The LRB Podcast Is ‘Wuthering Heights’ amoral?
29 snips
Dec 19, 2025 
Patricia Lockwood, a contributing editor at the London Review of Books and author known for her unique blend of poetry and memoir, joins David Trotter, an Emeritus professor of English literature. They dive into the amoral nature of 'Wuthering Heights,' exploring Emily Brontë’s bold narrative choices. Lockwood describes the novel's animalistic undertones, while Trotter unpacks Heathcliff's complex origins and the intricate family dynamics. They also discuss cultural adaptations, the impact of marriage on property rights, and the haunting legacy of Brontë's only novel.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Wuthering Heights As Amoral Literature
- Reviewers judged Wuthering Heights as “completely amoral,” and David Trotter agrees with that verdict.
- The novel resists respectable moral lessons and foregrounds consequences over motives.
The Novel As A Canine World
- Patricia Lockwood argues Wuthering Heights plays out in the animal world, especially dogs, with characters behaving like canine avatars.
- David Trotter recounts Emily Brontë peppering fighting dogs to break up a street fight, reinforcing that view.
Landscape And Chronology Structure The Plot
- Wuthering Heights spans generations and carefully maps time and place from 1771 to 1803.
- The two houses, Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange, structure the novel's social and temporal consequences.