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Paper #2: Exiles of Experience



“But supposing at twelve years old, I had been wrenched from the Heights, and every early association, and my all in all, as Heathcliff was at that time, and had been converted at a stroke into Mrs. Linton, the lady of Thrushcross Grange, and the wife of a stranger; an exile, and outcast, thenceforth, from what had been my world—You may fancy a glimpse of the abyss where I groveled!...Why am I so changed?” (Vol.1, Chapter XII).

INTRO: In both Frankenstein and Wuthering Heights, the idea of innocence vs. experience is at play, where characters are thrown into an awareness of the horrors of adulthood (death, sexuality, brutality, marriage, sin, class, etc.) without a proper parental figure guiding them through the ritual. As a result, characters are constantly “exiled” from their youth and their childish selves, becoming split in two, until they scarcely even recognize themselves. Why do you think both Shelley and Brontë are so obsessed by this theme? Why are so many of the characters, from Victor, Elizabeth, the Creature, Cathy (both of them!), Heathcliff, and Isabella constantly at war with who they were—and where they belong?

Q: For your second paper, I want you to discuss characters in both books who seem to be struggling with the same sense of division. What makes them split apart? What aspect of experience makes them lose their ‘innocent’ self, and why can’t they reclaim it? How is the transition like Blake’s “The Garden of Love,” where children are forbidden to return to a garden which is now “bound with briars” by priests wearing dark robes? Also, what role do the parental figures—or lack thereof—play in their transformation? Why does something like love become evil to them, or the people they love become monsters? Or why do they become monsters to themselves? Consider, too, that women are writing both of these works, so there must be an element of autobiography here; perhaps both works are metaphors for their own isolation and exile?

REQUIREMENTS
* Discuss at least 1-2 characters from each book that are united by a common theme of innocence vs. experience (your choice)
* Quote from each book and discuss the connections between the characters
* Use MLA format throughout: when introducing a book/passage, be sure to introduce the quote, cite it, and respond to the quotation  (why you used it or why it’s relevant to your discussion).
* At least 4-5 pages double spaced

DUE Wednesday, March 25th by 5pm [we have class that day!]

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