REBELLION AGAINST SOCIAL NORMS AND CONVENTIONS- CLASS, MARRIAGE AND GENDER ROLES IN WUTHERING HEIGHTS

Published in 1847, Emily Bronte’s novel Wuthering Heights has been a subject of various interpretations and criticisms. However, in the abundance of analyses, one can notice that there is universal consent that the novel is a powerful and unique work of art. It can be established that the novel was written ahead of its time. It has to be emphasized that through the characters and their intertwined stories, the novel presents an exceptional description of human nature and emotions which are almost superhuman in strength and capacity. Above all, the novel Wuthering Heights presents unconventional perceptions on the issues of class and social status, their impact on relationships and marriage, as well as gender roles. The following article addresses and attempts to analyze the issues related to rebellion against social norms and conventions customary for the time the novel was written. Of course, Wuthering Heights is by no means a typical Victorian novel, written by a woman writer in the 19th century. In fact, the novel itself cannot be placed in any category which would completely describe it or evaluate it. It has to be analyzed as a masterpiece which is unique in structure, themes and intensity and which does not fit any of the rules or literary conventions.