Wuthering Heights Reading Group

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Another gem Isabella!

A woman unto my own heart!
I am designing my Brontë themed bedroom for renovation in November. I have so many beautiful old frames that I don't know where to start with the decor. Check spoonflower.com as they have many Brontë fabrics and wallpapers etc., to get you started. The Parsonage gift shop also sells many items with Charlotte's florals.

More Moors!

It's reading time! Mid-point of Chapter 10, here I come! Everyone is welcome to post their own questions and such, so if you have any thoughts on any chapter let us know!

I'm on chapter 17 now! This is such a great book to read for Halloween!

I do find them very moreish, I must admit! One of the great things about living round here is being able to go up there alone in all weathers, outside the tourist season when Haworth Moor gets busy with sight-seers (selfish I know!) I get to experience the solitude and the beauty in the bleakness that so inspired Emily.

And thanks Isabella for all the background info; though I'm not following the reading, I found it all very fascinating.

Today's Tidbit in honour of Hallowe'en: (NOT a spoiler) .



Recounted by the siblings' father, Patrick Brontë

“When my children were very young, when as far as I can remember, the oldest was about ten years of age, and the youngest about four, thinking that they knew more than I had yet discovered, in order to make them speak with less timidity, I deemed that if they were put under a sort of cover I might gain my end. Happening to have a mask in the house, I told them all to stand and speak boldly from under the cover of that mask.

I began with the youngest (Anne, afterward Acton Bell) and asked what a child like her most wanted. She answered, ‘Age and experience, Papa'.

I asked the next (Emily, afterward Ellis Bell) what I had best to do with her brother Branwell, who was sometimes a naughty boy; she answered plainly, ‘Reason with him, and when he won’t listen to reason, whip him.'

I asked Branwell what was the best way of knowing the difference between the intellects of men and women. He answered, ‘By considering the difference between them as to their bodies’.

I then asked Charlotte (afterward, Currer Bell) what was the best book in the world and she answered, ‘The Bible’. To what was the next best, she answered, ‘The Book of Nature’.

I asked the next, Elizabeth, what was the best mode of education for a woman; she answered, ‘That which would make her rule her house well.'

Lastly, I asked the oldest, Maria, what was the best mode of spending time; she answered, ‘By laying it out in preparation for a happy eternity.'" (This is heartbreaking, as gentle Maria passed away at the age of 11 from harsh treatment at school).


I wonder what today's children would say in response to these questions?

I fell asleep half way through chapter ten last night so will have to backtrack a few pages. I find that when I fall asleep reading a kind of sleep read for a bit and none of it goes in.

Todays children would not let their parents drag them away from their playstations and xboxes! Well not all children...

A few years ago I did some nannying work for a family of three girls. It was challenging. The eldest was a budding writer, she wrote all the time and I encouraged her (and the others) by indulging in fantasy games and story writing where they were the stars.

Let us hope they would respond differently than Branwell to the question of women's intellect! I have my doubts about some grown men.

I couldn't figure out what he meant.

Please clarify? Who, when?

Thank you, Sianann!
Please feel free to post again when you are able.

Branwell when asked the question about the sexes. In that thing you posted about their father and the mask.

It's ironic because he grew up to be somewhat sex-obsessed, fired from several jobs for misconduct and for one tutoring post in particular where, depending on the source, he either seduced the lady of the house or seduced his young, male student. He was fired in disgrace which is partly why the sisters were so desperate to secure income for the family. I might add that as the only son, Branwell felt oppressive pressure to succeed and to provide for his siblings. Much was made of his gender and its role as a distinguishing feature throughout his life. It's not surprising he mentioned body parts.

Branwell experienced many feelings of failure and became an opioid addict and alcoholic. He had a robust sexual appetite and some even speculate there were incestuous activities in his home with one of his unnamed yet reclusive sisters. Hmmm.
Based on my research I do think he molested the young boy at Thorp Green, but I can't be conclusive. It appears he also had a sexual relationship with the town sexton and members of the Three Graces Masonic Temple which he attended for two years.

It seems all of the children made prophetic statements about their future characters behind the mask. Anne spoke of her youth, and feeling patronised as the baby of the family. This sentiment continued throughout her life, especially in response to Charlotte's domineering personality. Emily spoke of whips. Charlotte spoke of the Bible (think, Helen Burns and St. John), Elizabeth and Maria spoke of predestination / and heavenly salvation: they both died by age 11.

Heathcliff embracing Isabella Linton


Spoken by Heathcliff to Catherine

Spoiler Alert for chapter 28!

I can't decide what to feel for Heathcliff now. On one hand i feel so sorry for him ever since the beginning but still his treatment of Linton and Cathy and even Nelly is unacceptable. He constantly chooses to spread his pain to others and it somehow dulled my sympathy for him. But still remembering his childhood with Catherine breaks my heart. It shows that even the most horrible people can genuinely fall in love, and get hurt just the same.