The pornification of Wuthering Heights. Was it truly necessary?

Wuthering Heights - Written in 1847 by Emily Bronte, was a novel that upon its  publication, stood out because of its lack of clear morality and its unclear distinction between good and evil, making it difficult for the reader to pinpoint a clear “villain” since all the characters written by Bronte had different flaws and errors throughout the plot. 

 She published it initially under a male pseudonym- Ellis Bell, in order to ensure that her novel would be treated with the seriousness it deserved. The novel explored intense emotions surrounding love–passion, suffering, hate and revenge, which allowed the characters to have more psychological depths to them that resonated with many readers across decades. 

Unfortunately, Bronte was never able to enjoy the success her only novel would have, which had even fallen under the category of “Must-read classics,” and later on, her actual identity was attributed to the novel.  

This is a tragic story between Catherine and Heathcliff that portrays themes of race and class divide as well as simply the difficult entanglements that love and revenge bring. Two people who yearned for one another, and whose love could be described as spiritually ascended, faced the tragic ending of a consuming feeling. 

But the real tragedy is the new movie adaptation created by director Emerald Fennell. And while it has gained as of recently $151million at the box office with the promise of steamy romance between actors Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie, people who have read the book criticize it harshly. In fact, there were so many differences between the movie and the book, that audiences who have previously read the book questioned whether this was a new plot piggybacking off of the classic’s title. 

Many readers could argue that the 2026 movie adaptation focused more on a stylized romance, with more symbolic set designs than creating that deep Gothic psychological element portrayed in the novel. While other readers state that the themes of  racism, class, and the abuse of women weren’t even close to what Wuthering Heights was built upon. 

As well as many question the director’s choice in changing Heathcliff’s appearance in the movie, Heathcliff is described as “dark-skinned” and “savage” man. In her adaptation, Fennell decides to omit one particular trait and Heathcliff is no longer a dark-skinned man but rather, the very handsome Jacob Elordi. And while the character is still 'savage' Bronte’s initial meaning to create this character with those specific characteristics was lost. And in doing so, the movie no longer portrayed the impact of society’s reaction to Heathcliff.  

Which begs the question, was this movie created as a homage to the classic novel? Or just the author’s desire to write two beautiful actors in steamy yet morally questionable scenes?

And while “creative liberties” can be taken when directing and producing your own version of a novel, just how different can it truly be? 

It is also important to note that this book was written in times where sexual content was not written so explicitly but rather alluded to it. There was no scene in the book where Catherine and Heathcliff discuss the murder of Edgar Linton whilst making love.

While Fennell did admit to wanting to “explore and portray what the sexual tension” could have been in the story, there were certain original scenes that were simply disturbing such as the one mentioned beforehand, that did not belong in the Wuthering Heights narrative. 

So, the bottom line is that while this movie proved to be a sensual office box hit, hopefully it encourages viewers to read the book and recognize the differences and appreciate it both, individually.