Today is Emily Brontë’s 200th birthday, and her only book Wuthering Heights left a huge impact on modern literature and continues to influence different works of art. Perhaps the best known is Kate Bush’s song and iconic video Wuthering Heights, but Bush isn’t the only one who was inspired by Brontë’s masterpiece. From the great Sylvia Plath to Yoko Ono, here’s a list of six cultural references that Wuthering Heights has inspired.
1. Windward Heights by Maryse Conde
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French author Maryse Conde re-imagined Wuthering Heights in her book named Windward Heights released in 1998. Conde’s book follows the romance that ensues between Razye and Cathy and is set in the Caribbean. Conde’s reinterpretation expands the story by discussing economic and racial disparities while still remaining true to the original.
2. You’re the One by Yoko Ono
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In Yoko Ono’s 1984 duet album with John Lennon named Milk and Honey the single “You’re the One” references the couples love to another to be viewed as Heathcliff and Catherine.
3. Twilight: Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer
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Stephanie Meyer’s novel Eclipse, released in 2007, directly quotes Wuthering Heights and even goes so far as to compares the love triangle between Bella, Edward and Jacob to Catherine’s relationships with Heathcliff and Edgar. In the film Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward (Robert Pattinson) both say Wuthering Heights is their favorite book.
4.
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Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes both wrote poems titled “Wuthering Heights” in 1961. Plath and Hughes wrote about their inner feelings of sorrow and despair while being in the same space but having different viewpoints.
5. Half Bad by Sally Green
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Waterstone’s Children’s book prize winner of 2015, Sally Green’s book Half Bad does not only reference Wuthering Heights but is inspired by it. Green mentions in an article from The Guardian that she fell in love with the story when she was awarded the book winning a school prize. In the article Sally Green says “Wuthering Heights has seeped into my blood, my bones, into my upbringing. It is the basis on which I build my world and Heathcliff’s spirit roams through it all.”
6.
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Released in 2010, The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson features the main character, Lennie who reads this book on repeat throughout the novel. Nelson often compares Lennie’s feelings for Joe to Catherine and Heathcliff undying passion.
Featured Image Via Bronte Parsonage Museum