An Analysis Of Wuthering Heights Through Deconstructive Theory

Emily Bronte is an outstanding novelist and poet in 19th century British literature. Her novel Wuthering Heights is famous for its superb workmanship and is highly praised, by critics and common readers. This thesis is an attempt to analyze the novel from the deconstructive perspective to deny Heathcliff as an avenger and expose the causes of his revenges.The thesis begins with a general introduction to the author and the novel, a view on previous studies on the novel, and a brief survey of the originality and purpose of this thesis, followed by a brief view on deconstructive theory and its research methods. This thesis then focuses on deconstructive analysis of the text. Firstly it denies the love between Catherine and Heathcliff by proving Catherine loves Edgar. Then a new image of Heathcliff as a victim is presented, digging out Catherine's responsibility for the revenges. Finally, through the comparison between the first and the second generation, the second generation, living under a different circumstance will lead a happy life, after going through so many ups and downs. Secondly, the thesis analyzes the three causes of the tragic ending, namely, society, geography and Heathcliff's experience, attaching great importance of the first two. Because of living in the society, no one can escape from its influence. In addition, the writer also discusses Heathcliff's nationality while analyzing Heathcliff's experience in order to present a complete interpretation.Recognizing Heathcliff s victim image and understanding the causes of the tragedy comprehensively are not only the prerequisite for fully grasping the essence of the characters and the novel, but a responsible attitude in literary criticism as well. It is hoped that this thesis will provide a new angle to further study on Wuthering Heights.