Sunday, August 30, 2009

Wuthering Heights a Bestseller Again Due to Eclipse


Awhile back we reported that the covers of the Emily Bronte novel were being redone to give them a more modern feel. Additionally references to Eclipse were on the cover, pointing out that the novel was one read by Bella.

Stephenie Meyer has made no secret of the fact that she was a voracious reader. She used to go through a book a week. When asked on The Host Tour what were some of the negatives she was experiencing with her new-found fame, part of her answer was that she no longer had the time to read the way that used to.

Stephenie has featured classic literature and plays in each of her novels by either referencing them directly in the storyline by having Bella and Edward reading them for a class assignment, or by talking about them in book tours, such as Pride and Prejudice, having influenced character interaction.

Well according to the UK paper, The Telegraph, Wuthering Heights, largely due to a Twilight Saga influence, has now topped the classic bestseller chart for the first time since records were kept.
“It [Wuthering Heights] has sold more than 10,000 copies in Waterstone’s booksellers stores since May, more than twice as many as the traditional Penguin Classics edition (see cover comparison to the left).

A spokesman for the chain said it was the first time Wuthering Heights had topped its classic books chart since it started compiling such figures in 1998. It has been number one in the classics chart for four months.

Simon Robertson, the company’s classics buyer, said: “I don’t think a vampire’s recommendation has ever sent a book to number one before.”

Here are the books referenced by Stephenie Meyer:

-Twilight: Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

-New Moon: Romeo and Juliet

-Eclipse: Wuthering Heights

-Breaking Dawn: The Merchant of Venice and A Midsummers Night Dream

Question: Did you read any of these books because of The Twilight Saga?

8 comments:

Cindy said...

I did. I read Pride and Prejudice and Wuthering Heights. Loved both of them!

Bitten said...

No, after watching the movies or PBS specials I can't make myself read the books.

Tara D. said...

Yeah, I find it difficult to read a book after I've seen the movie. However, it's the complete opposite when I've read the book first.

Little Lovables said...

I read Prode and Prejudice and Wuthering Heights again, yes. But I already owned them and love them!

I read the others a while ago and plan to read them again.

Alex said...

i tried i failed. not my cup of tea. maybe in a few years.

Anonymous said...

I've read Pride and Prejudice before I got my hands on the Twilight saga. I also have a copy of A Midsummers Night Dream sitting on the bookshelf, and yeah I've read that too but not without some difficulty.

Mill said...

i read wuthering heights nearly to the end but my english teacher made me give it back to the library i nearly punched her lol

Anonymous said...

i will try to read them all now (because of the twilight saga)