Heterotopia in Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights :A Foucauldian Perspective

Abstract

The research at hand investigates the spatial dynamics in Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights (1847) through Michel Foucault’s concept of heterotopia as represented in his book, The Order of Things (1966) and essay, “Of Other Spaces” (1986). Heterotopia is a form of “other space” that functions as a method to reveal sites of otherness and disruption of social norms. The paper is based on qualitative textual analysis, it adopts a Foucauldian approach to space and focuses on its six principles and their role in constructing oppositional sites. Brontë manipulates heterotopic spaces by contrasting Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange as heterotopic opposites. The Earnshaws’ house operates as a space of deviance that challenges Victorian domestic ideals. The Lintons’ residence embodies an illusory order that is constantly disrupted by its wild counterpart. The spaces interact to question rigid social hierarchies. In addition, the paper makes use of Edward W. Soja’s concept of Thirdspace to show how The moors subverts this dichotomy. The research confirms that Brontë’s use of heterotopic spaces critiques Victorian social constraints and enhances the Gothic and rebellious qualities of the novel.