16:50 It's alludeed to in Chapter 7 that Francis may have an underlying health condition. Nelly states I did remark, to be sure, that mounting the stairs made her breathe very quick; that the least sudden noise set her all in a quiver, and that she coughed troublesomely sometimes: but I knew nothing of what these symptoms portended, and had no impulse to sympathise with her. " Then in chapter 8 we find out that she has consumption. A servant announces the birth of Hindley to Nelly, and her statement includes the line "But the doctor says missis must go: he says she’s been in a consumption these many months." And Hindley turns away the doctor with the line “I know you need not-she’s well-she does not want any more attendance from you! She never was in a consumption. It was a fever; and it is gone: her pulse is as slow as mine now, and her cheek as cool.”

@JosephFrancisBurton

12 күн бұрын

YES - very good points, and I think you are right! It is much more planned than on my first reading. This novel is certainly carefully planned out before writing!!

I finally had time to watch this. It was great hearing your thoughts! Thanks for the shout-out.

@JosephFrancisBurton

Ай бұрын

Thank you for listening in!!

28:08 I know that I didn't pick up on the obvious explanation the first time that I read that bit. If I understand correctly it's likely that Heathcliff tried to hang his new wife's pet, which unfortunately lines up with what we know of his character. In chapter 12 when Catherine is having mental health-related issues she states "This feather was picked up from the heath, the bird was not shot: we saw its nest in the winter, full of little skeletons. Heathcliff set a trap over it, and the old ones dared not come. I made him promise he’d never shoot a lapwing after that, and he didn’t. Yes, here are more! Did he shoot my lapwings, Nelly? Are they red, any of them? Let me look.” While she's not a reliable narrator at that point in the novel, it suggests that Heathcliff has a history of animal cruelty.

@JosephFrancisBurton

12 күн бұрын

My first thought was a haunting!! But then I understood that Heathcliff does indeed engage in animal cruelty. I never thought that Nelly was an unreliable narrator!! Very interesting!! I had never considered that - oh my, that would make this novel so much more complex for my poor little brain to handle!! HAHA thank you for the omment.

@MorganJ

12 күн бұрын

@@JosephFrancisBurton I meant that Cathy was an unreliable narrator in that moment (due to her mental health crisis), but you are absolutely right, the story at that point is being told through Nelly, so she is the narrator.

5:06 The Brontë family had firsthand experience with sudden deaths, unfortunately. Emily's oldest two sisters died from an illness contrated at school*, and I forget how old Emily was when her mother died, but it was quite young. *I'm not actually certain what their cause of death was for certain - I've heard typhus, but upon googling it this appears to be disputed.

@JosephFrancisBurton

12 күн бұрын

OH I am well aware that early death was very common in the Victorian Era - my concern here is that it is used here as a plot device whenever we need to remove a character to increase Heathcliff's power over the property. I asked myself how this story would progress if all the adult characters of the first half of the novel had survived! HAHA, but on the other hand, you are definitely correct. So tragic that the Bronte's themselves died so young!!

I plan to do something soon with Wuthering. An oratory of some sort. Thank you for this inspiration!

@JosephFrancisBurton

4 күн бұрын

OH GREAT!! Glad to help HAHA - I just subscribed to your channel and am looking forward to it!

11:32 I don't understand how that would work with the timeline of the novel. Isabella never returns to the Grange after she marries Heathcliff; she's essentially disowned.

@JosephFrancisBurton

12 күн бұрын

Morgan, it is only a hint - the comment is made that Linton looks nothing like his father Heathcliff but rather looks like his uncle Edgar is suggestive. That is just my reading though!

I love how you specify "appears" at 8:18. To me, it feels like the question of whether or not Mr. Lockwood literally saw a ghost or dreamed it up is left vague or up for interpretation on purpose.

@JosephFrancisBurton

12 күн бұрын

Yeah, I read several reviews where it is always said that Lockwood was always having bad dreams - as I read the novel it looks more ambiguous to me. It seems to me that the whole Wuthering property is haunted - but maybe not? I do like the ambiguity.

I am going to find Libby now

The Victorians hated this book... Emily was way ahead of her time!

@JosephFrancisBurton

12 күн бұрын

If George Eliot's essay 'Silly Novels by Lady Novellists' is any guide, Ellis Bell was certainly not silly!! Thank you for visiting.

Excellent video/discussion! Wuthering Heights is my favourite book so I'm very opinionated about it, lol.

@JosephFrancisBurton

12 күн бұрын

Morgan, thank you so much for taking the time to listen to my discussion and leaving your thoughtful comments. Just one person doing that makes recording these videos worthwhile to me. Thank you again!!!

@MorganJ

12 күн бұрын

@@JosephFrancisBurton Wuthering Heights is my favourite book, so it was awesome to hear your commentary on it! I'm glad that you appreciated my comments. Hope you have a great day!

Hi Joe, I'm gonna watch this in the next three hours, no later than 10pm GMT (4pm MST)