If creativity could be canned, would you do it? You might sell the cans at Wal-Mart and make your first million. However, creativity remains much more elusive. No muse whispers in our ear as the ancients believed, or at least I’ve never heard one. No particular alignment of the moon produces creative thought. Science has also failed to find the source of creativity. The creative process seems to be an individual thing, much like the creative thought it produces.

Without a fundamental understanding of the workings behind creativity, how can we create an effective pedagogy? How can we teach anyone to connect the dots if the dots themselves cannot be found? Without a true understanding of the process, the process cannot be taught; the process cannot be canned.

Because of its ethereal nature, hocus-pocus seems as reliable as any other pedagogy. Superstition may not be scientific, but for some writers, ritual seems to get ideas flowing. Meditation in itself may not release creative genius, but it may quiet the mind enough to hear whatever creative thoughts might be lurking in the recesses of our minds.

So if the process cannot be traced, and an effective pedagogy cannot be scientifically developed, how does creativity transfer into the classroom? Without a road map, how can we know if a student has taken a wrong turn? The path a student chooses may be as or more effective than that preferred by an instructor, and why would an instructor have the right to grade based on criteria which has proven so subjective?

Aside from the subjective elements of deciding which creative pedagogies are right or wrong, evaluation of the resulting work is subjective as well. Aside from mechanics, which may arguably be a matter of preference anyway, who is to draw the line between the trite, the common, and the creative? Personal choice may cloud our ability to subjectively recognize the creative merit of a piece. Does a work need to be over the top to be deemed “creative”, or can the reader recognize more subtle variations? Two pieces may be entirely different, constructed from different creative processes, yet equally creative. But how can a teacher effectively grade both works with a single tool of measurement?

Each student enters a creative writing class on a different foothold. Some will naturally mesh with the instructor, while others will have to justify their work as a creative piece. Students are also likely to enter class with varied levels of creative facility; some will have to work harder to come up with a level of creative writing which may come more easily to others. Students may enter the class with apprehension about how their work will be received, and rightly so, with so many variables.

Therefore, it falls upon the writing instructor to help each student find a creative voice. Without associating different levels of conformation to the teachers’ ideals with actual achievement, the instructor must seek to recognize each writer for who and what they are, then attempt to nurture each writer according to who and what they might become. A tall order, no doubt.

Some level of “safety” might be created for student writers by the unconditional acceptance of their writing. Some of the basic compositional concerns may have to be suspended in favor of a judgment-free atmosphere, and left to the final draft stage. When the instructor accepts a student’s writing, the student may feel freer to accept herself as a writer.

One obvious argument would be there are in fact poor writers. But is it the job of creative writing teachers to squelch those who may not have found their writing voice? There will probably always be editors to take on that job, so the most productive thing a creative writing teacher can do might be to encourage.

Latent talent can be encouraged and brought to the surface. Many writers appear to have started late in life, but it may be more accurate to say they were older when they found the confidence to be truly creative. If we are not met with acceptance in our younger years, it will usually take many years to find acceptance within ourselves, if we ever do at all.

Unscientific as it may be, perhaps creativity does require a little hocus pocus. Nurturing isn’t always about rules, but is often about the warm-and-fuzzy. When there is no defined path, the real answer may be about doing whatever feels good. Creativity cannot be canned, and maybe it doesn’t really need to be.

I grew up in a small town. Like many small towns, the downtown district of my hometown has spent much of the last 20 years searching for an identity. The buildings are old, parking is limited, and commerce has moved to strip malls and mega retailers in newly developed areas. It has been interesting to watch the various ways downtown merchants have attempted to monetize the district.In some ways, blogs run in a parallel universe to shops in the downtown district of my hometown. They develop false economies in order to survive, they come and go quickly but a few of the strong survive, and there are often several empty storefronts waiting to be filled. There are valuable lessons for bloggers in the comparison.

The False Economy

One of the first big restoration movements in my hometown was what I’ll call the “antique mall syndrome”. In case you’re not familiar with the concept, basically someone rents a storefront and sublets spaces to vendors who peddle their own “antiques” (which are often just garage-sale fodder).

My hometown’s antique-mall phase was touted as the answer both to its many empty shops and its identity crisis. These antique malls made for interesting browsing, and created a certain amount of traffic. The problem is, they created what I call a “false economy” (yes, it’s my own term).

The shop owner now seems to have a successful retail business. It is full of merchandise, it is attracting attention, and the traffic count is growing. It is now a hub of activity, but there is one small problem. The owner is making money, but not because anyone is buying merchandise.

The vendors are paying space rent, the vendors are paying for advertising, the vendors are paying commissions and fees for whatever is actually sold. Although they dream of being successful retailers, most of the vendors are nickel and dime operators and they’re happy just to break even. Some months they pay out of their own pockets to keep their spaces, but they view that as an inevitable part of owning a new business.

But the store as a whole only needs to make enough sales to keep its vendors interested. When one vendor leaves there is usually another to take the place. The store does not need to meet a real need of the customer, it only has to keep its vendors hooked. It gives a false impression of success, based on false economics.

The Revolving Door

One of the notable characteristics of my hometown’s downtown district is the rapid turnover of its tenants. Because the storefronts are sometimes inexpensive to rent, many shops open with poor planning and insufficient capital. Often, vendors from the antique malls attempt to build their own false economies but lack the connections to attract and maintain vendors.

Because they lack the resources or fortitude to purchase or create their own products, these retailers often stock their shops with consignment merchandise.

These shops fail because of:

• A failure to plan, or poor planning
• A lack of capital to sustain them through infancy
• Failure to meet the needs of the customer (the public or the vendors)

A tremendous amount of resources are wasted on these shops, financial, physical, and emotional. While opportunities are available for prospective business owners to gain the training they need to open and sustain a successful business, most of these owners do not seek it.

A few of the strong do survive but remain on the fringe. They might be unusually tenatious or willing to live off limited resources, but they are not what could be called successful. Their businesses are emotionally, physically, and financially draining.

The Empty Shop Syndrome

In the midst of all this rapid turnover of shops in the downtown district, at any given moment many storefronts are empty. These empty shops serve as a deterrent to shoppers; experience has shown when too many shops remain empty in an area, buyers go somewhere else. But these empty shops look like opportunity to those who have dreamed of owning a shop someday.

The cost of entry is low and there are few hurdles to jump before you can have a shop of your own. Potential shop owners see the activity at the larger antique malls and expect they can do just as well. They set up a retail business on the assumption there is retail activity in the area without realizing the area is suffering with the antique shop syndrome.

Interestingly, neophyte shop owners often decide to rent a storefront before they have anything to put in it. They might not even have a complete vision of the type of business they will open. They are pursuing the dream of opening a business first, and figuring out the details later.

The same problem which enables the downtown district’s decline also perpetuates itself. It is a difficult cycle to break because it is a difficult problem to recognize, but eventually the entire district will fail.

Blogging Suffers These Same Ailments

Some blogs appear to be financially successful but are actually parasites living off the blood, sweat, and tears of others. They sell advertising spaces in their sidebars, and they sell editorial space in their posts. The amount they charge is small enough that none of the advertisers are hurt deeply, but both transactions result in few or no sales. The advertisers hang on with the belief they are building their brands and success is just a matter of time.

As these blogs increase their traffic they can charge more for the space, but there is no impetus to build quality, targeted traffic which will benefit the advertisers. There is no real reason to produce quality posts which will truly benefit the reader. These blogs serve nobody but the blogger.

But like the ailing downtown district suffering with the antique mall syndrome, these blogs create a false economy. There appears to be happy readers and happy advertisers, but in fact there may only be a happy blogger.

In the second stage of this false economy, others try to emulate the apparent success of these busy little blogs. Because the cost of entry is very low new blogs spring up right and left, but these are blogs without a plan, without a real purpose, and without a real passion for their topic. The mortality rate is high for these infant blogs, although a tremendous amount of resources are spent in the hopes of keeping them alive.

A few of the strong do manage to survive, but it is not a marriage based on love. One day the blogger will wake up and wonder why they have spent so much time in this relationship; they will roll over in bed, tell themselves they just don’t want to do it anymore, and that will be the end of their blogs. They won’t have the energy or passion to keep things going, and the blog will fold. It will fold, but not before inspiring other bloggers to follow the same road.

It sounds ridiculous to say anyone will rent a storefront without having a clear idea of the business they will operate there, but it does happen when the threshold to entry is low. In a similar fashion, many bloggers start a blog without a clear idea of what sort of blog they will operate; it only seems more acceptable because fewer resources are at stake.

Many bloggers throw a few ideas against the wall to see what sticks. This method works for some, but many become too discouraged to continue. Either way, a little forethought and planning could not only save wasted resources (money, time, spiritual and emotional) but it could also perpetuate the birth of more meaningful blogs and more bloggers with a passion for their topic.

The blogosphere does suffer many of the same ailments which plague a dying downtown district. It suffers from the antique mall syndrome, the revolving door, and the empty shop syndrome. Bloggers start their blogs with expectations, but in the long run the vast majority of these expectations remain unmet.

Blogging as a community and an industry suffers as well, as readers turn to more effective, well-planned venues for information. All the empty shops and rapid turnover creates the impression blogs are neither a viable business option, nor a valuable asset for the online world, so potential readers and businesses go elsewhere.

Charlotte Bronte’s novel Jane Eyre addresses the prevalent gothic theme of prisons and confinement, but on a level deeper than some of its literary predecessors. Bronte’s prisons are more than romantic castles of bygone days, but include prisons imposed on us by others, prisons we create for ourselves, and prisons which exist within our minds. These prisons may consist of society and social rank, law and religion, as well as thoughts and reputation. But not all such confinements keep us locked in; some confinements exist when we are locked out. Also not every form of confinement will bring us harm; some types of confinement are a type of protection and can keep us from harm.

One of the earliest ideas of confinement Jane faces in the novel is that of social class and standing. As a child, although living in a wealthy home Jane is not accepted by her aunt and cousins. She is forced to exist somewhere between the role of family member and servant, but without fitting into either position. In these circumstances Jane has also become a prisoner of reputation, shielded from the family’s regard by Mrs. Reed’s low opinion of her.

At school Jane observes the difference in class between her classmates and the children of the schoolmaster, Brocklehurst. When Jane advertises for a new position, she seems more concerned with following proper protocol for her class than getting into a situation she will enjoy. Social class is of course a dominant theme in Jane’s relationship with Rochester, a determining factor which made Mrs. Fairfax doubt the match and brought condescending glances from Mr. Rochester’s wealthy visitors.

The law is also seen as a source of confinement and a type of prison for some within this novel. Jane is confined to her low station in life because she is denied her legal rights as a family member and heir, both in the Reed household and in association with her uncle John Eyre. Rochester is confined by the law in his marriage to Bertha.

Perhaps the most profound example of confinement, and a type of prison, is the realm of thought. This is where all the other types of confinement merge. Jane’s actions are dictated by, and she spends a considerable amount of time pondering, her own thoughts. Jane reasons and evaluates, sometimes finding freedom because of it, but other times creating or at least enforcing more types of confinement. Helen Burns finds the confinement of religious thought a source of comfort and a reason to share her love with others, while Jane’s cousin Eliza uses the confinement of religious thought as an escape and a refuge where she can distance herself from the world. Mrs. Reed spends her entire adult life and her final minutes in a prison created within her mind, the prison of jealousy and hatred. Of course, thought is a prison for Bertha Mason as well.

But of the veritable prisons Jane Eyre is forced to endure, many of these confinements do more to protect her than keep her from liberty. If she hadn’t been locked away from Mrs. Reed and her cousins, she may have suffered a similar fate; she may have become as shallow, as wayward, as stilted or as resentful as any in the class of her “superiors”. If she had not endured the confinements of reason, she might have fulfilled the reputation of her childhood, and if she had not learned to control her reason she could have become as deranged as Bertha.

Without having experienced the many various forms of confinement in her life, she would not have been able to ultimately conquer them and eventually find herself living a happy and fulfilled life.

Although little is known about the inner life of Emily Bronte, who died two years after the publication of her novel Wuthering Heights, it seems evident the work was born more of her mind than her experiences. There doesn’t seem to have been any real-life Heathcliff in Emily Bronte’s Irish forebears or Yorkshire neighbors. The work Bronte left behind is sparse, the one novel and several impressive but baffling poems.

But the drab life of this genteel English spinster who wrote Wuthering Heights doesn’t lessen the work; to the contrary, it makes the work even more remarkable. To realize the fiery, beautiful Catherine and the brooding, handsome Heathcliff were born entirely of the imagination means their traits were a thing of design; their characteristics were built with a purpose in mind, and each of their idiosyncrasies were a thing of choice. The only thing left to do then is decide what those choices meant and how they supported Bronte’s purposes.

Wuthering Heights did not sell well upon its initial publication and had she lived longer, Emily Bronte’s options for a subsequent novel would have been limited. Her contemporaries found the rugged sensibilities of Bronte’s characters difficult, lacking the idealistic appeal of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. Therefore, it could be deduced Emily did not write for mass appeal. The Dictionary of Literary Biography states Bronte’s later poems seemed to be grappling with metaphysical questions raised by her novel.

If this is true, and Wuthering Heights was at least in part a novel where the author wished to explore ideas, a discussion of the work should in turn explore those same questions. However, the purposes of the book are not readily apparent, and like the characters within there is a certain amount of ambiguity.

Despite Cathy’s selfish nature and Heathcliff’s cruelty, they are not unattractive; both characters in some ways seem superior to others in the story. The Lintons are spoiled and weak, but the suffering of Isabella and Edgar’s devotion to his wife and daughter inspire the sympathies of readers. Like Heathcliff, its principal character, a story harsh as the moors where it takes place has managed to find a warm place in the hearts and minds of readers for generations.

In spite of its apparent dysfunction, the romance between Cathy and Heathcliff is often regarded as the romantic ideal. It resonates as a tale of deep and eternal love. Cathy’s statement, “I am Heathcliff”, speaks of a unity which other lovers have sought to emulate. Heathcliff’s plan to join with Cathy in death by the removal of coinciding sides of their coffins (Signet, 274) seems a romantic gesture in spite of the obvious grotesque element. But the novel is fraught with ambiguities such as this.

Early in the story Mr. Earnshaw brings Heathcliff to live with the family as a sibling, although no apparent relationship or other reason is given. He was to be raised as Cathy’s brother, yet incest is never considered outright when their ensuing relationship is discussed. Heathcliff’s origin is unknown, and although he appears to be a gypsy child he later returns having made a fortune. But no source of that fortune is ever pinned down.

In a similar fashion, other characters add to the list of ambiguities. After his father’s death, Hindley returns home with an unannounced wife of unknown origin (Signet, 48) who has an unexplained fear of dying. The servant Joseph appears deeply religious and devout, but is one of the most cynical characters in the story. Later Hareton has lived a life of neglect and abuse, from Heathcliff and later from Catherine, but he still seems to maintain affection for Heathcliff and easily forgives Catherine when she changes her mind. Each of these hypocrisies is accepted as normal within the context of the story.

But these little hypocracies are similar to those we face in real life and may be one of the keys to Wuthering Heights’ overall success as a piece of literature. While Emily’s sister Charlotte had more immediate success with the more straightforward themes of Jane Eyre, through the years Wuthering Heights has received more attention and study. It might then be assumed that the book’s ambiguities touch something deeper, and possibly closer to the heart.

Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights may find its roots in the Female Gothic, but this novel builds the genre’s typical “female coming of age” theme into a powerful narrative of broader scope and appeal. It takes the basic elements of the genre and expands upon them in a new and unique way. While it could be argued much of the purpose of Wuthering Heights is similar to others within the Female Gothic genre, its treatment of the basic themes has allowed the novel to transcend the limitations experienced by lesser works within the genre.

Typical to the Female Gothic there is a castle, and in Wuthering Heights it is no less symbolic than earlier predecessors such as the fortress in Elizabeth Bonhote’s earlier novel, Bungay Castle. In Female Gothic, images of a castle and its related structures are said to symbolize both the patriarchy and the feminine body. As such, on a symbolic level the female protagonist’s experiences navigating these challenges allows her to move from innocence to experience. While on the surface she is merely exploring the castle and a few mandates by the ruling male, these actions are paralleled on another level as the heroine’s exploration of herself and society. This exploration allows her to assert independence as a sexually adult woman.

But Bronte’s heroine in Wuthering Heights does not spend her time exploring the dark caverns below the castle. Instead she navigates the relationships encountered within its confines, and such dark tunnels are no less hazardous than their subterranean counterparts in other novels. Her peril is found more in the dark temprament of Heathcliff than in exploring some dark hallway. Heathcliff is a shadow that falls upon the Wuthering Heights domicile, giving it a sinister element which threatens the destruction of its inhabitants; however, that destruction will not come from the castle itself, but from its occupant and master, Heathcliff.

In fact, Bronte expands both the role of the castle and the role of the heroine to an extent which makes them almost symbolic of their original purposes within the genre. Different than its earlier cousins, in Wuthering Heights the role of castle could be seen as split between two separate domiciles, the Heights and the nearby Thrushcross Grange. Another split could also be seen in the role of the novel’s heroine; in this case the coming of age may be said to take two generations and two women to accomplish it, Catherine Earnshaw and her daughter Catherine Linton.

While Wuthering Heights may not appear an example of Female Gothic literature at first glance, the most crutial elements of the genre are in place. There is a castle, an oppressed heroine, and the requisite sinister elements. But it is the artistry and talent of Emily Bronte which takes a germ of an idea and develops it into something greater. Bronte produced a novel which not only survives but thrives, unlike many of its elder cousins in the Female Gothic genre.

Although he was not born of the place, it could be argued Heathcliff sometimes appears to be at one with the Heights. In Mrs. Dean’s first description of Heathcliff, she deems him “rough as a saw-edge and hard as whinstone” (Signet, 39). Like the walls of such a fortress as the Heights, Heathcliff is described as stone. Ultimately, the place bends to his will; Wuthering Heights is transformed from the warm domicile of the Earnshaw family to a gloomy, neglected, and possibly haunted fortress. Therefore, as the Heights’ symbolic Doppleganger, Heathcliff shares in the castle’s role within a Female Gothic novel; he becomes the thing which is explored on the heroine’s way to maturity, the place with mysterious rooms and hallways.

The heroine in Wuthering Heights, at least in the first section, is Catherine Earnshaw, and early in the story Cathy is expected to navigate the character of Heathcliff.

“Cathy, when she learned the master had lost her whip in attending on the stranger, showed her humour by grinning and spitting at the stupid little thing, earning for her pains a sound blow from her father to teach her cleaner manners.” (41)

But she did adjust quickly, and before long Cathy “was much too fond of Heathcliff” (46). The ensuing relationship, however, did more to stunt the heroine’s growth than to facilitate it.

“They both promised fair to grow up rude as savages, the young master being entirely negligent how they behaved, and what they did, so they kept clear of him.” (49)

In The Waif at the Window: Emily Bronte’s Feminine ‘Bildungsroman’, Annette Frederico adds:

Catherine and her male soul-mate remain stubbornly adolescent from beginning to end; granted, they are triumphant, rebellious, passionate characters, and Emily Bronte is obviously celebrating the untamed and undisciplined spirit of adolescent love. But in view of this first generation, Wuthering Heights is less a novel of development than a novel of arrested childhood.

It is only by physical separation from the twin forces of Wuthering Heights and Heathcliff that Cathy begins to show an interest about her place in the world as an adult. When she is removed to Thrushcross Grange for five weeks, Cathy first begins to explore what she might become later in life, however self-centered that view may still have been. Upon her return she wears the garments of a lady and seems for the first time to consider Heathcliff as something below the station she wishes for herself in life.

“She gazed concernedly at the dusky fingers she held in her own, and also at her dress, which she feared had gained no embellishment from its contact with his.” (57)

If the Heights is associated with Heathcliff, then it might be easy to say Thrushcross Grange is equally associated with Edgar Linton. As such, Edgar Linton and the Grange naturally become the means through which Cathy could leave Heathcliff and the Heights, along with at least a portion of her adolescence, and begin to find her place in the world as an adult.

This new fortress is where Cathy might begin to establish some means of control over the patriarchal confines of her childhood. While at the Heights, Cathy tried to establish authority and choose her own destiny by throwing childish fits and tantrums. At the grange Cathy may have intended to exchange the more mature of her feminine charms for power, exercising her control over Edgar to accomplish her wishes. Ultimately, Cathy was unable to leave the emotionally-stunted relationship she shared with Heathcliff, and one of her childish tantrums soon led her to illness and death.

Because of her death, Catherine Earnshaw’s tenure at Wuthering Heights and her relationship with Heathcliff would forever remain associated with her childhood and adolescence. The eternal nature of this point is made more certain when Cathy’s ghost later appears to Mr. Lockwood through the window at Wuthering Heights in the form of a child. Bronte’s narrative doesn’t tell us if this is the form which visited Heathcliff in his final days, but if so we might assume his death was a necessary step allowing him to return to the spiritual shape of his childhood. By crossing into the spirit world he too could take the childlike form closer to his own emotional development, becoming forever a playmate and companion to his beloved Cathy.

Aside from the castle’s role as a patriarchal symbol in the Female Gothic, it is often seen as a symbol of the heroine’s feminine body as well. If indeed Heathcliff and Wuthering Heights are to be seen as one, or at least deeply associated with each other, this symbolic convention takes on interesting implications in Wuthering Heights. If the physical qualities of the Heights are to parallel the heroine’s own body, then by implication Heathcliff would be equally a representation of Catherine Earnshaw. This might account for Ca
thy’s explanation:

It would degrade me to marry Heathcliff now; so he shall never know how I love him; and that, not because he’s handsome, Nelly, but because he’s more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same; and Linton’s is as different as a moonbeam from lightning, or frost from fire. (Signet, 82)

This same conversation later builds to Cathy’s emphatic claim, “I am Heathcliff” (84). In this statement, the possibility Bronte intended her readers to view a symbolic physical connection between the two characters becomes even more probable.

But if this is true, the question remains how Cathy’s exploration of Heathcliff might symbolize the exploration of her physical self. A physical relationship between Heathcliff and Cathy is never mentioned in this novel, but neither is it mentioned between Cathy and Edgar even though they have a child together. Is it possible Cathy’s emotional development is stunted while at Wuthering Heights because her relationship with Heathcliff never advances to a physical level?

We could speculate if Cathy had married Heathcliff she might have learned more of herself, and with that knowledge she might have become a mature adult. Unfortunately, that is not the road Cathy immediately chose, and her death came too early for such lessons to be explored later.

But while Catherine Earnshaw-Linton’s death occurs in Chapter 16, it could be argued Bronte did not kill off her heroine so early in the novel. Cathy’s daughter not only shares her name, but bears a striking resemblance to her; Heathcliff later notes a resemblence which causes him to turn his face from her. It is possible Bronte intended the connection to be so strong the Female Gothic’s requisite journey from adolescence to womanhood is continued, and completed, in her heroine’s daughter. Perhaps Cathy’s separation from Wuthering Heights and Heathcliff could only be achieved through a baptism consisting of death and rebirth.

In Wuthering Heights as a Victorian Novel, Arnold Shapiro writes:

Symbolically, [the second half of the novel] begins with a birth, Catherine Linton’s, which is described in much the same terms as was the entrance of Heathcliff. . . . Though the language is an echo of the past, however, Cathy turns out to be the representative of a new generation, and without the author’s being foolishly optimistic, of a new set of values, an answer to the old ways.

Annette Frederico’s The Waif at the Window: Emily Bronte’s Feminine ‘Bildungsroman’ adds:

It is actually with Catherine’s death in childbirth that Bronte’s Bildungsroman begins. In fact, the second half of Wuthering Heights and the concern with young Cathy is a fascinating variation of the prototypic novel of female education in the nineteenth century, a dramatization of the struggle to relinquish childhood for the duties of womanhood in the most traditional, romantic capacity: marriage with the man of one’s choice.

Young Catherine is not a child of Wuthering Heights, but of Thrushcross Grange. She is not susceptible to Heathcliff and has been sheltered from his influences. Because of this, she is able to carry the torch passed to her by her mother, emerging from a happy childhood as an assertive, contented adult. As such, Catherine becomes a contented adult, prepared to accept the responsibilities and limitations of marriage in a way her mother never achieved.

Catherine’s road is not always smooth. In Heroines of Nineteenth-Century Fiction: The Two Catherines of Emily Bronte, William Howells writes:

Charlotte Bronte created the impassioned heroine, as I have called Jane Eyre, and Emily Bronte created the lawless heroine, like the two Catherines, but all their heroines measurably shared in the fascination which brutality, the false image of strength, seems to have for weakness. In these characters they changed the ideal of fiction for many a long day, and established the bullied heroine in a supremacy which she held till the sinuous heroine began softly but effectually to displace her.

Wuthering Heights holds true to the Female Gothic genre’s aim to socialize and educate its female readers, as well as its tendency to express criticism of male-dominated, patriarchal structures. It capitalizes upon the unique abilities of the Female Gothic to explore the role of women in society. Typical to the genre, Wuthering Heights ends with its heroine wrapped in what we may suppose to be a state of marital bliss. But be that as it may, Bronte’s two Catherines are far from the fainting Gothic heroine; her Catherines are the mythical Phoenix who ends in a fire of passion, and is reborn. Through this baptism of death and reincarnation, Bronte shuns the voyeuristic victimization of women which characterizes much of the Male Gothic. Bronte does not spend much time directly criticizing the patriarchal system, but in Wuthering Heights she finds a means for rising above it, much like she and her sisters found a way to rise above their own contemporary male-dominated world in general, and the limitations it sought to place on female writers in particular.

Bronte’s gothic castle also transcends its archetype, in essence taking on human character through the form and nature of Heathcliff, a shadow which descends upon it and becomes its master; in doing so, the place becomes an active participant in the story. Just as the surrounding moors shape the nature of its inhabitants with their harsh realities, the Heights shapes the nature of its residents, conforming them to the will of its master.

Comparisons have naturally been made between Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights and her sister Charlotte’s Jane Eyre. Both tell the story of an orphan who is taken in by the well-meaning patriarch of a wealthy family, but is rejected by most or all of the others in that household. From there both stories describe how such a childhood can shape this character into adulthood, and it may be argued neither of these characters ever achieved full maturity. The works of both sisters are generally considered excellent examples of the Gothic novel, delivering the expected goods and advancing the genre through thoughtful and innovative treatment of these elements.

But even though Charlotte’s novel was the more successful of the two initially, in the end it is Wuthering Heights which has found a place in our culture’s collective consciousness. These are the characters we relate to and the love story we remember. This is the romance which translated into one of Hollywood’s all-time classic movies. Of the two, it is the book more students study in high school English, or college literature classes. In the end, it is Emily Bronte’s skill in narration, characterization, and innovation that delivered this story into our hearts; Bronte took the basic elements of the Female Gothic genre, and transformed them into one of the great classics of English literature.

Once upon a time in a faraway land there lived a vain emperor. He longed for the day when all his subjects would obey his every command and hang upon his every word. So he started a blog because he heard blogs were the perfect way to build authority.

This emperor followed all the latest blogging fashions. His graphics were breathtaking. His choices of font and color were impeccable. He used the newest plugins, since of course it was a WordPress blog. And of course, the emperor didn’t do any of the actual blog development himself; he had everything outsourced.

“My, what a beautiful blog,” people would say.

The emperor would then puff out his chest and say, “I know.”

But one morning the emperor felt a little depressed.

“Nobody is visiting my blog,” he said. “And further, my subjects are not yet obeying my every command. This blog has done nothing to build my authority.”

“Quite right,” said a dashing young marketer who stepped from the shadows. “Your blog is sadly ignored though it is the most beautiful and stylish of blogs. What your blog needs is traffic; traffic will cause your authority to skyrocket.”

The emperor liked what he heard.

“Then go,” said the emperor. “Bring traffic to my blog if you can.”

“And I can, but for a price and this offer won’t last,” said the marketer.

So the emperor paid vast sums to bring massive traffic to his blog.

The Emperor Goes to Market

The marketer hit the social marketing circuits and submitted the emperor’s blog to Digg, he wrote favorable reviews on StumbleUpon, and built numerous backlinks so the blog would do well in the search engine placements. He even hired people to leave comments on each and every of the emperor’s blog posts.

Soon, the emperor’s blog began to draw attention from his subjects.

“My my,” they said. “Look at all these comments. This blog must be very interesting.”

Then they subscribed to the emperor’s RSS feed. “My my,” others said. “Look at all these RSS subscribers. This blog must be very influential.”

Then they linked to the emperor’s blog.

“Goodness gracious,” people cried. “Look at this blog’s page rank. It must be a very important blog.”

The emperor was very happy because with all the comments, subscribers, and page rank, he had finally built the authority he so desired.

So the marketer approached the emperor again and said, “Now you have built much authority. The next thing you must do is monetize your blog.”

The emperor liked this idea very much, since he had his eye on a beautiful suit of clothes one of his emperor friends had recently purchased. So he immediately sat down and wrote an ebook, then wrote about it on his blog.

“I must have this ebook,” the people said. “The emperor’s blog is the most beautiful , stylish, influential, and important in the empire. Anyone who doesn’t hang on the emperor’s every word must be a nincompoop.”

The emperor’s ebook sold like hotcakes.

The Emperor and the Big Seminar

Now being a vain emperor, he wanted his fans to adore him in person. So he decided to hold a seminar and read selections from his blog and ebook. Of course, tickets to the seminar sold out within thirty seven minutes.

The morning of the seminar, the air crackled with anticipation. The emperor took the podium and began reading excerpts from his blog and ebook.

“This morning,” he said. “I had a bagel for breakfast.”

The crowd murmured, “I read that post. One of his best, one of his best.”

“Yesterday,” the emperor continued. “I had two bagels.”

The crowd roared with approval.

The emperor quoted post after post from his blog, and each word sent a quiver through the crowd. Then the emperor paused and cleared his throat, about to begin reading from his ebook.

But far in the back of the crowd, a small voice cried out, “Excuse me, please?”

The crowd turned in unison, aghast one so young would dare interrupt an emperor so powerful and wise.

The small voice belonged to a small boy. He stood on a chair and addressed the room.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but I wondered if anyone has noticed the emperor’s blog has no content? He really isn’t saying anything new; we all eat bagels every morning.”

“What?” shouted another voice from the crowd. “Ridiculous, absurd. The emperor’s blog is the most beautiful, stylish, influential and important of blogs. Just look at all the comments on each and every post.”

“Well now that you mention it,” said another. “I really only commented because everyone else had, and I wanted backlinks for my own blog.”

“But look at the number of RSS subscribers his blog has,” said someone else.

“Well really, I never actually read the posts. I just subscribed because everyone else had,” another voice answered.

“But look at his blog’s page rank,” someone said. “You can’t fake that, his blog must be important.”

“Now that you mention it,” said another. “I only linked to his blog because everyone else had.”

And for a long time nobody said anything.

Then finally, one by one, the people filed quietly from the room. They all went home and unsubscribed from the emperor’s blog, removed the links from their own sites, and deleted him from their browser favorites.

The emperor went out and bought some new clothes.

Everything might be going along fine, then one morning you wake up and just don’t want to do it anymore. The same blog which used to be your pride and joy, where you watched its statistics improve like an over-protective mother, now feels like just another nagging chore. You would delete the whole thing if you hadn’t invested so much time already. Nobody told you it would be like this.

It’s not an uncommon feeling. If you do the math, you’ll find most new blogs fail.

A growing list of bloggers have sold out in the last year. Not counting those who have considered selling, or listed and pulled out, several new and established blogs have recently changed owners:

• Cashquests
• Blogging Fingers
• SEONoobs
• WPDesigner
• Blogging Experiment
• John Cow

Selling an established site can be profitable, and flipping websites is a growing niche, but can you keep your motivation and develop your blog enough someone might be interested in buying?

Blog Gone It

One common reason sellers give for selling is they have a new project which needs their time, finances, or both. It’s the blogosphere version of a Dear John letter:

Dear Blog,

I just don’t have time for you anymore. Can we still be friends?

Sincerely,

Me

You hear the wailing and gnashing of teeth about a few of these sales. They say, “Don’t sell! Treat your blog as an investment and hire writers to post for you.” But have you really ever tried to get good writers who weren’t already swamped writing their own blogs?

It seems the prospect of making money online with a blog has drawn many into the world of online publishing, but some may not have the staying power to see their blogs through. Others simply take on too many blogs and find it hard to keep each of them current and interesting. These bloggers thought it would be easy; just write a few posts a week and you’re set for life.

The B-Myth

In honor of Michael Gerber’s business classic, I’ll call this phenomenon “The B-Myth”. Someone gets an idea for a blog and thinks it’s a pretty good idea . . . and maybe it is. So they set it up and learn a little about WordPress or Blogger. Suddenly they call themselves a blogger, when in fact that blogger really only existed in the moment their blog was conceived.

What they didn’t realize is:

• Blogging is writing
• Blogging is marketing
• Blogging is doing the same thing over and over

And possibly the most disheartening fact of all, blogging success doesn’t happen overnight.

Once upon a time there was an up-and-coming Internet Marketer named Goldilocks. One bright morning she ventured into the deep dark woods to peddle her wares. Goldilocks had written her own sales copy already but after walking around in the woods awhile she became tired of her copy’s low conversion rates and decided to have some new copywriting done.

Just when the hot afternoon sun started making her tired, Goldilocks came across a cottage with a large sign hanging over the door. The sign read “Copywriters for Hire” so she decided to knock on the door. But nobody was home.

“I am very sleepy,” she thought. “I’m sure nobody will mind if I wait inside. Perhaps I could take a nap.”

Inside the cottage, Goldilocks noticed there were three of nearly everything. One big. One medium-sized. And one small.

“How odd,” she said. However, Goldilocks was very tired and decided to take a rest in the biggest chair.

But as soon as she sat down loud music started playing and a voice came over a loudspeaker. “Buy, buy, buy!” it yelled loudly. “Limited quantities, and the price will be going up, up, up!” Goldilocks jumped up from the chair.

“Oh my goodness!” she cried. “That’s the biggest bunch of hype and hoopla I ever did hear!”

Goldilocks took a seat on the middle-sized chair to catch her breath. But somewhat to her disappointment, nothing happened. As a matter of fact, it was so quiet she could hear crickets chirping outside. Her mind wandered and soon she forgot why she had even set out into the forest in the first place. Tired as she was, Goldilocks grew bored and decided to move on.

The third chair was smaller than the rest but Goldilocks didn’t see anywhere else to sit so she decided to give it a shot.

“Hmm,” she thought. “The seat is pretty comfortable. Not too hard, but not too soft either.”

Just then a pillow appeared on the back of the chair. She rested her head against it. Next an ottoman appeared from nowhere. She put her feet up on it. Right after that, a glass of champagne appeared on a stand beside the chair.

“Now this chair knows how to treat a lady!” she said. And she guzzled the glass of champagne right down.

But it was late in the afternoon and Goldilocks hadn’t had a bite to eat all day.

“I am so very hungry,” she thought. So she ventured into the kitchen to find some food. Now, the champagne had made her a little tipsy so she didn’t trust her eyes at first. But across the kitchen there appeared to be a table with three steaming bowls of soup.

Being hungry, Goldilocks made a beeline for the largest bowl. She peered down into the bowl and noticed it was alphabet soup. Not only that, but the letters seemed to be spelling out some message.

She read, “If this soup doesn’t make you three times more full, we’ll double your crackers back and throw in a bonus spoon.”

Goldilocks pushed the bowl of soup away in disgust.

“If that isn’t the biggest crock of cliches I ever have seen!” she exclaimed.

Goldilocks looked into the second bowl. It had words alright, but she really couldn’t understand what they were trying to say.

“I just don’t know what you want me to do,” she told it as she moved on to the smaller bowl.

“Wouldn’t you like some nice warm soup?” read the letters in the third bowl.

“Why, yes. Yes I would,” Goldilocks said. Then she ate the soup right down.

Still a little drunk off the champagne and now full of the alphabet soup, Goldilocks decided to go upstairs and take a little nap. When she opened the door to the bedroom she surveyed the room and saw three beds, a big bed, a middle-sized bed, and a smaller bed.

“My momma didn’t raise no dummy,” she said. “I ain’t gonna go through all that again.”

And with that she dove onto the smaller bed and had a nice nap.

When the copywriters arrived home, just as she suspected there was a big one, a medium-sided one, and a smaller one. And I don’t need to tell you which one she hired to write her new sales copy!

Goldilocks took her new sales copy home and posted it on her blog. The low-pressure yet emotionally appealing copy was Stumbled immediately and quickly shot to the front page of Digg.com. Her sales conversions skyrocketed, so of course she lived happily ever after.

One of the first methods many bloggers approach to monetize their sites is selling space for banner ads. However, studies show visitors have become blind to banner advertisements. In “Banner Blindness: Old and New Findings” Jakob Nielsen reports:

The most prominent result from the new eye-tracking studies is not actually new. We simply confirmed for the umpteenth time that banner blindness is real. Users almost never look at anything that looks like an advertisement, whether or not it’s actually an ad.

Eye tracking studies show either a reader will scan content looking for a quick fact, and not be diverted to advertising, or dig into an article they find interesting and not be distracted by ads. The studies also show readers ignored design elements which appeared to be ads, whether they actually were ads or not.

It isn’t exactly new information. Neilsen refers to similar findings from a study he was involved with in 1997.

But it is interesting to see what bloggers do with the information. We continue to sell banner ads even though it may not be the best use of the client’s advertising dollar or the most productive use of space on our blogs.

One popular banner-ad defense comes under the guise of “branding”. The idea is keeping your company’s image in the minds of people who are not ready to act now, but may be in the future. It’s the perfect smoke screen for low-performing media such as banner ads because the emphasis is not on click through.

For most online marketers, this sort of branding doesn’t work:

1. Branding campaigns are expensive, depending on heavy market penetration or reach.
2. Branding campaigns require constant impressions over a long period of time to achieve significant results.
3. Branding overemphasizes the possibility of an emotional response. People don’t search the Internet looking for relationships with products, they want information.

Although studies like Nielsen’s show banner ads have for the most part become ineffective, many blogs continue selling banner space. The question which begs to be asked is, “Why?”

One of my favorite Dr. Seuss stories begins:

Now the Star-bellied Sneetches had bellies with stars. The Plain-bellied Sneetches had none upon thars.

These stars were small and served no purpose, but the Star-bellied Sneetches bragged they were the best on the beaches and soon the Plain-bellied Sneetches had stars installed on their bellies.

The blogosphere often runs parallel to Sneetch Beach. The Banner-bellied bloggers are seen as superior and everyone else copies them, forgetting or even denying, like the stars, banner ads are practically worthless. Perhaps one day the trend will reverse itself and it will be considered cool to be “banner free”.

Or perhaps we’ll simply ask ourselves what actually works instead of worrying about what’s plastered on our bellies.

Once upon a time there lived three Billy goat brothers. They were considered forward-thinking marketers and each had developed extensive opt-in email lists.

One sunny day the smallest of the three goats set out to market his wares and started across a small wooden bridge. When the Billy goat was half across, an ugly troll leaped from underneath.

“Who’s that tippy-tap, tippy-tapping over my bridge?” said the ugly troll.

Now, although this troll was quite ugly he was quite a media mogul. He owned a popular television station and several magazines with massive subscriber bases. So he was accustomed to pushing others around.

“Tis I, smallest of three brother goats. Please let me cross your bridge, I wish to market my wares on the other side.”

“You’d like to cross, would you?” snarled the troll. “Over the bridge there are hundreds who could buy your wares. I can give you access to them, but for a price.”

“Thanks, but no thanks,” said the smallest Billy goat brother. He skipped away and sent an email out to his opt-in subscribers. The email brought in a 30% conversion rate, so he was quite happy.

Later the same day, the medium-sized Billy goat brother set out to market his wares and came across the same wooden bridge.

“Who’s that going rat-a-tat, rat-a-tat over my bridge?” said the troll.

“Tis I, the middle of three brother goats. Let me cross your bridge so I may market my wares on the other side.”

“I see you are larger than the brother I met earlier today, but are you smarter as well? He was foolish and did not recognize my power. I can give you access to thousands over the bridge who may buy your wares. But to cross over, you shall pay a price.”

“No thanks,” said the medium-sized Billy goat. He hopped away and sent out an email to his opt-in subscribers which returned a 40% conversion rate.

Without these new advertisers, the troll began to worry. How would he keep the wife in the lifestyle to which she had grown accustomed, without ad revenue? He had grown wealthy as gatekeeper to the masses he interrupted with ads and commercials as they tried to go about their daily business.

Plus, he liked jumping out from under the bridge and scaring people.

Soon after, the largest and oldest of the three goat brothers began to cross the bridge. The troll leaped up from beneath the bridge and snarled his best and ugliest snarl.

“Who goes tromp-tromp, trompity-tromping over my bridge?” said the troll.

“Tis I, the eldest of three brother goats. I am crossing the bridge to eat daisies in yon field.”

“But your brothers wanted to sell their wares, don’t you too? For a small price, a mere pittance really, I can give you access to millions who will buy.”

“I am not interested,” said the eldest goat. “Your ads interrupt people and they have learned to ignore you. My customers have given me permission to contact them because they are already interested in my wares, so I have no use for your ads.”

“But I can help you reach billions,” said the troll. “I can put your wares in front of more people than you ever dreamed possible.”

“Permission-based marketing methods are replacing the interruption-based model, and old gatekeepers who control access to customers are becoming a thing of the past. You too shall become a thing of the past if you don’t step aside and allow me to cross the bridge.”

But the troll had too much vested in the old methods of marketing. Besides he was a bit of a control freak, so he wouldn’t step aside.

The eldest of the goat brothers applied a head butt to the ugly troll’s belly, knocking the ugly troll into the gully below. The eldest goat then crossed the bridge and enjoyed an afternoon of munching delicious daisies. Later that day, he went home and sent out an email to his opt-in subscribers which returned a 50% conversion rate.

So of course he lived happily ever after.