A gorilla reading Wuthering Heights

Today marks the 177th anniversary of the publication of Jane Eyre.

But it's (almost) all about Wuthering Heights these days. The Torch--a university newspaper--has an op-ed on the so-called 'Whitewashing of Wuthering Heights' which serves to prove that article on university students being unable to read whole books and/or grasp their meaning.

Within the first two pages of Emily Bronte’s “Wuthering Heights,” it is made abundantly clear how main character Heathcliff appears in the novel:

 “He is a dark-skinned gipsy in aspect, in dress and manners a gentleman.”

As the main male character and love interest to Catherine Earnshaw, Heathcliff was an orphan in Liverpool brought to Wuthering Heights by Mr. Earnshaw, Catherine’s father, and made her “adopted sister.” Through the use of multiple narrators, the novel unfolds the story of Heathcliff and Catherine’s tumultuous relationship as they weave in and out of each other’s lives. 

Actor Jacob Elordi, rumored to be playing this role in a new adaptation, is unfit to star not because of talent, personality or lack of sisterly relation to potential co-star Margot Robbie — but because of his race. 

In ignorance of the original characters in the novel, director Emerald Fennell (“Promising Young Woman,” “Saltburn”) has cast a pair that will make the film marketable and a ‘must-see’ for fans. But what about fans of the novel itself? 

Why can’t the industry cast roles not based on current marketability, but instead on accuracy? It feels as if this movie is meant to be an extension of the Elordi and Robbie movie star streak and less of an adaptation of a classic, beloved novel.  

Fans of the novel have taken to social media to express their disdain and outrage towards this new production. Many have “fancasted” actors  Dev Patel and Elle Fanning to be the leading characters in the film due to their appearance, nature and age. Others also argue that a main point of contention with Catherine’s family in the novel is Heathcliff’s race, and a white actor should not be the representation of this.

Hollywood is infamous for casting actors and actresses based on their current relevance or popularity — not on whether they fit the role. This isn’t the only time that adaptations were grossly misrepresented just to fill them with A-listers. [...]

The biggest problem with how Hollywood casts is the blatant lack of accuracy and respect for the original text. Instead of creating a film that is true to the book or work it is based on, the industry casts whoever is the most popular at the time. Though it may seem obvious why trending actors are cast, there is no room left for up-and-coming talent to get their big break.

Doesn’t it seem like all of the same actors and actresses are starring in every major film this past year, or even a few years? Clearly, A-list actors are sought after for roles, but how many characters can they play in such a short time?

Even Robbie’s character, Catherine, is an interesting choice given the character’s nature. Especially with the success and fandom of “Barbie,” having Robbie play Catherine, who is a “spoiled and often arrogant” young girl, feels inaccurate and out of place. Catherine is 15-years-old for the majority of the novel, and Robbie is over twice her age, being 34-years-old. 

This is not to say that Elordi and Robbie will not succeed in their roles; both are capable and talented actors. The bottom line is that so many other talented people could play the roles of Heathcliff and Catherine like the novel intended. The characters of the novel are described how they are, and this sentiment should remain true in any adaptation. (Olivia Rainson)

Had she gone beyond the first two pages of the novel, she would have seen that the descriptions of Heathcliff vary wildly and serve only to emphasise that he's an outsider. He's so ignored that they don't even agree on what he looks like. Had she gone beyond social media, she would have seen that the matter of Heathcliff's origins has been a subject of very interesting--thankfully much deeper--debate for decades.

The Onion jokes about a zoo gorilla that 'Looks Bored Out Of Mind Reading Wuthering Heights'. Well, that could be us reading one more clueless column on Heathcliff.

Observing the 300-pound captive ape from the other side of his enclosure, Lincoln Park Zoo guests expressed empathy this week for western lowland gorilla Nzinga, who looked bored out of his mind reading Wuthering Heights. 

Concerned visitors reported seeing the 26-year-old silverback resting his head on his hairy fist as he stared down at the pages of the classic tale about social class, passion, and revenge, which, with the exception of a few plants and rocks, was seemingly the only enrichment item within the exhibit at his disposal. According to sources, Nzinga’s posture slumped lower and lower throughout the afternoon as he plodded through the turgid prose of the 1847 gothic novel by Emily Brontë.

“Poor thing. Imagine being forced to sit in a cage all day with nothing to do but read about Heathcliff pacing around a mansion and growing bitter with resentment through the years,” said 43-year-old Elmhurst, IL resident Angela Kreusler, who sighed and shook her head as she watched the great ape fidget with the corner of a page. “It’s such a shame. Gorillas need constant stimulus. You can tell he’s not engaged. Just look at the way he yawns every time he turns a page.”

“Can’t they at least give him a Jack Reacher book or something?” added Kreusler, crossing her arms in indignation. 

Zoo visitors told reporters they feared that the inadequate living conditions in the enclosure would cause further suffering for the gorilla, observing that Nzinga was less than one-third of the way through the novel and had ahead of him hundreds of pages detailing the tedious and confusing lives of Cathy, Catherine, Heathcliff, Linton Heathcliff, Hindley, and Hareton, among numerous other impossible-to-keep-track-of characters. 

“Locking up animals like this without any other entertainment options is simply immoral and cruel,” said 29-year-old William Torres, who pledged to never return to any zoo after taking in the depressing sight of the gorilla nearly nodding off while reading the novel. “I just wish I could reach in there and hand him the SparkNotes. He doesn’t even have access to a family tree explaining how those living at Thrushcross Grange and Wuthering Heights are related to each other. No wonder he’s so miserable.”

At press time, animal rights activists were demanding zookeepers give Nzinga an electronic device so he could watch videos or play Doodle Jump.

Even so, we'd bet the poor gorilla would have had a much interesting point of view on the novel than some of those we have read lately.

EnVols has an article on the landscape where Wuthering Heights takes place. Deseret News lists Wuthering Heights among other classic novels that are getting screen adaptations.

Elle asks bookish questions to writer Jean Hanff Korelitz.

The book that: [...]

..made me rethink a long-held belief:

Jo Baker’s Longbourn. I had always been of the opinion that an author’s characters belong to them and them alone, but this reimagining of Pride and Prejudice was revelatory and powerful. I’ve since opened my eyes to other novels that lean on existing works of literature: Peter Carey’s Jack Maggs, Jean Rhys’ Wide Sargasso Sea, Valerie Martin’s Mary Reilly. Eventually, I wrote an entire novel (The Plot) about the imprecise borders between fictions. (Riza Cruz)