The setting for the book is Bronte's native Yorkshire. It takes the form of the first-person narrative of a minor character, Lockwood, who through conversations is told the tale of the principal protagonists. This framing device gives distance to the events. Nellie Dean, the secondary narrator recounts scenes of strong emotion, violence and sadism in a manner which is not completely dispassionate, but somewhat detached: she is not surprised at the extremes she recounts.
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The anti-hero is Heathcliff[?], who is taken in by the wealthy Earnshaw family as a child, and falls in love with their daughter, Catherine. But he is not considered good enough to marry her. Instead, Cathy marries a wealthy neighbour, and the embittered Heathcliff sets out to ruin the fortunes of her family, which he does over a period of many years.
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