T-Shirt of the Week.

Yep.

There it is. 

The first time I read Wuthering Heights, I had to repeatedly stop myself from throwing the book across the room.  I wanted to slap almost every single character.  (Yet I was totally entranced.  Odd, that.)

Anyway.  Of the whole crew, Heathcliff makes me the most crazy.

Thus, the shirt.  (And my love of the third Fforde book.)

So what's the deal?  Am I the only Heathcliff-hater out there?  Does everyone else in the world think he's the dreamiest?  I guess I'm about to find out.  This is the first one I've been vaguely scared of wearing to work.  I'm worried that a pack of blue-haired Heathcliff fangirls will batter me with their enormous purses. 

Further bulletins as events warrant.

Comments

[Kelly Fineman]

I laughed aloud, and concur wholeheartedly. I wanted to slap everyone, and Heathcliff would have received either the most or the hardest of the slaps. Or maybe both.

[OKP]

Prat? Absolutely. If I had a big purse, I'd hit him with it -- or better yet, pull out a new handheld tazer and toast him a little. The whole slew of Wuthering Heights can go hang, as far an I'm concerned.

And Jasper Fforde is Ffabulous!

[Susan]

I've read many Victorian novels multiple times. I read Wuthering Heights once, and I have no intention of going back to it. I was an English major and I still don't know what the big deal is about that book.

[Sarah]

I was so busy wanting to slap the narrator Lockwood and Cathy the Elder that I didn't have any time left over for hating Heathcliff. Although I was totally entranced too. What IS up with that? I do remember liking the younger generation, Catherine the younger and Hareton, but I was in high school and was of course a huge sucker for the "love will prevail" ending.

[blair]

I am there with you as a Heathcliff-hater, and I love the shirt!

[Erin]

hahahahahaaha! Thanks! I needed that. Your shirt rocks.

And a big AGREED on the 3rd Fforde. That scene is beyond hilarious.

[Leila]

Bulletin: I am shocked, SHOCKED at how many people are unfamiliar with the word 'prat'.

[Kitty]

I have always believed Heathcliff to be a complete psychopath, and am pretty sure that Cathy Sr. is a sociopath. Yet I love the book, cry at the end of it, and named my cat Bronte after Emily. Go figure.

[Colleen]

I'm so with you on the third Fforde - I always thought there was something wrong with me because I didn't fall in deep swooning love for Heathcliff or adore Catherine but when I read that book and saw them all in that counseling session ---- honest to God I nearly peed my pants I was laughing so hard.

And I finally got over an inferiority complex over this book.

[Little Willow]

The only character I like in WH isn't even a character. It's the moors, simply because that's the first time I have ever heard of moors.

[Jackie]

I was doomed to hate it from the impossibly long description of the moors in the first chapter. In my opinion, it didn't get better.

[babelbabe]

oh man, i so want a shirt like that!

have you worn it yet?

[Kym]

I always wanted the novel to end with Nelly Dean catching syphilis

[lili]

want. tshirt.

hate. heathcliff.

whinging on moors. blech.

[Nancy]

LOVE that shirt. HATE that Heathcliff.

You are among friends.

[alimum]

Oh I hated Heathcliff...and yet I, too, was unable to put down WH.

[Amelia]

You don't know how good it feels to learn that someone besides myself detests Heathcliff. I thought the novel was awful - filled with a bunch of selfish characters.

BTW - love your blog! :)

[Steph]

I actually hated Catherine more than Heathcliff. Back and forth, back and forth. If you're going to fall in love with your "brother", go ahead and do it already. All the characters drove me nuts collectively.

[Leila]

Totally fair. Jackassary Unchained.

[Caoimhe]

anyone who likes Heathcliff has more issues than he has... if that's possible...
can't stand Cathy/Catherine Linton/Earnshaw either.

[Meg, Kellie && Charli]

Well we liked heathcliff especially in the film where he is quite sxc.

even tho he is a big headed selfish git.

we STILL luff him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[Kit]

THANK YOU. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. I am SOOO glad that someone else hates Heathcliff. I couldn't stand him. Or anyone else, for that matter. I love you. You are truely awesome.

I was really looking forward to reading this book. I'd heard it described as a romance, people had told me how wonderful the love between the two main characters was. WTF????

I absolutely despised both Heathcliff and Cathy. Halfway through, I wanted them both to die painful deaths. I don't understand the Heathcliff love either. He's heartless ,unfeeling and abusive. Not what I look for in a romantic hero (especially that last one) Yeah, I can settle for mean and moody (I loved Pride and Prejudice)but the man hanged his wife's dog while she begged him not to. Urg!

Having said that, I loved the book because it inspired such disgust in me that it was actually difficult to read. I get the overall sense that we, as readers, were supposed to hate both of the characters. Bronte doesn't sell is as a romantic,tragic love story (imo) just a sick, twisted obssession between two psychos.

[Maggie]

ladies- i predict all of you will find happy true love one day if you haven't already. i am soooo tired of all the stupid, hysterical women who have deluded themselves into thinking heathcliff was a dreamboat or romantic hero or that WH is a love story, ergo his violent "passionate" nature means he was a good lay.

WH is a HORROR SHOW, full of violence and hatred and self-lothing narcissism. The two protagonists are nothing but two ghouls who should have been locked away where they could not harm anyone. Cathy was a bored, spoiled, vain brat who evolved into a narcisstistic, psychopathic bitch. Heathcliff was a lout who grew into a brutal, sadistic, weak and cruel man. And he did kill Isabella's dog. In other walks of life that's one warning flag of character waving "serial killer". Child abuse, self-mutilation, emotional torture, necrophilia...UGH. I LOATHED THESE PPL.

Thank you for letting me know I'm not alone!!

[MadisonElle]

This t-shirt is a pratt. Obviously, the book, and character of Heathcliff is quite good if we're still talking about him/it. Maybe, you just didn't understand all the symbolism in the book? Also, the depth of his character? When you write something half as good (and not refrences on t-shirts) then maybe you can talk.

[Leila]

I don't think anyone is questioning the strength of Emily Bronte's writing in general or of Wuthering Heights in particular. The idea that Heathcliff is a romantic leading man worthy of swooning over or fantasizing about (as a reader) is what seems strange to me.