as 'A Predecessor to BookTok’s Dark Romance Obsession'.
Wuthering Heights is “right” in the sense of phenomenal writing, but also because it’s wrong in all the right ways.
Brontë does not shy away from physical and mental abuse. However, the book treats these issues with the respect they rightfully deserve. Brontë paints a portrait of generational trauma, oppression, and passion-inflicted violence that stands out from many other books of her generation. Even today, the book’s approach to “dark romance” remains uniquely nuanced. For lovers of gothic literature or romanticism, Wuthering Heights also contains the best of both worlds.
Tragedy is at the heart of Wuthering Heights, with the question of “what could have been” constantly at the back of the reader’s mind. We follow two troublesome kids, Cathy and Heathcliff, as they develop a sweet juvenile romance. But due to a combination of external coercion and inner conflicts, an invisible barrier begins to form between them.
Ultimately, their love is intense and corrosive; it allows their humanity to shine through while simultaneously catalyzing each character’s self-destruction.
Many popular dark romance tropes today trace back to Wuthering Heights, but the book subverts them in surprising ways as well.
To start out, while Emily Brontë didn’t invent forbidden love, she certainly helped redefine what it could mean. While the foundational work of forbidden love, Romeo and Juliet, focuses on the mutual conflict between two aristocratic families, Wuthering Heights is built on class conflict and racial discrimination. But the book doesn’t use them as side pieces; it dives deep into how such issues shapes each character, and how that in turn perpetuates a cycle of abuse.
Forced proximity, obsession, and enemies-to-lovers are also popular modern-day tropes you can find in this 19th century novel. And you can be sure that Brontë doesn’t shy away from giving heavier topics their due diligence.
You’ll find yourself screaming at the characters for making all the wrong choices, but at the same time, you know perfectly why they would make that decision. That all makes it an excruciating read—but an excruciatingly good one.
So at the end of the day, we’re left with one question: Why read dark romance at all? Why can’t we just be satisfied with romance, and why are so many of us drawn to the darker side that fiction provides? The same thing applies to consuming tragedy, horror, and similar genres. They’re not feel-good material, but something about them fascinates us regardless.
I propose that it all has to do with catharsis—referring to the release of strong or repressed emotions. Originally, the term was popularized by Aristotle to explain how tragic stories heal the mind by allowing us to experience emotional purging without having to go through actual tragedies. In dark romance, a similar process applies. Most readers trudge through the psychological turmoil because they expect that at the end, the “romance” part of “dark romance” promises a strong emotional payoff.
Moreover, dark romance also draws to mind issues that are usually not present in the mainstream. Such issues usually tie into domestic spheres; thus, writers and consumers are more likely to brush them aside. But the dynamics that underlie romance also reflect bigger problems laced within our society. Dark romance, particularly those written with literary sensibilities, often directly address these issues and seeks to bring these hidden depths to the surface.
As with all cultural phenomena, a trend often originates from a convention-breaking product that shocks, intrigues, and captures. For a genre that’s constantly “trending” throughout different time periods, it’s interesting to see where it all started. (Nea Le)
Born on the 4th, 13th, 22nd, and 31st — Charlotte Brontë
Charlotte Brontë is known for her novel Jane Eyre, mirroring the disciplined, resilient nature of these birth dates. Aligned with the vibration of 4, these individuals are the architects of their own reality, known for pragmatic focus and concentrated efforts. Similarly, Brontë carried a deep commitment to integrity and strong personal ethics. (MaKayla McRae)
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