Giving Voice to the Subaltern: Ideology and Socio-Historical Factors in Andrea Arnolds’ Adaptation of Wuthering Heights.”

Abstract

The aim of this essay is to analyze the latest adaptation of one of the most unwieldy novels in the history of English literary criticism, Wuthering Heights (1848). This adaptation was made in 2011 and was directed by the English filmmaker, Andrea Arnold. My intention is to understand this adaptation in terms of socio-historical and ideological conflicts since the film combines both the social values, conventions and beliefs of the time of its production (2011) as much as it mirrors the period in which the source book was written (1845-1846). Thus, I will particularly focus on the racial issues that have blossomed due to Arnold’s decision of choosing a non-Caucasian actor to play the role of Heathcliff.