From Twilight to Friends: Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights' Enduring Impact on Pop Culture

Wuthering Heights in Your Favourite Pop Culture Moments

When you look up Wuthering Heights and its footprint in pop culture, a few recognisable references pop up. Take Friends, for example: there’s an episode where Phoebe and Rachel take a literature course, and one of the books they discuss is none other than Wuthering Heights.

The influence even stretches to modern novels. Stephanie Meyer, author of the Twilight saga, drew inspiration from Brontë’s classic for her book Eclipse. Bella, the female protagonist, even admits that it’s her favourite book—a nod to the story’s timeless appeal. In fact, a new cover design for the novel was even marketed as “Bella & Edward’s Favourite Book”!

And it doesn’t stop there. In the 2009 romantic comedy The Proposal, Sandra Bullock’s character shares quirky facts about herself with her love interest Ryan Reynolds—one being that Wuthering Heights is her favourite book, and she reads it every Christmas.

But the story’s influence doesn’t end with these. Let’s dig even deeper into the ways this classic continues to captivate hearts and inspire creative minds!

Also read: Kafka in Pop Culture: From Severance to Breaking Bad—and Now, the Biopic Franz

Wuthering Heights by Kate Bush

What if Wuthering Heights wasn’t just a classic novel, but also a song that could capture all its passion, obsession, and heartbreak? Kate Bush released a track inspired by Emily Brontë’s classic novel, and it became a UK #1 hit—making her the first female artist to top the charts with a self-written song. Her haunting, dramatic vocals and unforgettable music video bring Catherine and Heathcliff’s stormy love to life with the same intensity as the windswept moors themselves.

With lines like:

“Heathcliff, it's me, I'm Cathy

I've come home, I'm so cold

Let me in your window.”

…the song perfectly channels the intensity, obsession, and heartbreak of Brontë’s story, cementing its place as a pop culture phenomenon that continues to mesmerise audiences.

Stormy Love on Screen: Wuthering Heights Movie Adaptations

A classic like Wuthering Heights couldn’t stay confined to the page for long. The stormy, passionate love of Catherine and Heathcliff has inspired filmmakers across generations to bring Brontë’s tale to life in countless ways. Some notable adaptations include:

• 1939: Starring Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon, this version is considered a classic of Hollywood cinema.
• 1970: Directed by Robert Fuest, starring Timothy Dalton and Anna Calder-Marshall.
• 2011: Directed by Andrea Arnold, starring Kaya Scodelario and Solomon Glave.
• 2019: An opera adaptation by Bernard Herrmann premiered at the Royal Opera House in London.

The story’s reach doesn’t stop at English-language cinema. It has crossed borders and languages:

• French: Hurlevent (1985), directed by Jacques Rivette.
• Japanese: Arashi Ga Oka (1988), directed by Yoshishige Yoshida.
• Hindi: Several adaptations, including Arzoo (1950), Hulchul (1951), and Dil Diya Dard Liya (1966), all featuring legendary actors like Dilip Kumar, Nargis, Waheeda Rehman, and others.

From Hollywood to Bollywood, from opera to international cinema, Catherine and Heathcliff’s tempestuous love continues to inspire filmmakers across the world.

More Ripples of the Moory Tale

The influence of Emily Brontë’s classic novel is stronger—and wider—than you might imagine.

Take Johnny Depp, for instance. When asked in an interview if he considered himself a romantic, he replied, “Am I a romantic? I’ve seen Wuthering Heights ten times. I’m a romantic.”

In The Vampire Diaries, Stefan gives Elena an old edition of the novel in the first season, highlighting parallels between Catherine and Heathcliff’s turbulent love and the developing relationship between Stefan and Elena.

Modern literature reflects its reach as well. In Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, Amir notices Soraya reading Wuthering Heights, to which she replies, “It is a sad story.” Similarly, in The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai (the author longlisted for this year’s Booker Prize), Sai reads the novel multiple times during the Ghurkha insurgency, demonstrating how Brontë’s tale of passion and heartbreak transcends time, culture, and conflict.

The deeper you dive into Emily Brontë’s world and the impact of her sole novel, the more you realise just how far-reaching its footprint in pop culture truly is. And while we could go on exploring its endless influences, this is where we pause. If you’re curious to learn more about the author herself, don’t miss our deep dive: Emily Brontë’s Forgotten Genius: Why Her Poetry Deserves More Attention.

So brew a cuppa, curl up, and let yourself get lost in the timeless world of Emily Brontë—because some stories, like hers, never truly end.

Buy Here at Cuppa Classics: Wuthering Heights