Return To Nature

Emily Bronte was a brilliant writer in Victorian Period. In her short life, she wrote only one novel Wuthering Heights, which has become a world classic for its enduring interest and wide popularity. However, the novel was actually criticized and ignored by the readers and critics of the Victorian Age. It was not until the 20th century that the true value of the novel was discovered. 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 perspective of Ecocriticism. My thesis tries to apply ecocriticism to analyze the relationship between nature and culture, with elaboration on how their conflicts lead to the loss of selves and how their balance helps bring back the harmony and at last, the modern revelation embodied in this novel.The paper is divided into five parts. Chapter One is an introduction of literature review on Wuthering Heights at home and abroad with a coverage of the theory and practice in Ecocriticism. Chapter Two discusses the confliction between nature and culture, including the special image—wilderness in the novel and the reflections in the protagonists. Chapter Three analyzes the balance between nature and culture, with the symbol of books and at last the reconciliation of the second generation. Chapter Four mainly talks about the modern revelation and the significance of ecocritical readings of Wuthering Heights to current degradation of environment.Through the application of symbolism, such as wilderness and the books, the philosophical relationship between the two cosmic forces, namely nature and culture, will be analyzed, and the evolutional process of the universe will be shown through detailed analysis of symbolic setting, images and important events of the story. The setting is the background and battle fields for the natural and cultural campus. Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange are birthplaces of the Earnshaw and Linton children. The characters' adverse natures are fostered just in the two different environments. The children living in natural living camp grow up wild, passionate and strong; the cultural camp children are gentle, delicate and weak. Also the philosophical relationship between nature and culture will be analyzed through conflicts involved in the love stories of two generations. Emily has expressed her specific understanding of the nature and culture in Wuthering Heights. We got more inspirations from this novel, especially to the current society because the environment became worse and worse. At this time, we should keep the balance between the nature and culture and finally achieved a harmonious relationship.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.