Cultural Theory with a little Marxist Twang

The idea of studying literature as a way of understanding culture is obvious unless the ideology of your society states that all literature is contained in a "Chinese-box structure" (p. 431). As stated by each of the cultural theorist, the use of literature can either work to cement what is already believed in the culture or, as Tony Bennett states, has the ability to "separat[e] the audience from... prevailing ideologies" (p.420). 

Marxist' theory of one class superseding another, although does not translate directly with cultural theorist, states how most, if not all, literature is political in nature. This idea that all literature is political in nature has the effect of representing any given culture when it was written, what makes Wuthering Heights so different is the fact that, while writing, Emily Bronte was so far separate from society. This separation from society begs the question of how can such a remote setting, two Gothic homes on the morbid moors of England, connect to the zeitgeist of the time?

What we see and what we experience has a lasting affect on what we do, what we say, and what we write. This "lasting affect" is what is needed in order to provide the context of who we are in conjunction to who everyone is around us. Although this portion of the books speaks primarily on what cultural criticism is, it also speaks on the intrusiveness of the world around us. Emily Bronte, even while so separated from normal society, was able to write a novel that encompasses a large majority of the social discord and strife of her time. 

As large as the author's actual ability, the culture, the time period, and the social ideology also plays a  large role in creating any literary work and showing what it was truly like to be alive during those times.  Starting with cavemen drawing on walls, the social context is shown through what they draw and what they would use to draw it.