Wuthering Heights: Another Nineteenth Century Romance?

Wuthering Heights
By Emily Bronte
1847
pp: 336

Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights has been making a comeback with the recent popularity of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series. References to the classic novel within Meyer's series has influenced fans to expand their literary horizons; however, not all Twilight fans have a taste for classic literature. One even said Wuthering Heights was "very heavy to read and digest, [and it was] written in the language of my great grandmother….The more the pages go on, the less you feel that the story is advancing.” You can find that article here. Well, I don’t know what kind of language this person was expecting from a nineteenth century novel, but I did not find the language the least bit difficult (except when a minor character, Joseph, was speaking in his nearly incomprehensible dialect); however, that could be credited to my familiarity with classic novels.

This is not intended to be a Twilight review, and the series is really uncomparible to Wuthering Heights, although some say Isabella Swan is a modern representation of Catherine Earnshaw. For those of you who have read both Meyer's and Bronte's work, you will know how rediculous this idea is. If Bella represented anyone from Wuthering Heights, it would have to be Isabella Linton. Not only do they share a name, but they also share a love of demonic men. I will say no more concerning the Twilight saga than this: It baffles me when a person asserts the creative genius of Stephenie Meyer over that of Emily Bronte.

It is not difficult to see why a person would consider Wuthering Heights “heavy” because, yes, it involves complex characters and a substantial plot that leaves readers something to consider. It is the complexity of the novel that makes it so fascinating. As children, the mischievous qualities of Catherine and Heathcliff, seem fun and relatively harmless, but as the adventure-seeking duo grows older, Catherine becomes more spoiled and vain, while Heathcliff becomes angrier and more spiteful. There is no clearly defined protagonist or antagonist in Wuthering Heights; in fact, I found the majority of the characters repulsive with their fiery tempers and violent fits that were so appalling to the public when the book was first published under the pseudonym of “Ellis Bell” in 1847. There is a certain shock factor that remains for contemporary readers, as well. One cannot help but be disgusted with the scenes of domestic violence and unspeakable cruelty towards others: knives are thrown, puppies are hanged, and children are dropped over the banister. At the same time, there are moments when it is difficult not to sympathize in at least a small degree with characters such as Heathcliff, who was hated by his adopted brother and, as a gypsy child, was treated with prejudice by those outside his family. Even Catherine abandoned him for the less degrading company of the Lintons while still professing, “If all else perished, and [Heathcliff] remained, I should still continue to be; and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger.”

Wuthering Heights is not your typical love story by any means; in many ways, it is the antithesis of a love story. Heathcliff’s unhealthy obsession towards Catherine is the root of all conflict in the novel. If it were not for my endless mound of homework for other classes, I would have finished this book in one sitting. The insanity of Heathcliff and the anarchy he creates drove me forward. I saw no way for the story to end on a happy note, which only increased my compelling need to know what was written on the last page. Many times, unhappy endings are more interesting to me than happy ones because there is generally more to think about. Whether or not this ending is happy is debateable, and I am not going to tell you what I thought, but I will tell you that this book is amazing. And so is this:

Sweet Pork Deliciousness

Unfortunately I do not have pictures of this for you, but trust me, it's delicious. So basically you make all different parts of the recipe and then wrap it all in a tortilla and eat it!! Here it is!

Pork

Ingredients
3.5 lbs pork roast
1 bottle taco sauce (8oz)
1T cumin
1C brown sugar
1 can coke (not diet)

Cook pork in pot on low for 6 hours (cover roast half with water. I cooked for a couple of hours on high and switched to low, that made it shred easier; also, when you add the other ingredients, please take out some of the water, leaving only about half in. in the bottom of the pot) Add ingred. To pork 3 hours before it is done.

Lime rice

Ingredients
In a saucepan, sauté:
2T butter
1 yellow onion
4 cloves garlic, minced

in a large pot, bring to a boil the following:
6 2/3 cups water
8t chicken buillion
½ bunch cilantro chopped
2t cumin
2 sm cans diced green chilies
1T lime juice
½ t pepper
3 cups rice (maybe half cup more, you'll have to play with it.)

Tomatilo dressing

Ingredients
1 pkg Hidden Valley Buttermilk Ranch Dressing mix
1C buttermilk
1 C mayo
1 to 2 tomatillos
½ to 1 clove garlic, minced
½ to 1/3 bunch cilantro, chopped
½ t lime juice
½ to 1 small jalapeno, seed removed
(blend in food processor and add to buttermilk dressing)

Black Beans

Ingredients
4 cups black beans
1 onion chopped
4 cloves garlic
8 cups water

cook in crock pot on low 10 hours add salt and salsa when done (to taste)


I hope that makes sense. The next time we make it, I'll take some pictures.

Their Eyes Were Watching God

Their Eyes Were Watching God
By Zora Neale Hurston
1937
pp. 184
-- Included on Time Magazine's "100 Best English-language Novels from 1923-2005" list.

This is another one of my favorite books. I remember reading it my senior year of high school and really enjoying it; however, I couldn't remember any details before I reread it this semester. Mostly I remembered being involved in some sort of group project concerning the novel, and we would get together at Starbucks. Mmm...raspberry hot chocolate. Anyway, my love for Their Eyes Were Watching God was recently renewed. Oprah Winfrey loved this book so much, she had it made into a film. After seeing one particular Youtube clip, I must say it looks pretty cheesy, but I think I'm going to have to watch it anyway. I'll let you know how it goes.

The story begins with Janie returning to Eatonville, Florida, an all black community, after spending some time away with her third husband, Virgible Woods, more commonly known as Tea Cake. The town has been gossiping about what supposedly happened to Tea Cake and why he has not returned with his wife, but Janie's good friend, Phoeby, is the only one she takes the time to share the truth with. Janie takes us through all three of her marriages, the role she plays in each, and her progression towards a loving relationship and, eventually, independence. Near the beginning of the novel, her grandmother tells her that the black woman is the mule of the world because when a white man gives a job to a black man, the black man gives it to the black woman. This concept is illustrated throughout the novel, and although Janie's life is difficult, and her story is generally an unhappy one, the reader is able to see Janie grow as a character, overcome her role as "mule of the world," and learn how to live for herself.

Hurston chooses to write the dialogue in the dialect of the time and culture in which the novel takes place. Some find this frustrating, but one cannot deny the effect this dialect has on the spirit of the novel. It is not degrading to the black culture as some people say; the white police officers in the book use the same dialect. I can't seem to put it into words, but this dialect is necessary for this novel to be the masterpiece that it is. This detail helps depict the black community as it was at the time and adds to one of many messages Hurston expresses: although differences between cultures exist, there are certain human experiences and emotions that cross those barriers.

"The wind came back with triple fury, and put out the light for the last time. They sat in company with the others in other shanties, their eyes straining against crude walls and their souls asking if He meant to measure their puny might against His. They seemed to be staring at the dark, but their eyes were watching God."

(I'm sorry if referring to people as black and white is not politically correct. Actually, I'm not, although I mean no disrespect. I love all children of God equally. I just don't generally use the term "African-American." My ancestors didn't originate in America either, but you don't expect people to call me "Irish-Scottish-English-German-American.")

Scones: When Elephant Ears Go Wrong

I recently had a carnival night with my roommates and FHE sisters. Basically, we ate carnival food, hung out, and played Curses (click here to see our review on Curses). We had a grand ol' time. We had originally planned on making elephant ears, but we filled ourselves up on corndogs and peanutbutter carmel corn. Delicious. We did, however, attempt elephant ears the next day with a recipe I found on http://www.recipezaar.com/ (Danielle's called for powdered milk, which we did not have). The funny thing about this recipe is that it calls for eggs, but it never tells you when to add them in the instructions, so I forgot about them. They turned out more like scones, but were heavenly nonetheless. So much so, that we made them again a few days later. Here is the recipe as we made it:

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups milk

4 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

Oil (for frying)

1 tsp. salt

2 (1/4 ounce) packages yeast

6 Tbs butter/margerine

1 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 cup Sugar (combined)

Directions:
In small pan combine milk, sugar, salt and shortening. Heat only enough to melt butter. Do not boil. Remove from heat, and let cool to a temperature that won't kill the yeast. In a large bowl, combine cooled mixture with yeast; stir to dissolve yeast. Stir in flour 2 cups at a time, beating by hand until smooth. Place dough in a large greased bowl. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled. Gently stretch out dough into flat circles of whatever size you wish them to be. Note: even though you flatten the dough, it will puff up a lot. Fry in oil until brown on bottom, then flip and brown other side. Drain on paper towels, and roll in cinnamon and sugar while still hot.

Elephant Ears

Once upon a time, Megan and I took part in the Strawberry Festival festivities in Marysville, WA. Together we shared the goodness of a well crafted Elephant Ear. Apparently they go by other names, but all the cool kids from Washington call them elephant ears; therefore, that's what they are really called :)

I have a recipe for said elephant ears. What it fails to mention is that you should smother each ear in cinnamon and sugar (preferably the powdered kind)! Here be yon recipe:

Ingredients:

2 cup Flour
1/2 cup Powdered Milk
1 tbsp Baking Soda
3/4 tsp Salt
2 tbsp Shortening
3/4 cup Warm Water
Hot Oil

Directions:

Mix all ingredients to form a ball of dough. Knead about 3-5 minutes by hand. Separate into egg size balls. With rolling pin, roll balls out flat on floured surface to about 1/8 inch. Fry in hot oil till lightly browned on both sides. Makes 12.

Speak: a well crafted story on a sensitive subject

Speak

By Laurie Halse Anderson
c. 1999

pp. 240

-- Awards: National Book Award, Michael L. Printz Honor Book, SCBWI Golden Kite Award

-- Summary: As Melinda Sordino enters her first year of high school, she carries a burden that no one knows about. Everyone knows her as the girl who called the cops at the biggest party over the summer, but no one knows what really happened. Melinda was raped, and she can’t tell anyone. Sometimes it’s better not to say anything at all. Speak is the story of a ninth grade girl struggling to cope with what has happened with her, and learning to be herself as she was before.

-- My Thoughts: Very well written. I first read this book in the seventh grade. Back then, it, as I like to say, “scarred me for life.” To put simply, I was not ready for the subject material. However, I personally decided that I should read it again before I made a final judgment as I thought I may have been too sensitive for the book the first time I read it. I love the way Anderson wrote the book. It is wonderfully crafted and it sucks you in from the beginning. I also felt that the rape scene wasn’t too graphic, which is one of my main concerns from a novel with such subject matter. However, it still made me a little uncomfortable more because I had an understanding/connection with the character this time around. There were a couple other times in the book where it felt a little dark or awkward but it fits in with the situation that Melinda is in. Overall, I think it would be a great book especially for girls who have been in similar situations. I feel that Anderson's approach is one of the best ways of going about writing a book on this subject. If you are sensitive to such subject matter, this probably isn't the book for you. I still don't know if I can put it on my shelf because of those few moments that made me a little uncomfortable. But I cannot deny that it is wonderfully written and those few awkwards moments may actually be an example of how well Anderson pulls this off.

This book has also been turned into a movie starring Kirsten Stewart (you may know her better as Bella Swan from "Twilight")

No Bake Cookies with Peanut Butter

I love me some good no bake cookies. But you know what I love even more? No bake cookies WITH peanut butter! Yum yum!!


Recipe:

2 cups sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 cup milk
1/4 lb margarine (or 1 cube butter)
1 tsp vanilla
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup peanut butter
3 1/2 cup outmeal

Directions:

Mix sugar, cocoa, milk, and margarine in saucepan. Cook until it starts to boil. Cool for a minute. Add vanilla, salt, peanut butter, and oatmeal. Stir well. Drop by spooful onto wax paper and let set.

IMPORTANT NOTE!!
So when I made these I was very impatiant and therefore didn't let the first mixture cool like I should have. Apparently that messes with things and the cookies will not completely set. They still taste good but it's more goop than cookie... So don't be impatient. And if you don't like peanut butter, no bake cookies without peanut butter are yummy too!!!