How Emily Brontes Wuthering Heights Both Challenges And Reinforces The Social Conventions Of Class In The Victorian Era

Essay from the year 2016 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 12, University of Sheffield, language: English, abstract: In this essay, it will be discussed to what extent Emily Bronte’s "Wuthering Heights" both challenges and reinforces the social conventions of class in the Victorian Era. For this purpose, the characters of Heathcliff, Catherine, and Nelly will be looked at in detail, and others will be briefly mentioned. Furthermore, the opinions of several critics will be taken into consideration. The Victorian Era, which lasted from 1837 to 1901, was a period of change. While the lower class was still restricted in their choices of work and education, the middle class grew more powerful. The idea of the “self-made man”, a person climbing the social ladder through hard work rather than hereditary titles meant that the landowning people of the upper class, who did not work, lost a lot of prestige and respect. However, it should be noted that social mobility was restricted to the middle class.