‘Wuthering Heights’ was never a romance 

When my friend told me that a new film adaptation was to be made of the 1847 novel “Wuthering Heights” by Emily Brontë, suffice to say the English major in me was beside herself. But as I learned more about the nature of this remake, I grew increasingly wary. Much has been debated on the Internet about such issues as the casting of big-name actors Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, the removal of racial identity from the story and even the significance of the quotation marks that surround the title. Yet there is one more thing that worries me about the upcoming film: the way it wrongfully portrays the story as a romance. 

The marketing for the film has painted the relationship between the two main characters, Catherine and Heathcliff, as the pinnacle of yearning, unruly love and passion left to run loose. The official trailer claims in big, bold letters that the film is “inspired by the greatest love story of all time.” It appropriates the quote “Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.” The film is even set to release the day before Valentine’s Day. Regardless of any nuance the film eventually attempts to portray in the relationship, the way it has been advertised has already guided its reception. 

Yet “Wuthering Heights” is not a romance at all. Rather, it is a work that exposes the worst of human tendencies: violence, hatred and all-consuming lust and attachment. Undoubtedly the most memorable aspect of the plot is the rocky relationship between the adopted siblings Catherine and Heathcliff, which is so tumultuous that it literally kills Catherine. Despite their genuine love for each other, their relationship should not be mistaken, and definitely notparaded as any sort of ideal.  

Consider the reality of their love from the original work: Catherine gives herself up entirely, passionately professing “I am Heathcliff.” After Catherine’s untimely death – which, again, was caused by the stress of her love affair –Heathcliff cries out in a similar vein, “You said I killed you – haunt me then… I cannot live without my life! I cannot live without my soul!” Then, he takes violent, grief-ridden revenge on the entire family Catherine had married into– a spectacle that spans half the book. The story ends by saying that the ghosts of the two can sometimes be seen roaming the moors, a sign that even in death they do not rest. 

The Gothic nature of the novel further solidifies the dysfunction of their relationship. The mysterious and medieval abode, the presence of supernatural beings from the very beginning and the stormy, windy and wuthering atmosphere are all key tropes of the Gothic genre. It is clear that Catherine and Heathcliff embody the final and most notable trope: the damsel in distress who is held captive, literally and or figuratively, by the Byronic hero, a morally slantcharacter prone to fits of passion and insanity. 

Therefore, the framing of the story as simply a passionate romance is mistaken and reckless. It’s not just insulting to me as a Brontë enthusiast who appreciates the original subject matter; it’s also true that with this remake, the warning of the peril of toxic love is being overwritten, and the violence within either discarded or romanticized. In our age, with increasing understanding and awareness of dangerous relationship dynamics, one would hope that we would honor the novel that has been exploring those themes since the 19th century. To neglect that aspect is to disrupt the legacy of the novel that taught us how not to love.   

Now, of course, adapting any classic novel is a big undertaking. After all, to turn “Wuthering Heights” into a blockbuster movie is to reestablish the story’s legacy. The director Emerald Fennell herself said the film is based on “a version [she] remembered reading, which isn’t quite real.” While that’s not inherently a bad thing, it becomes one when it entails rewriting the novel’s major themes which are of such great social importance.  

Simply put, if Fennell wanted to tell another story, she could have just done that. Instead, the classic is being buried beneath this unbefitting adaptation. As far as I can tell, this film will be one which glorifies the kind of love that destroys us and corrupts the true meaning of a classic novel.