Heathcliff: the biggest douchebag in English Literature

[wasabi_poptart]

Prompted by this post on Pajiba (you can read it here) and subsequent discussion, I had to go and watch the recent Masterpiece Theater production of Wuthering Heights. Gotta say, Tom Hardy is IMO the douchiest Heathcliff of them all, and that's really saying something, considering that Heathcliff is perhaps the douchiest character in all of English

Comments

[minkiekitten]

See, now I want to read "Wuthering Heights" just because I want to see how much of a douchebag Heathcliff is.

[wasabi_poptart]

I'd be curious to hear just how insufferable he was without that "little boy lost" appeal ascribed to him. I let a lot of boys get away with a lot of shit because of that, once upon a time.

[h_loves_c]

When you're sixteen, Heathcliff is sex on legs. I cannot deny this. Because, when you're sixteen, some very unhealthy things look a lot like love, of which Heathcliff is the poster child.

That, I think, is a big part of the appeal of Twilight, and more specifically Edward Cullen. You do know that Bella Swan's favorite book is WH, right? Which, really, tells you all you need to know about Twilight.

And I think you're right that if you're over 20, you souldn't bother with WH. I didn't read it until last year and I found every last character to be completely horrible and without a single redeeming quality. I HATED that fucking book.

But you know who I think is the biggest douchebag in literature? Fucking Arthur Dimmsdale. I love, love, LOVE The Scarlet Letter but every time I read it I want to throw something heavy and pointed at stupid Dimmsdale's stupid assface. All of the men in that book are horrible and useless, but he's...ugh. He makes me STABBY.

[wasabi_poptart]

Can I tell you a secret about The Scarlet Letter? I never read it ... and totally bluffed my way through a question about it on my Master's comps. I managed to write a page and a half of complete bullshit about some aspect of it--I don't even remember what I said, I think it was the town as a unified character or something like that--and GOT AWAY WITH IT. Now I will never read that book ... I don't think I have to ;-P

[wasabi_poptart]

Twilight seems just so wrong on so many levels.

Hey! Are you back???

[kitteridge]

God, I wish you had a regular column somewhere. This is awesome.

[wasabi_poptart]

thanks :-)

I'm thinking of doing a series, kind of like Books I Lied About Reading: Great Douchebags in Literature.

somewhat related ... have you seen this? http://bangabledudesinhistory.blogspot.com/ (actually, I think you might have been who pointed this out to me, but just in case ...)

[notmarcie]

I thought it was Liverpool, not London. Theory I studied is that he is mixed race, product of a relationship between Mr Earnshaw and a freed/escaped slave (Liverpool being a huge port city with slave trade being crucial to its development)

I read WH at school and then at University. I got a lot more out of it the second time, mainly because I could see how actually Heathcliffe was a horrible abusive twatbag, rather than OH HE SO IN LOVE HE CANNOT CONTROL HIMSELF. Although I didn't find him sexy, maybe we read it a bit young, I think my class was 13/14 maybe?

I was quite glad when Cathy died. And Edgar.

[wasabi_poptart]

Was it Liverpool? Jeeze. it's been way too long since I read it last, and have no intention of going back to read it again!

Also, you bring up a really interesting point about bloodlines. If Mr.Earnshaw was Heathcliff's dad, then he and Cathy were half-brother and -sister (gosh, wonder where VC Andrews got her ideas from?) and then l'il Cathy goes and hooks up with both her cousins (Hareton after Linton dies). Not that hooking up with your cousin was any big deal then, but it's still pretty sketchy.

[notmarcie]

In Jane Eyre, Jane nearly marries St John who is a cousin. Of course she ends up marrying a man who locks his first wife in an attic.

Cousin marriage is still legal in the UK! Has been since the 16th century. Increasingly seen as a bit icky, but still pretty common in Muslim arranged marriages.

[wasabi_poptart]

Edward Rochester is next on my list of literary douchebags. This is definitely going to be a series :-)

BTW, I thought cousin marriage was outlawed in the US, but APPARENTLY NOT!