Emancypacyjny potencjał kultury literackiej w powieści wiktoriańskiej na przykładzie "Wichrowych wzgórz" Emily Brontë

Abstract

In the article I discuss the emancipatory potential of literary culture in the Victorian novel on the basis the only novel by Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights. First of all I emphasize the unique position of this masterpiece among the work of Victorian novels and register the controversy associated with his reception by contemporary readers. Most of the analysis is related to literary culture. I consider it as a distinctive value which demonstrate the humanity of the characters. The problem which is mentioned in the title is discussed on the example of the experience of both charatercs'generations the reader can find in the novel. At the end I recall the thesis of Stephen Greeenblatt's essay What is the History of Literature?, which my analysis confirms. I also point − with a reference to Jaroslaw Płuciennik's work − that the emancipatory potential of literary culture is one of the values of the modern novel, which Wuthering Heights are an representative example.