King of Cyrpus

                I had never heard of the term "Pygmalion" before sitting down to read this play, and was subsequently interested in learning what it meant. All that I could find after a brief search online was a reference to a king of Cyprus in Greek mythology who carved a statue so beautiful that the king desired her to be real. Aphrodite answered his prayers and turned her into a real woman, by the name of Galatea. Digging further, I managed to find a more generalized definition, which was someone who falls in love with his own creation. Based on the first two Acts and this definition, I can assume that Higgins, the odd professor, will develop a similar kind of association with Eliza at some point, despite their current attitudes towards one another, and Higgins' claim that women, to him, "might as well be blocks of wood."

                Another thing I liked is the way the play opens with an unconventional scene. Many aspects of the stratified society are represented all together, each taking refuge from the weather in a common place. Such a setup is a clever and efficient way to introduce a great many characters and allow the audience to view them all, each in their own worlds but also intersecting everyone else's.   

LOL!

This was a very interesting bit of writing by Orwell. He goes into some very specific points which I would likely have made, had I written an article of similar content. I have been referred to as a grammar Nazi more times than I can recall. This tendency of mine to correct other people's English is especially exercised online over Facebook and forums. Orwell, and others I am sure, clearly saw the deterioration of the English language taking place over time. Given the utterly simplistic and abbreviated form of communications we have today with the internet and text messaging, I imagine Orwell to be turning over in his grave.

Personally, I steadfastly refrain from using any such abbreviated forms of speech, online or otherwise. The point Orwell made about the "bad habits which spread by imitation" is absolutely spot on. It may be easier to type "brb" instead of "be right back," but by taking part in such practices, you're effectively taking part in the slow decay of the language of meaning. I related particularly well to the sentiment that "any struggle against the abuse of language is a sentimental archaism, like preferring candles to electric light or hansom cabs to aeroplanes." I would agree that most people do feel that way, and that precisely what makes it so important to hold the line against the constant invasion of new abbreviations, and the swelling tide of stupidity that they must inevitably bring. 

Catherine (fill in the blank)

I found Lyn Pykett's analysis of Catherine unique perspective and subsequent fate very intriguing. She begins by telling us that Catherine's story is divergent from most written in the 18th century, especially by female authors. Given a common problem explored in other stories of the time, of which man to choose to marry, Catherine's story departs from the norm when marriage does not settle her problems, but rather complicates and agitates them even more. Catherine chose to marry for social standing and economic stability, despite the strong feelings of love she harbored for Heathcliff. This choice, rather than bringing a close to the book and her story, only opens her up for more (and greater) heartache later on.

It is interesting to consider how Brontë's story differs from other stories in which the heroines were forced to define their lives by the men that they marry. Pride and Prejudice, for instance, when Elizabeth finally decides to marry Mr. Darcy it is a move upward on the social ladder and one that presumably ends with the finding of real love. It's a happy ending. In Wuthering Heights, Catherine finds no such peace with her upward move.

Another thing I found interesting was the examination of young Catherine's transformation from wild earth child, happy to run the Moors with Heathcliff, to genteel lady concerned with societies conventions and with her ultimate image. To "modern" women of the time, this kind of shift would probably not have been frowned upon. The tragedy in Wuthering Heights may be best summed up in the unfortunate life of Catherine Earnshaw.