of the most courageous women in classical literature, whom the author himself described as “Elizabeth in mind, Mary Stuart in spirit.”
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“Jamaica Tavern”, Daphne du Maurier
A brilliant master of the psychological thriller, English writer Daphne du Maurier is famous for her talent for telling mystical, sophisticated stories, the main characters of which are usually women. The novel “Jamaica Tavern” brought world fame to Alfred Hitchcock's 1939 film adaptation, who subtly felt and knew how to interpret du Maurier's mystical plots.
Set against the backdrop of Cornwall, a dangerous story unfolds that keeps the reader in suspense from the first line to the last: 23-year-old Mary Yellan moves in with her aunt, who runs a gloomy tavern on the moors. She learns that her uncle leads a gang of smugglers who rob ships, and is forced to fight for her own life, revealing dangerous family secrets. If you love classic Gothic literature, diving into the world of du Maurier will bring real pleasure.
“The Stranger of Wildfell Hall”, Anne Brontë
The events of the novel by Anne Brontë, the youngest of the three Brontë sisters, take place in Yorkshire. The young widow Helen Graham settles with her son in the abandoned manor of Wildfell Hall. Her independent behavior causes condemnation from the locals. Only her neighbor Gilbert Markham is irresistibly drawn to Helen, despite numerous gossip. After all, behind the unusual lifestyle of the mysterious Mrs. Graham lies a multitude of secrets…
“The Stranger of Wildfell Hall” is a bold novel for its time, in which the author openly criticizes the position of women in society at that time. Anne Brontë died of tuberculosis at the age of 29.
“The Count of Monte Cristo”, Alexandre Dumas
Love, revenge, social inequality, and injustice are the main themes of the novel “Wuthering Heights,” and in this sense it echoes the classic of French adventure literature, Alexandre Dumas' novel “The Count of Monte Cristo.” In our selection, this is the only book that centers not on a woman going against society, but on a man.
Since school, we know the story of Edmond Dantes, unjustly imprisoned in the Château de If, where he spent 14 years. After his escape, Dantes, consumed by rage and a desire for revenge, finds his offenders and destroys their careers, reputations, and families, but revenge brings him no consolation.
“Rebecca”, Daphne du Maurier
“Rebecca” by Daphne du Maurier was written in 1938 and has since been repeatedly recognized as one of the best detective novels of all time. If you have seen or even heard of Hitchcock's film, the plot of “Rebecca” is already familiar to you. It is the story of a young woman who meets a British aristocrat named Maximilian in Monte Carlo – a widower whose wife died while on a yacht. The heroine moves to Maximilian's Cornish estate, where she encounters the hostility of the housekeeper and servants and constantly feels the presence of her deceased wife in the house. What happens next is better not to retell, but to read.