Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Background on the Brontes...
...Emily, Charlotte, and Anne wrote under make pen names. The first reviewers thought these authors were male. Emily was later compared to Shakespeare (a female Shakespeare, interestingly enough, never mentioned by Virginia Woolf).
The First Two Chapters:
The atmosphere in these chapters is both dark and humorous at the same time. Wuthering Heights itself is a gloomy, foreboding place. The humorous aspect can be drawn from Joseph's religious fanaticism. Mr. Lockwood fancies himself a misanthrope (someone who hates other people) based upon his inability to return the feelings of a young lady whom he loved. When she returns his interest, he immediately withdraws into himself and actually starts to hate her. He humiliated her; she obviously retreated. And Mr. Lockwood thus gained the reputation of deliberate heartlessness. Loving something you can't have is a way of self-protection; if you know that your love will not be returned, you have nothing to lose...you will not get hurt if you cannot get close enough to be involved. Mr. Lockwood's obsession with Heathcliff is derived from his love of the unattainable. Heathcliff clearly seems as if he does not want to involve anyone in his life. Mr. Lockwood thus gets pleasure from being around and irritating Heathcliff.
Our impression of Heathcliff comes when Mr. Lockwood makes his first visit to Wuthering Heights. He is harsh towards his dog; his abrupt and cruel behavior is shown through his treatment of his dog(s). Heathcliff's behavior at this point seems unexplainable. As we progress through the novel, however, we discover the story of Heathcliff's depressing past...
In Chapter III:
maxillary convulsions: grinding your teeth because you are so angry; trying to keep from crying
...There is a scene where Mr. Lockwood pushes Heathcliff into maxillary convulsions.
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