1. Wuthering Heights: Passion, Violence, and Revenge on the Moors

"The Book Club" podcast initiates its series with an exploration of Emily Brontë's "Wuthering Heights," dissecting its romantic yet violent core. The hosts, Dominic Sandbrook and Tabitha Syrett, outline the novel's dual narrative structure, focusing on the Earnshaw and Linton families and Heathcliff's vengeful machinations. They delve into Emily Brontë's enigmatic life, contrasting the myth with the historical figure and examining the violence and abuse depicted in the novel, questioning its classification as a romance. The discussion also covers the characters, including the violent Heathcliff, and analyzes the feminist aspects of the book. Ultimately, they rate the book based on "Dead Dogs" out of 10, setting the stage for future literary discussions.