The Gothic elements of Wuthering Heights are made credible by the novel's setting and 'narrators'. How far would you agree with this view?

Credibility within a Gothic novel is important as it is a effective tool used to draw the reader in whilst creating a believable story in a 'fallen world' (Ann B Tracy) which is far removed from the norms of civilised society. The novel of Wuthering Heights is made credible through its use of settings based in the bleak 'solitary' Yorkshire moors. The landscape on the moorside is difficult to negotiate due to the harsh 'stormy weather' that the inhabbitants are 'exposed' too, which can furthermore be seen to act as a metaphor for moral uncertainity. In addition, the story is further made credible through the use of narration which is doubled between two characters- Nelly Dean and Lockwood. Whilst Lockwood anchors the tale in the present time of '1801', Nelly Dean uses the structural device of analepsis in a bildungsroman form, to tell Lockwood the tragic history of his neighbours at the Heights- as he is new to the moors and therefore an outsider. The critic Q. D Leavis believed that Emily Bronte purposefully set the novel in the 18th Century instead of her contemporary 19th Century time as she believed it would be easier for the readers of a rigid structured society obsessed with class and male autonomy to see a different way of life. With the traditional values of farming lifestyle challenged by ideas about progress, culture and civilisation. Alternatively, due to the novels Gothic form, the plot and events can be seen as melodramatic and unrealistic due to its use of extremes and doubling, for example the landscape is too violent and wild and has an incredible influence over the story. The melodramatic and use of extremes has been a main criticism of the Gothic ever since the first Gothic novel 'The Castle of Ortanto'- were a giant iron fist falls from the sky- hence implying the Gothic itself is an incredible genre as it can not truly apply to readers in society.

Lockwood is the first narrator the reader encounters, and is new to the moors- as he 'removed' himself from the 'stir of society'- therefore making him an outsider. This has the effect of making him a narrator the reader can easily identify with- as the reader too is an outsider as our beliefs and ideas of what is moral and what is not originate from a structured and rule based society (thus rational and civilised) whereas the Moors seems to have a lack of rules and morals where extremes of behaviour- such as violence- are seen as a normality. This has the effect of shocking the reader as what is marginalised by our society is inverted by Bronte who transforms the issues into something natural. Lockwood's purpose is to filter the information he learns from Nelly to the reader whilst seperating them from the action due the repetitive reminders that the story is a flashback told from the present (for example, when Heathcliff visits the Grange to see Lockwood whilst he is ill with a 'fever'). Lockwood is the new 'tennant' occupying the house of Thrushcross Grange. It is believed that Emily Bronte gained inspiration for the Grange from Shibden Hall, a place near to the Parsonage where the Bronte family grew up, this may be seen to help add realism to the novel as it is based on a real place- which helps add credible detail (such as the 'broken hedge' or the 'flower pot' that Heathcliff and Cathy 1 go through to peek into the windows of the Grange) which helps create a more potent image in the readers mind, helping them to feel as though they are there on the journey narrated by Nelly, thus breaking down the 4th wall.

Thrushcross Grange is a Gothic doubling of Wuthering Heights, and acts as its juxtaposition- whilst one house is located on the hillside, making it 'exposed' to the volitile moors (the Heights) the other is found in the valley's being sheltered and cultivated (the Grange). The fact that both houses are complete contrast of one another can also been seen to be unrealistic, however Bronte may not be trying to create a realistic world but a dark Gothic one that shocks the reader through confronting issues that Nelly Dean and Lockwood judge, such as the violence and passion of the other characters, thus making the readers see an alternative side of humanity that the original readership would have most likely not want to face. An interpretation of the houses is that they are eponymous to the residents, as the Grange symbolises civilisation- thus Lockwood is the tennant that occupies it in the present and the Linton's (a past upper class family) lived there in the past. The original Victorian readership (OVR) would have identified the Grange as a dwelling for civility and morality- as it is described as a 'splendid place' which exposes the wealth of the Linton's due to the furnished 'crimson carpets' and the 'shower of glass droplets' which hang from the 'gold' bordered ceiling- highlighting it is occupied by rich upper class members of society, who were stereotyped as the class people people of lower social ranking would look up too and aim to be. This was the ultimate aim for Victorians which is why Cathy 1 told Nelly that she only wanted to marry Edgar Linton so she could be the 'greatest lady of the neighbourhood' than be 'degraded' by marriage to Heathcliff. Alternatively, some readers may not view the Grange as being wholy civilised, this may be due to events such as the Linton siblings (Edgar and Isabella) fighting over who should hold the 'warm heap of hair' (a puppy). This may be interpreted as an act which is primal, which was originally only assiociated with the Heights. Ths may have been Bronte higlighting that the upper class are not so different from any other class and therefore the treatment of lower classes (espicially in 17th Century Britain) is wrong and unjustified. However the children are found 'screaming' and 'weeping' at opposite ends of the room- after the puppy has been injured- showing they feel remorse, this would help to further commmunicate the theme of learning and education which is a powerful and key message in the novel, more ovbiously conveyed by Hareton and Cathy 2, who have a relationship of education and support. This adds credibility to the novel as it shows growth and the education through consequences (the overal plot) thus making the characters more believable.

The other house is Wuthering Heights, an isolated place which stands rigidly upon the hillside and is built for practicality (e.g the 'small' inset windows  to stop heat from escaping the house). The weather surrounding the Heights is also repetitively hostile- for example the storm that keeps Lockwood trapped at the Heights overnight- and is used as a literary device (pathetic fallacy) to reflect the surly natures of the characters or to foreshadow an upcoming event. Thus the storm sets the tense and violent atmosphere for the haunting of Cathy 1's ghost child, in which Lockwood inflicts pain upon by savagely 'rubbing' her wrist on the broken glass from the window pane causing 'blood' to soak the 'bedclothes'. The haunting of Cathy 1's ghost may be viewed as melodramatic by modern day readers than intense and scary, this is due to the exagerrtion of ghosts and other supernatural events over a long period of time, making the novel less realistic. However for the OVR the Gothic was an exciting taboo so this may have not affected the credibilty of the novel, instead focusing on the collapse of moral boundaries through the use of the Gothic supernatural- an effective Gothic element- as it unsettles the reader by transporting them into a extreme world, where traditional rules do not operate. Thus the setting for Heaven which Cathy 1 envisioned is a rejection of traditional religious hegemonic beliefs, another Gothic feature- the religious debate, as it is a blurring between the natural and supernatural world. This is highlighted by Cathy 1 when she tells Nelly she had a nightmare that she went to Heaven, but she couldn't stop crying so the angels threw her out and she ended up on top of Wuthering Heights where she wept with 'joy', and then her ghost continued to wonder the moors- foreshadowing the ending of the novel where Cathy 1 and Heathcliff haunt the moors together in death. This would have been shocking for the OVR, as religious beliefs were the cornerstone of society. Cathy 1's idea of the afterlife is a complete contrast to the aims of a typical individuals resting place (Heaven), Nelly herself is shocked and presents the reader with the appropriate reaction towards (what would have been seen) as a blasphemous idea.

Nelly Dean is the second narrator the reader encounters. Some readers, for example feminist or Marxist critiques, may have had an issue with Nelly being heard through the narration of an upper class gent. However Emily Bronte may have chose Nelly to speak through Lockwood as she knew it may have added credibility for her OVR as she may have known the story may have sounded more believable from an educated man than a woman, maybe for the same reason she first published her novel in a man's name, due to patriarchy and the stereotype attached- women are feeble and dim. Furthermore Nelly can be viewed as an unbiased narrator as she has lived in both houses and been confidant to the main characters, such as Heathcliff, whilst also acting as their moral compass. An example of this can be seen when Heathcliff tells Nelly that he ordered Sexton to dig up Cathy 1's grave so he could hold her again, and if she does not stir she is asleep and if she is cold it is the wind, essentially transpiring on the level of necrophilia- thus she asked him 'have you no shame?'. In addition, he also told her how he ordered Sexton to make a space between Cathy 1's coffin and Edgar's, so when he is placed there he can rot and morph with Cathy 1 into one being so that when Edgar's body tries to rot with Cathy 1 he will not know where she starts and Heathcliff ends. This can be interpreted in different ways: one being, Emily Bronte making a mockery of Victorian social structures- by using Heathcliff to come between the bond of man and wife (the cornerstone of civilised society). The second representing the Gothic element of the divided self- a significant theme in the book, as it represents Cathy 1 and Heathcliff symbolically sharing the same soul- thus their separation pains one another, for example when Heathcliff tells Cathy on her death bed 'in breaking your heart you have also broke mine'. On the other hand, the OVR may have had issues with the credibility of the novel being narrated by Nelly. This is due to her interraction with other characters as she has moments where she withholds information- for example when Cathy 1 is ill and Nelly withholds the severity of her illness from Edgar. The OVR may have found this outrageous, as lower orders were never allowed to interfere with the lives of the upper class, this may have effected the way the readers viewed the story as they may have found Nelly unreliable from that moment forth.

In conclusion the setting of the novel of Wuthering Heights is made more credible as it creates an intense atmosphere for the reader whilst also reflecting the volatile nature of the characters, in addition the credibilty to the novel is furthered by the use of the doubling of narrators who bridge the past and the present whilst seperating the reader from the action.