Emerald Fennell with Aidan Flax-Clark: "Wuthering Heights"
From Library Talks by The New York Public Library
February 18, 2026 · 58 min
About this episode
Emerald Fennell discusses her interpretation of Wuthering Heights and the complexities of adapting Brontë's work.
In this episode of Library Talks , Academy and BAFTA Award–winning filmmaker, Emerald Fennell, discusses her seductive interpretation of Wuthering Heights . Wuthering Heights has been the subject of controversy since it was first published in 1847. One of its first critics derided the novel's "vulgar depravity and unnatural horrors," and another wrote, "How a human being could have attempted such a book…without committing suicide…is a mystery." Award-winning filmmaker Emerald Fennell is no stranger to unhinged tales of obsession and passion. She discusses approaching the depths and darkness of Brontë's work and how she made the film her own while honoring the novel it sprang from.
People in this episode
Host: Aidan Flax-Clark
Guest: Emerald Fennell
Topics covered
- film adaptation
- literature
- Wuthering Heights
- obsession
- passion
- Brontë
Keywords
- Emerald Fennell
- Wuthering Heights
- film adaptation
- Brontë
- literature
- obsession
- passion
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: The New York Public Library
Books & works: Wuthering Heights
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