Female interactions and rivalry between women in Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights

Abstract

This BA thesis analyses female rivalry and the interactions between women in Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights. Using qualitative textual analysis, the study examines four pairs: Catherine and Isabella, Catherine and Nelly, Nelly and Cathy, and Cathy and Zillah. The thesis consists of an introduction, a literature review, an analysis, and a conclusion. The literature review explores Preda’s theory of rivalry, gendered emotions, and feminist interpretations of the novel, and the analysis devotes a subsection to each pair. The findings of the thesis show that female rivalry in Wuthering Heights originates from patriarchal power structures. Keywords: female rivalry, Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë