Returning To Nature And Man's Interior Self

Emily Bronte is a brilliant writer in Victorian Period. As time passed by, her novel Wuthering Heights has gained more and more attention .Some scholars focus on the themes of love, religion, morality and class; some pay attention to its narrative skills, writings styles and language; and others study it from the angles of feminism, symbolism and archetypal criticism. However, few critics have done from the point of ecocriticism. My thesis tries to apply ecocriticism to analyze the purifying values of nature for protagonists, their alienation from nature resulting in the loss of selves and recoveries of themselves by returning to nature and keeping a harmonious relationship with nature.The paper is divided into five parts. Chapter one is an introduction of literature review on Wuthering Heights at home and abroad. Chapter two discusses the aesthetic and purification values of wilderness for protagonists, including the aesthetic beauty of wilderness for Heathcliff and Catherine and its purification and consolation values for the protagonists. Chapter three analyzes Heathcliff and Catherine's loss of themselves as a result of alienating from nature. Chapter four mainly argues that Catherine and Heathcliff regain themselves by returning to nature and integrating with nature. Chapter five discusses the significance of an ecocritical reading of Wuthering Heights.Wuthering Heights revolves around the intricate relationship between different characters. The novel reflects the idea of returning to nature and integrating with nature, and keeping a harmonious relationship between man and nature, which have the enlightening and profound significance for constructing a harmonious society.