Two Polish theses

A couple of Polish Brontë-related recent theses:

Immortality and charm of Wuthering Heights. Selected adaptations of the novel by Emily Brontë
by Judyta Mrowiec

Jagiellonian University, 2020

Wuthering Heights is the only published literary work written by Ellis Bell. The full name of the author is Emily Jane Brontë, who published her work under a male pseudonym in December 1847. Nowadays this novel is considered a classic position in English literature, but before that was considered immoral and was under the fire of criticism. The premiere of the novel in Poland took place in 1929 and was then published under the title Satanic Love, translated by Janika Sujkowska. The Polish edition under the original title was released only after the Second World War. The story of the tragic love of Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff has gained a huge crowd of fans around the world, so it is not surprising that it has had several dozen film and television adaptations. The most popular European version of the work of Brontë is the film Wuthering Heights (1992) directed by Peter Kosminsky. In this adaptation, Juliette Binoche played the role of Catherine and Ralph Fiennes in Heathcliff. Wuthering Heights tell about the power of feelings, emotions and how a love full of passion and madness can end tragically, which gradually turns into hatred. The novel also shows what a man blinded by his unrestrained vengeance is capable of. The religious theme is also important, as it shows the duplicity of very pious and godly people, often for show only. All these motives were presented by describing the history of as many as three generations of two gentry families. In my master's thesis, I would like to pay special attention to various visions of a female portrait - the main character of Wuthering Heights, i.e. Catherine Earnshaw-Linton. As a source, I will use a literary model in the form of a novel by Emily Brontë. I will compare the image of the heroine created by the author with her interpretations in film adaptations. The action of the novel takes place at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries - so it will be necessary to familiarize the reader with the English customs of that period. One of the main goals of the work will be to prove that Brontë wrote a universal novel (including a characteristic female character), which the authors eagerly reach from the 1920s until today. This is evidenced by, among others number of screenings and film and TV adaptations, as well as miniseries. Certain issues outlined in this literary work are timeless, such as ethnic prejudices, the struggle for power, the importance of a man's wealth and origin in a woman's decision to marry, and the application of double standards of morality. I will analyze three out of the wide range of available productions, namely: Wuthering Heights, dir. Robert Fuest, Great Britain 1970 (104 min) Wuthering Heights, dir. Peter Kosminsky, USA-UK, 1992 (105min) Wuthering Heights, dir. Andrea Arnold, Great Britain 2011 (128min)

Representations of Evil in Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
by Magdalena Zając

Jagiellonian University, 2020

Since suffering is an inseparable part of human life, many people have tried to understand its cause – Evil. The greatest mystery is finding an answer to the question what actually causes man to undertake ominous acts. This bachelor’s thesis will focus on presenting the type of Evil that has taken control over the Mary Shelley’s Creature and Victor Frankenstein, Emily Bronte’s Heathcliff and Hindley and Robert Louis Stevenson’s Dr Jekyll and what is more it will try to understand it’s origin. What exactly has driven above-mentioned characters to commit evil deeds? Were their reasons justified? Are those characters worth of redemption? This bachelor’s thesis is supposed to answer these questions.