In The Birth of Wuthering Heights , Edward Chitham explores the sources of Emily Brontë's inspiration and the ways in which she composed her poetry and her one major novel This key study discusses the probable content of her unfinished second novel and also makes use of new discoveries to show that Emily Brontë was not only well-read in the classics, but that she had also made her own translations of Virgil and Horace. It also foregrounds the publishing history of Wuthering Heights , revealing how the original text was almost doubled in size from its first submission to a publishers and its final acceptance. This book, published for the first time in paperback, provides a fascinating insight into Emily Brontë's mind and working methods.

Acknowledgements PART 1: EMILY BRONTE AND THE CRAFT OF LITERATURE Introduction Physical Conditions of Work Learning's Golden Mine Inspiration and Labour in Emily Brontë's Poetry Drafting, Correction and Fair Copy: Emily Brontë at Brussels Organisational Skill: the Poems from 1844 to 1846 PART 2: WUTHERING HEIGHTS Wuthering Heights : The Problem The First Phase The First Version: Adapting Gondal Autumn and Winter: After the Poem Revision The Development of the First Version Rejection and its Consequences: Return to Fictional Poetry The Development of Part Two The Three Housekeepers of Wuthering Heights Sculpting the Statue: A Proposed Chronology Objections and Implications PART 3: POSTSCRIPT Emily's Second Novel Notes Index

EDWARD CHITHAM, Education Consultant for the National Association of Gifted Children, and Assistant Staff Tutor, Open University. He was educated at King Edward's School, Birmingham, and Jesus College, Cambridge. His previous work includes local history, The Black Country, a children's novel, Ghost in the Water, and many works on the Brontës. He was for three years editor of Brontë Society Transactions and is also engaged in research into the life and work Felicia Hemans.