First published in 1847, Wuthering Heights is an epic romance of passion and betrayal set in the windy moors of Yorkshire. The story opens with Mr. Lockwood, the tenant of Thrushcross Grange, stuck at Wuthering Heights, on a stormy evening. As the hours roll by, he embarks on a discovery with the help of the housekeeper, Nelly Dean, who narrates to him the history of the two estates and of the people connected to them, with Heathcliff and Catherine taking the centre stage. Heathcliff and Catherine’s tale of passionate but angst-ridden love makes Wuthering Heights one of the most widely loved classics of all time.

Emily Brontë and her family lived in Yorkshire, and this led her to set the book against the backdrop of the wild, bleak moors of Yorkshire. Almost every event in the book takes place here, colouring every page with the author’s nostalgia. The central characters of the novel are said to have been inspired from people in the author’s life, including that of ‘Heathcliff’, who is said to have been inspired by the author’s brother, Branwell Brontë.

The depictions of mental and physical cruelty, abuse, and morality in Wuthering Heights raked up a storm when it was published, with readers being divided about how they felt about the depiction of religious and societal values in However, it went on to become a classic work of Gothic fiction in English literature and continues to intrigue readers with its spellbinding plot and spellbinding characters.