Literature Review

Hope you guys are doing well during this time of self-isolation/normal life for us introverts. I know it can be stressful, but if you take a moment and consider all we’ve been through the past twelve-ish years, I think we’ll make it out alright. Anyway, here’s a literature review to cheer you up.

I’m adding the diction/syntax along with the tone/mood sections, because in this case I think they go really well together.

Diction/Syntax

As one would expect, the style of writing changes depending on the narrator. When Lockwood opens the novel, he speaks using a more sophisticated manner of speaking (in spite of his obliviousness), describing Heathcliff as “a capital fellow”, and introduces himself as “Mr. Lockwood, your new tenant, sir. I do myself the honour of calling as soon as possible after my arrival, to express the hope that I have not inconvenienced you by my perseverance in solicity the occupation of Thrushcross Grange.” Here, Lockwood speaks formally and with inflated vocabulary. Nelly, on the other hand, rarely speaks with such formality, instead relying on a far more limited vocabulary and dialogue to convey the story. This disparity adds a secondary layer to class divisions within the novel, whether it is between Lockwood and Nelly or Hindley and Heathcliff. 

Tone/Mood

 Similarly, whenever Lockwood is narrating, the tone is noticeably lighter and more chipper than when Nelly speaks,  even though the setting described when Lockwood is speaking is dark and foreboding, and the setting when Nelly speaks is more comfortable. For instance, despite the obvious figurative darkness of Heathcliff and Wuthering Heights, Lockwood obliviously insists that “Mr. Heathcliff and I are such a suitable pair to divide the desolation between us.” Lockwood’s light and blithe narration juxtaposed against the obviously apprehensive environment presents Lockwood as a different kind of unreliable narrator, thus presenting the necessity for Nelly to take over as narrator.