Romancing Wuthering Heights: A History of Adaptation with Dr Sam Hirst

The very first adaptation of Wuthering Heights, the 1920 film, advertised itself as a story of hate; the newest adaptation blazons the claim that it is 'The Greatest Love Story of All Time ' across the trailer. But how did we get from the realities of the book and contemporary responses to it to the frequent depiction in adaptations of an undying (if imperfect) romance?

This interactive session will explore the adaptation history of Wuthering Heights, looking at over 10 of the film and tv adaptations. We will map the ways in which understandings of Wuthering Heights have changed; how earlier adaptations added new ideas and images to the story which are then repeated in later adaptations; how different adaptations grapple with specific scenes and themes of the book.

This workshop will be split into two halves. The first session will explore the history of Wuthering Heights adaptations. The second session will look at the romanticisation of Wuthering Heights and the adaptation and filming choices which have constructed the popular image of the book. The session offers the chance to engage with clips, constructing your own readings of the adaptations. We will also explore, in the second half of the session, your own creative responses to the question of adaptation of key scenes in the novel to film.