Wuthering Heights was Emily BrontĂ«’s a. second novel b. third novel c. only novel
Heathcliff and Catherine’s relationship is best described as a. innocent and silly b. strong and healthy c. messy and cruel
Brontë originally published the novel a. anonymously b. under the name of her sister, Charlotte Brontë c. under the pseudonym Ellis Bell
Discussion/essay questions
Do you think it is important for characters in stories to be likable? Why or why not? When is it useful to have likable characters? When is it not?
Transcript
Wuthering Heights is an 1847 novel by English author Emily BrontĂ«. It was the only novel BrontĂ« ever completed. It tells the doomed love story of the characters Heathcliff and Catherine. The depiction of romance in Wuthering Heights was very unconventional for its time. Heathcliff and Catherine’s relationship is messy and cruel. Throughout the novel, they repeatedly harm each other and the people around them, causing tragic deaths for many characters. The book was shocking to readers at the time, who found the subject matter morally offensive. Even BrontĂ«’s sister, author Charlotte BrontĂ«, thought some of the topics were questionable. Wuthering Heights was originally published under the pseudonym Ellis Bell. BrontĂ« and her sisters all used male pseudonyms so their writing would be taken seriously. She did not receive credit for the novel until after her death in 1848.
Her first novel was a. Sense and Sensibility b. Pride and Prejudice c. Persuasion
The name Austen originally published under was simply a. “a writer” b. “a gentleman” c. “a lady”
Discussion/essay questions
Why do you think Jane Austen published her novels anonymously? Why might a writer not want to be known?
Transcript
Jane Austen was an English writer. She was born in 1775 in Steventon, Hampshire, to a middle-class family. She began writing when she was only eleven years old. In 1797, she started her first novel, Sense and Sensibility. When she published it in 1811, she didn’t use her own name. The first edition of the book simply claimed to be written “by a lady“. Austen wrote six novels, all of which used satire to criticize social expectations. She earned very little money for her work. Although many of her stories are about love and marriage, Austen never married, which was very unusual for a woman in her time. Her brother, Henry, revealed that Austen was the author of her novels after her death in 1817. Many people credit her with helping to shape the way modern novels are written.
Although Pride and Prejudice was published in 1813, the story contains themes that are still important today. Some people see the novel as one of the earliest examples of feminism in literature. What makes Elizabeth Bennet an empowering character for women?
Why do you think Jane Austen decided to publish this novel anonymously?
Transcript
Pride and Prejudice is a romantic novel written by English author Jane Austen. The novel was originally published anonymously in 1813. At the time, women were often expected to marry into wealthy families. The story’s protagonist, Elizabeth Bennet, is a young woman who feels pressured by her family to marry for money. When her sisters and friends are all starting to find husbands, Elizabeth meets a wealthy man named Mr. Darcy. Darcy is interested in Elizabeth, and asks her to marry him. At first, Elizabeth has no interest in his proposal. She believes Darcy is arrogant and selfish, and she refuses to marry someone she doesn’t love. Throughout the book, however, Darcy grows into a person that Elizabeth can respect, and Elizabeth realizes that she judged him too harshly when they first met. The story ends with the two of them happily married.
