4。1 Nelly’s attitudes towards Catherine 13

4。2 Nelly’s attitudes towards Heathcliff 14

5。 Conclusion 15

References ………16

1。 Introduction

1。1 The Plot

Wuthering Heights is Emily Brontë’s only novel, which has long been considered as the “most peculiar novel” in the history of English literature。 It mainly tells a tragic love story between the novel’s protagonists, Catherine and Heathcliff。 Set in the desolate moorlands of North Yorkshire in England at the end of the eighteenth century, it spans a period of some forty years, following the love story of their next generation。 Heathcliff was a foundling adopted by Mr。 Earnshaw, the old master of Wuthering Heights。 The childhood of him was mixed with the friendship from Catherine, as well as the hate from Hindley。 After Mr。 Earnshaw’s death, Heathcliff was deprived of the right of education。 What’s worse, he departed from Wuthering Heights, misunderstanding Catherine’ love。 Three years later when Catherine had already married Edgar, Heathcliff who became a rich man mystically, came back to revenge on Hindley and Edgar。 He resorted to extreme measures to occupy the property of Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange。 However, the story ends with Heathcliff’s resuscitation of humanity before his death and happy marriage between Cathy and Hareton。

1。2 Current studies

The whole story is told by two characters---- Mr。 Lockwood and Nelly Dean---- in first-person point of view。 The latter is the main narrator。 The frame story is noted down by Lockwood, a new tenant in Thrushcross Grange, who informs us of his meeting with the strange and mysterious "family" living in the Wuthering Heights。 While the inner story is told by Nelly Dean, the housekeeper of Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange later and the eyewitness, who transmits to Lockwood the history of the two families during the last two generations。 The views of Nelly’s reliability vary from person to person。

Generally speaking, criticism regards Nelly Dean as a robust figure, vital and positive, loyal but conventional, who attempts to do everything for the sake of the family for which she works。 This notion was no doubt also influenced by Charlotte Brontë。 In Charlotte’s “Editor’s Preface” to the novel, she pointed to Nelly Dean as “a specimen of true benevolence and homely fidelity”。 (Glen, 2002:166)

Virginia Brackett (2009) in Bloom’s How to Write about the Brontës judges Nelly a fine storyteller, due to her inclusion of details and use of figurative language in describing Heathcliff and his effect on the previously peaceful family (p217)。 But her skilled narrative skill also arouses our suspicion。 Nelly states she prefers Edgar Linton to his new wife, Catherine Earnshaw, and she is quite specific as to why she holds that preference。 To some extent, Nelly cannot treat the characters objectively and justly。

SHI Aimin (2003) puts forward several doubts about Nelly Dean from the angle of narratology。 In many allegorical novels, some names are used to represent the main characteristics of the figures。 “Dean” has two meanings in the dictionary。 One is a priest who is in charge of the other priests。 The other is a person in a university who is in charge of a department of studies or who is responsible for the discipline of students。 Both mean that “Dean” should be an entity in charge of rights。 In this sense, Dean couldn’t be a minor character。 Besides, the arrangement of the story order puts Nelly into an advantageous narrative status。 Being one of the characters in the plot and the main narrator, her narration carries her intentions and justifications。