Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Normblog Writer's Choice

Famous blogger Norman Geras has invited me to contribute to his Writer's Choice series, where writers discuss books which have been important to them. I write about Wuthering Heights as perhaps the most influential on my own writing, and the shock I had when I re-read it for the purpose. The piece appears today.

2 comments:

Ms Baroque said...

Elizabeth, fascinating piece. I love normblog!

You have elucidated really well a large part of what I've always thought of as the 'difficulty' of Wuthering Heights. In fact, your experience of the book has been almost the opposite of mine. I read it once, at 16, and was so annoyed by the ending (which I remember thinking was "cheap") that I threw the book across the room!

I had missed the same thing that you missed, but was repelled by the qualities you've picked up this time round, without being able to identify them. (In the same way, when I first read Emma I hated it - I thought all the characters were so repulsive!) A slow developer...

Thanks, anyway, fab piece.

Elizabeth Baines said...

No, I think your 16-year-old reacton shows maturity - more maturity than some of the critics!