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Emily Bronte, right? More than likely, but how much of the book did she write? Assuming she wrote in a linear structure then, once she'd killed off Cathy Linton (nee Earnshaw), she was left with a male protagonist; Heathcliff. And writing from a man's point of view, even when the man in question is your own creation, is difficult to convey with any degree of integrity. Particularly when you, as the writer, are posing as Mr. Ellis Bell. Content needs that ring of truth, that sense of genuineness. Writing from experience, from the heart, opens the potential for that unique connection from writer to reader that we long to achieve.
I believe that Patrick Branwell Bronte, the much maligned brother of the wickedly talented Emily, Charlotte and Anne, wrote most of the second half of the novel, taking over the storyline from Emily after Cathy Linton died (page 203, Wordsworth Classics, 1992 edition). If we accept that much of the input after this point was Branwell's, is it not fair then to claim co-authorship on his behalf? That is the basis of my argument.
Branwell may not have been published, as his sisters were, but he was a writer; he contributed to the stories of Gondol and Angria along with his sisters and, as with Emily, he wrote poetry. How much input did he have with Wuthering Heights? They were both at Haworth at the time the novel was written (between 1845 and 1846) so his contributing was always a likelihood. The question is, how much did he contribute?
Emily knew a man who was just like Heathcliff and she'd certainly, physically at least. based him on her brother. Patrick Branwell Bronte, from his rare portraits, could be described as Emily described Heathcliff; wild, dark hair, a low brow, penetrating eyes. He too had an affair with a married woman, he was dissolute and wild, he drank too much, gambled and even had tried to go abroad after his affair came to nothing. Emily's brother, Patrick Branwell Bronte, was Heathcliff.
It is interesting to ponder how much influence he exerted over his sister as she sat in her kitchen at Haworth, creating Wuthering Heights. Certainly the coincidental evidence mounts up; Heathcliff had an affair (or at least a relationship so uncomfortably close that Cathy's husband Edgar banned Heathcliff from Thrushcross Grange); Branwell had an affair with his employer's wife, Mrs. Robinson of Throp Green and was expelled from the property. Heathcliff went abroad for three years; Branwell placed an advert in the Halifax Guardian for a position which would take him abroad. Heathcliff drank heavily and gambled, winning the deeds to Wuthering Heights as a result; Branwell drank and gambled; although was to become heavily in debt. Heathcliff could roam the moors all day long; no doubt Branwell enjoyed the freedom of the moors on his doorstep his sisters could only taste within the limits of the chaperoned curtailment common for women of the day.
If Emily were to choose a collaborator for Wuthering Heights, who better than the primary character himself? She would need someone who could take the Heathcliff character and run with him, particularly after Cathy had died. This was Emily's first novel, she was not an experienced writer as Charlotte was. However her sister's style was completely different - tamer, more spiritual. Charlotte might have preferred a romantic ending and that wasn't what the book was about. Cathy, wild, tempestuous and utterly selfish was no meek Jane Eyre. And as for Heathcliff, the remaining, now central, character; he was certainly no fluctuating Professor and was a far darker personality than Rochester, who's motives could at least be traced back to logic and reason, albeit skewed logic and vague reasoning. Heathcliff was not based on the character of a gentleman, but was as untamed as the moor, as feral as a wolf and as dangerous as a panther. Emily had created a character unique in literature, a man ungovernable except by Cathy,
Also, consider this; Emily has created a group of characters, foremost are Cathy and Heathcliff, with the majority of the tale being provided through the narrative of the housekeeper, Nelly. This devise provides the writer with the female perspective necessary to convey real, truthful women, under the drama, with whom other women, the readers, can relate. However, when it comes to getting under the skin of Heathcliff, his degenerative state of health, both physical and mental, his heavy drinking, the affair with a married woman (although Emily wasn't specific on this aspect of Cathy and Heathcliff's relationship) who could be more adept than her own brother, Branwell? Bearing in mind also the assumed masculine persona of the writer, Ellis Bell, this would be a necessary consideration for reasons of more than just the integrity of the book. If it was supposed to have been written by a man, as it was when it was published in 1847, then the male perspective becomes necessary or the voice of the writer becomes confusing, muddled.
To bring another argument in, although this is just as an aside, we do know that the Brontes, as a family, knew the value of a shilling. Charlotte's friend Mrs. Elizabeth Gaskell reported how, following Charlotte's death in 1854, Charlotte's father cut up his daughters letters into strips to sell to interested members of the public. The idea of retaining the concept of three brilliant sisters who wrote novels is perhaps more of a money-spinner than two brilliant authors and Emily, who co-wrote with her brother. It just doesn't have the same 'kerching'. Perhaps this is too cynical; but it's worth considering. Art for art's sake, money.... Charlotte and Ann had revealed the true identities of Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell to their publisher, going down to London for the purpose, in 1848.
Branwell Bronte was only 31 when he died of chronic bronchitis / consumption on 28th September 1848 at his home in Haworth. Just a few short months later, on 19th December of the same year when she was just 30 years old, Emily too died at Haworth. Heathcliff, and Wuthering Heights, live on.
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