Educational Media Reviews Online

This film is a short description and study discussion of the themes, characters, and settings in the book Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. A short background into the life of Emily Bronte is given, to acquaint the reader with her sources and inspirations for the book. Scenes from Haworth, England, her childhood home, are shown, and Emily's love of the moors is discussed in relation to the landscape behind Wuthering Heights. The book itself was published under the pseudonym Ellis Bell in 1848, and Emily died of tuberculosis later that year.

The video discusses the idea of the two main narrators of Wuthering Heights: an outer narrator, Lockwood, who is a detached observer of the events; and an inner narrator, the housekeeper Nelly Dean. These two narrators are able to transport the reader back and forth in time, to tell the story of the inhabitants of Wuthering Heights. The video also discusses the many images and symbols that are used throughout the book. Elemental images such as fire, water, air, and earth have important meanings to the main characters, Catherine and Heathcliff. Animal images also represent certain characters. The use of closed and open windows, doors, and gates are incorporated to enhance the feelings of isolation, separation, and openness of the characters' relationships. Finally, references to hell and the devil are particularly used in association with Heathcliff's character.

Any English class or professor that has Wuthering Heights as required reading will want to view this video sometime during the reading and discussion of the book. There are wonderful nature scenes of the moors of England, as well as important discussions on the use of images throughout the book. I would highly recommend this video for use when reading this book in high school or college English classes, and would recommend its use during any discussion of the English 19th century Romantic writers.