A look at the internet’s new least favorite adaptation: ‘Wuthering Heights’

Graphic by Isabelle Peterson ’28

By Honora Quinn ’27 and Cat McKenna ’28

Staff Writers

“I didn’t know ‘Wuthering Heights’ was the fourth installment of the ‘50 Shades of Grey’ franchise,” @Silverfields1 posted under the YouTube trailer for Emerald Fennel’s 2026 adaptation of the Emily Brontë novel.

The film is slated for a February 13 release. But the trailer, posted on Sept. 3, 2025, has already amassed over 11 million views; and that’s not taking into consideration the mountains of articles, video essays and online discourse that have emerged over the last several months as the first set of pictures were released.

The film has been mired with public controversy since it was announced the year following the release of Fennell’s sophomore feature “Saltburn”, with the most notable critique being the casting of the two stars: Margot Robbie as Catherine Earnshaw and Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff. Elordi’s casting in particular has drawn criticism from fans of Brontë’s novel. Heathcliff — whom Brontë alludes to as being racially ambiguous, “dark-skinned” and from Yorkshire in Northern England — will be portrayed by a white, Australian actor.

To get an academic perspective on this controversy and the legacy of the novel, Mount Holyoke News sat down with Mary Lyon Professor of Humanities and Chair of the English Department at Mount Holyoke, Kate Singer.

“I was also disappointed because I think that Heathcliff … people have talked about him in different ways, as being a Romani character, as being racially ambiguous, and, therefore, a product of some sort of mixed race parentage,” Singer said on the casting of Elordi in particular.

Robbie’s casting has also attracted controversy, although primarily due to her age. Robbie, 35 years old and Australian, is portraying an 18-year-old and English Cathy.

Fennell, however, defended the casting in an interview with People Magazine. She referred to Robbie as “somebody who has a power, an otherworldly power, a Godlike power, that means people lose their minds.”

Well, people are certainly losing their minds over what we’ve seen thus far of Robbie’s portrayal of Cathy. Critics are wondering how these castings will affect more complex themes surrounding her character’s relationship with Heathcliff. Particularly, the social and racial differences between the Earnshaws and Heathcliff as explored in the 1847 novel.

Alongside other plots, “Heathcliff is also taking revenge on the fragile middle-class white woman, and also the white aristocrat, or the white landowner who is both in certain ways entrapping that middle-class white femininity and also … denigrating the Heathcliffs of the world,” Singer noted.

Speculations have arisen about Fennell possibly choosing a more colorblind approach to the casting. Edgar Linton, the aristocrat whom Cathy marries, will be portrayed by Shazad Latif, who is a British actor of Pakistani and Scottish descent.

“I just couldn't tell from the trailer ... if they just love him as an actor, or if there was some kind of racial implication with making Edgar Linton be of a racialized origin, if we're supposed to think that he's tied to the British Empire through a certain kind of South Asian ancestry, and if so, what is that saying?” Singer commented.

Based on the trailer, this seemingly colorblind casting raises questions about the overlooked complexity of Brontë's work. Going back to Elordi’s casting, Heathcliff was found by Mr. Earnshaw in Liverpool, a port that was heavily active in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. With Fennell’s whitewashed Heathcliff, the trailer implies that this adaptation may brush over these key complexities in favor of a more romantic and sexually charged narrative.

With the rise of BookTok, some viewers might see “Wuthering Heights” more along the lines of a gothic Colleen Hoover than that of Mary Shelley. While there is a romantic arc between Cathy and Heathcliff, Brontë still weaves in these complex societal concepts around race, class and gender that are left out in a BookTok romance.

That said, we are still months away from Fennell’s release of the film. Maybe it will be as much of a hit as the 2024 gothic reimaging of “Nosferatu,” or maybe it will be, as YouTube user @The OneTrueJack theorized, “50 Shades of Brontë.”

Quill Nishi-Leonard ’27 contributed fact-checking.

Chat with Jen Sookfong Lee on new book ‘The Hunger We Pass Down’

Gabrielle Orta Roman ’28

By Honora Quinn ‘27

Staff Writer

According to her biography on Penguin Random House, “Jen Sookfong Lee was born and raised in Vancouver’s East Side and she now lives with her son in North Burnaby. Her books include ‘The Conjoined’ (nominated for the International Dublin Literary Award and a finalist for the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize), ‘The Better Mother’ (a finalist for the City of Vancouver Book Award), ‘The End of East,’ ‘The Shadow List’ and ‘Finding Home.’ Sookfong Lee acquires and edits for ECW Press.”

Her latest novel “The Hunger We Pass Down” — published by Erewhon Books, an imprint of Kensington Publishing Corp. — comes out on Sept. 30. Pitched by Kensington as Jordan Peele’s “Us” meets “The School for Good Mothers,” the novel follows a single mother living in present-day Vancouver who, when faced with a doppelganger of herself, is forced to reckon with the intergenerational cycles of trauma and violence that haunt her family. 
oke News had an opportunity to conduct an interview with Sookfong Lee ahead of the publication to ask about her return to fiction, what she’s done in the meantime between novels, and advice for aspiring writers on college campuses. 

Q: What’s one word you’d use to describe this novel? What’s one word to describe yourself as a writer?

A: That's hard! How can I choose one word for a whole novel? Okay, perhaps I would go with "atmospheric," which doesn't seem scary enough, but here we are. As a writer, I would say I'm "efficient," which is the most unromantic thing in the world, but I do feel my strength is in knowing what's possible with the time and energy and skills that I have. Trying to do more is just, well, inefficient.

Q: “The Hunger We Pass Down” is your return to adult fiction after almost a decade. Why did you feel it was time to return to fiction now?

A: I published three novels in nine years (“The End of East,” 2007, “The Better Mother,” 2011, and “The Conjoined,” 2016), which left me feeling pretty burned out when it came to fiction. Novels take a lot of work — the kind of immersion that is really fulfilling but also takes a lot of intellectual and emotional energy. I had written a lot about Vancouver's Chinatown and the immigrant experience and I didn't know where else to go. When I first had the idea for “The Hunger We Pass Down,” it really excited me to explore this haunted single mother and her ancestors, in a way that I hadn't been excited in a very long time. This is partly because I am a horror fan and the genre is just inherently exciting, but also partly because I had found a new way to discuss migration, intergenerational trauma and motherhood — topics I have been interested in my whole life. But this time I got to add demons and ghosts!

Q: In the interim between novels, you’ve written and edited a lot of nonfiction works, including your own memoir, “Superfan.” How, if at all, do you think your time in this space has impacted your fiction? 

A: Non-fiction forces writers to engage in a clarity of thought that fiction doesn't. In “Superfan” and all the non-fiction books I've edited, I always ask the question: what is the thesis here and is it visible on every page? This is harder to do in a novel, of course, but I really wanted “The Hunger We Pass Down” to be sharp and incisive — to make the point very clearly that trauma that is hidden or ignored will always come back to haunt you, and that women are the ones to carry the stories and warnings on their backs as they move countries, give birth and parent. I am not sure I am capable of just exploring themes anymore; I have to stab them!

Q: Your fiction work has time and time again delved into the relationships between mother and child, and generational sagas. “The Hunger We Pass Down” also plays within this space, but unlike your previous work, this novel expands into and explores the more speculative with and through the horror elements. Why did you want to explore this genre space? Do you think you’ll venture further into genre in the future?

A: I love different genres of fiction! “The Conjoined” was a crime novel, so I had dabbled in something other than literary fiction before. But I think here I wanted to write a story where trauma becomes visible and is something (or someone) you can see and talk to and fight, and in that case, it makes sense for that trauma to be a demon. I mean, trauma isn't going to just saunter in and smile at you like Pedro Pascal (although might be nice). I think switching up genres has been a hallmark of my career for a while now, and I have no intention of stopping.

Q: Do you have any advice for the students and readers in terms of writing, editing and working in publishing? 

A: I think it's really important, when you're thinking of working in books in any capacity, to really hone in on what your motivations are. So for me, as an editor, what gets me up in the morning is making space for stories we haven't heard yet, from communities that haven't been given the opportunities to express themselves freely and creatively. If you can figure out your purpose — something that really speaks to who you are at your core — then it makes every decision really clear. I'm not saying that publishing is always fun-times for non-masc people, particularly if you're racialized or queer as well, but your purpose can be greater and more important than what is going on around you, and that is both comforting and inspiring.

Karishma Ramkarran ’27 contributed fact checking. 

Is Taylor Swift’s next project a spy thriller novel? Fans sure think so.

Photo courtesy of Glenn Francis via Wikimedia Commons.
Fans wonder if Swift is making a writing debut.

By Honora Quinn ’27

Staff Writer

“Argylle” by Elly Conway is turning out to be the spy thriller of the month — and is also rumored to have been written by Taylor Swift.

While the claim is, as of now, unsubstantiated, there is definitely something strange afoot with the novel. Production for the film adaptation of the novel has been in the works since 2021 under director Matthew Vaughn, perhaps best known for directing, writing and producing the “Kingsman” franchise of which “Argylle” is now a part. “Argylle” is set to be released by Penguin Random House in January 2024, with a film adaptation starring Henry Cavill and Bryce Dallas Howard releasing in theaters and on Apple TV in February.

While publishers purchasing the rights to a novel before the book is released is not unheard of, it is unprecedented for a book and its movie adaptation to be released within a month of each other. The unusual circumstances around the book’s release and the mysterious identity of its author have sent some Taylor Swift fans, or “Swifties,” sniffing to see if the thriller was actually penned by the international pop star.

Some traits that “Argylle” has are uncharacteristic of a debut novel, fueling the fire of some Taylor Swift fans’ theory. For example, every synopsis available is only a few sentences long and gives little information about the actual plot. The book is said to follow Special Agent Argylle, who is sent out by the CIA’s spymaster to stop a Russian magnate from bringing the world to the brink of war. There are no further details about the novel itself.

Another somewhat suspicious thing is the lack of Advanced Reader Copies available. ARCs are a valuable resource when it comes to marketing a book before publication, and many debut authors utilize them to promote their books. They allow early readers and reviewers to get a sense of the novel and to share what they did and didn’t enjoy with other potential readers.

There do not appear to be any ARC copies of “Argylle” out in the world, nor was the novel ever listed on some of the most popular digital ARC sites, such as Netgalley. On Goodreads, there is one ongoing giveaway for a print copy and six ratings from small and/or blank accounts, but no actual reviews.

With Conway being a debut author, audiences are quite suspicious. Little is known about Conway herself, and while using a pseudonym is not uncommon for authors, her mysterious identity is what lays the groundwork for speculation.

This isn’t the first rumor that has claimed the singer is connected to writing a book. Earlier this year, there was speculation that a then-untitled Flatiron nonfiction release was going to be Taylor Swift’s memoir — again based on limited facts and speculation, the primary one being the release date, June 13. The $45 book was actually about BTS, much to the disappointment of Swift fans who had placed preorders.

A cursory glance at Conway’s Instagram page shows comment after comment from Swift fans speculating about the writer’s true identity. Conway’s feed shows content about the movie and limited information about the book, which, for a debut author, is quite rare. The majority of debut authors have multiple posts discussing their upcoming books and encouraging preorders — but Conway does not.

The extent of Conway’s talking about the book is the sentence in her bio: “Argylle, debut novel coming soon.” This sentence is followed by a link showing the casting of Cavill as Argylle. There is also Conway’s first-ever post, from December 2022, showing the book cover alongside the caption “#Argylle, coming summer 2023.” This release date has evidently been pushed, but that is not unusual.

It seems that the theory in favor of Taylor’s connection to “Argylle” is about the movie rather than anything specific to the book. Fans just assume that Swift and “Argyle” are connected because of some associations between the two. On Sept. 28, 2023, Conway made a post showing the trailer for the movie and thanking Vaughn for bringing the story to life. It was not long until Swifties came with the rumors. User gabriela.ajmaza said, “All Too Well, writer, red hair. Familiar?” referencing Howard’s character in the clip, who is a writer with red hair, similar to Sadie Sink, who plays one of the main characters in Swift’s “All Too Well” short film.

This theory is only scratching the surface. On Oct. 25, right before the release of “1989: Taylor’s Version,” Instagram user alex_the_owl_2.5 made another inference: “Here's another connection I've found. In this picture there are two people wearing blue and black respectively. ... On the other hand, Taylor Swift posted ‘aquamarine/Moonlit swimming pool/ what if/all I need is you’ on her [Instagram] story ... These lines are also written in blue and black.” But none of this points in the direction of the artist writing the novel. While Conway’s character could be inspired by Taylor, that doesn’t mean Taylor contributed anything to the project.

Needless to say, fans would be ecstatic if the rumor turned out to be true. Swift’s impact, even at a small school like Mount Holyoke College, is quite apparent around campus, from seeing people dressed up as her for Halloween to screenings of “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” film at Tower Theaters.

Currently, there is not much to know about this story until the book and movie are released. Until then, the Swifties have as much stake in the game as anyone. “Argylle: A Novel” by Elly Conway is out from Penguin Random House on Jan. 9, 2024.