Edgar Linton
Encyclopedia
Edgar Linton is a character in Emily Brontë
's novel Wuthering Heights
. His role in the story is that of Catherine Earnshaw
's husband. He resides at Thrushcross Grange and falls prey to Heathcliff
's schemes for revenge against his family.
Edgar is the father of his and Catherine's daughter, Catherine Linton
, and the brother of Isabella Linton
. He is a complete foil
of Heathcliff as a character, as shown by his tender, gentle, and weak personality as opposed to Heathcliff's savage, tyrannical nature.
novel for the quiet, gentle life he at first leads at Thrushcross Grange, a home of peace and good-will until Heathcliff's presence fills it. Edgar is said to be constitutionally weak, as is the case throughout the Linton family, and is very distressed when he realises that he cannot match the fire and passion of his wayward wife and her soul mate. He loves Catherine dearly, despite her passion for Heathcliff, and adores their daughter, named after his wife. When Isabella, his sister, marries Heathcliff, he insists that he will no longer have a relationship with her, and that they are brother and sister only in name. His portrait, perfectly and accurately resembling him, is thus described:
Emily Brontë
Emily Jane Brontë 30 July 1818 – 19 December 1848) was an English novelist and poet, best remembered for her only novel, Wuthering Heights, now considered a classic of English literature. Emily was the third eldest of the four surviving Brontë siblings, between the youngest Anne and her brother...
's novel Wuthering Heights
Wuthering Heights
Wuthering Heights is a novel by Emily Brontë published in 1847. It was her only novel and written between December 1845 and July 1846. It remained unpublished until July 1847 and was not printed until December after the success of her sister Charlotte Brontë's novel Jane Eyre...
. His role in the story is that of Catherine Earnshaw
Catherine Earnshaw
Catherine Earnshaw, known as Catherine Linton after her marriage, is the main female protagonist of Emily Brontë's novel Wuthering Heights....
's husband. He resides at Thrushcross Grange and falls prey to Heathcliff
Heathcliff (Wuthering Heights)
Heathcliff is a fictional character in the novel Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. Owing to the novel's enduring fame and popularity, he is often regarded as an archetype of the tortured Romantic hero whose all-consuming passions destroy both himself and those around him.Legend has stereotyped...
's schemes for revenge against his family.
Edgar is the father of his and Catherine's daughter, Catherine Linton
Catherine Linton
Catherine Linton is a character in Emily Brontë's novel Wuthering Heights...
, and the brother of Isabella Linton
Isabella Linton
Isabella Linton is a female character in Emily Brontë's only novel Wuthering Heights. She is the sister of Edgar Linton and the wife of Heathcliff.- Story :...
. He is a complete foil
Foil (literature)
In fiction, a foil is a character who contrasts with another character in order to highlight particular qualities of another character....
of Heathcliff as a character, as shown by his tender, gentle, and weak personality as opposed to Heathcliff's savage, tyrannical nature.
Description
Edgar Linton is regarded as the complete opposite of his wife, Catherine Earnshaw, and her foster brother and true love, Heathcliff. With his fair long hair, his pale skin and his blue eyes, Edgar seems to have stumbled out of a Jane AustenJane Austen
Jane Austen was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction, set among the landed gentry, earned her a place as one of the most widely read writers in English literature, her realism and biting social commentary cementing her historical importance among scholars and critics.Austen lived...
novel for the quiet, gentle life he at first leads at Thrushcross Grange, a home of peace and good-will until Heathcliff's presence fills it. Edgar is said to be constitutionally weak, as is the case throughout the Linton family, and is very distressed when he realises that he cannot match the fire and passion of his wayward wife and her soul mate. He loves Catherine dearly, despite her passion for Heathcliff, and adores their daughter, named after his wife. When Isabella, his sister, marries Heathcliff, he insists that he will no longer have a relationship with her, and that they are brother and sister only in name. His portrait, perfectly and accurately resembling him, is thus described:
Mrs. Dean raised the candle, and I discerned a soft-featured face, exceedingly resembling the young lady at the Heights, but more pensive and amiable in expression. It formed a sweet picture. The long light hair curled slightly on the temples; the eyes were large and serious; the figure almost too graceful.