Yes and no. With its plot centering on a passionate relationship between two lovers, Emily Brontë’s novel Wuthering Heights (1847) is often considered a love story. Many filmmakers, including William Wyler in 1939 and Emerald Fennell in 2026, have certainly treated it as such. Their big-screen adaptations feature acclaimed performances by prominent actors (Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon in the 1939 version, and Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie in the 2026 film) who captured the tempestuous bond between Heathcliff and Cathy Earnshaw. However, many readers think the novel’s themes of romantic obsession and revenge make it the exact opposite of a love story, or a tale of love turned toxic. Wuthering Heights also contains elements of a classic Gothic novel, such as brooding descriptions of nature and a ghost story.
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