"WUTHERING HEIGHTS" OVERLOAD
Issue 154, featuring an interview with Amelia Mainetti
Hello and welcome back to The Girl’s Guide! In case you’re new here: every other Friday, I interview an interesting woman, share something I’ve been thinking about lately, and recap the latest news at the intersection of pop culture and politics. This post is too long to fit in an email, so go ahead and click over into browser view to read the whole thing.
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“Wuthering Heights” Overload
If you inhabit the same corner of the Internet as me, then chances are that you have been inundated with way more “Wuthering Heights” content than you can take. Well, give me one more minute of your time to chat about it (and the far superior novel by Emily Brontë), and then I’ll give you three period pieces that I recommend instead of the new movie starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi.
There’s so much to say about Wuthering Heights the novel (that’s why I went on Nadya Williams’ podcast to talk about it — subscribe so you don’t miss the episode when it’s out!). AUTHOR’S UPDATE: PODCAST IS NOW LIVE — LISTEN HERE! We talked about why Gothic romances like Wuthering Heights are capturing Americans’ interest — and I have a theory. A lot of our media wants to portray the intensity of romantic love and confuses intensity with darkness. Lots of today’s romance novels and television shows focus on toxic and even abusive relationships (examples: Tell Me Lies, It Ends With Us). Cathy and Heathcliff’s story has the trappings of a complicated, tense relationship to draw in modern American audiences, and it also has Cathy and Heathcliff’s soul connection, which seems to appeal to contemporary audiences at a time when it seems like algorithms are our main source of connection, not fate. It’s a perfect escapist fantasy for our age. I explored these thoughts further in my review of the film for First Things: read it here.
After seeing it in the theater, I don’t recommend the new “Wuthering Heights” film. But I do recommend these three period pieces which scratch the same itch!
Jane Eyre (2011) dir. by Cary Fukunaga
You may have heard of Cary Fukunaga for directing dark, violent television and movies like the first season of True Detective (which has been called modern Southern gothic). So what’s he doing adapting a classic novel about a penniless governess in 1800s England? Well, since he’s drawn to a modern Gothic atmosphere, it makes sense Fukunaga would be interested in tales from the origins of the genre as well. His Jane Eyre is breathtakingly beautiful, and I appreciate that he really leans into the natural setting, the Yorkshire moors (Emerald Fennell did not do this with “Wuthering Heights,” and it felt like an important character — the moors — was missing). You actually get to appreciate how expansive they are, and Fukunaga masterfully incorporates changing seasons and sunrises to enhance what’s happening in the story.
Northanger Abbey (1987) dir. by Giles Foster
I was hooting and hollering throughout this BBC adaptation of Austen’s novel, and I mean that in the best way. There’s something about period pieces made in the ‘70s and ‘80s that I absolutely adore. It might be that contemporary period pieces just look too high-definition and therefore too modern, and something about fuzzy camera work makes my brain suspend disbelief and think I’m really watching a bunch of people from the 1800s. Northanger Abbey is the perfect complement to other Gothic novels or films because Austen is skewering the genre’s sensationalist excesses as only she can. Katharine Schlesinger, who plays protagonist Catherine Morland, has the widest eyes you have ever seen, which is perfect for playing a girl who imagines deathly mysteries behind every locked door.
The Go-Between (1971) dir. by Joseph Losey
The Go-Between is based on L.P. Hartley’s 1953 novel of the same name. Like Wuthering Heights, the narrator is not part of the love story but watches it unfold. But instead of a faithful family servant, the narrator is young Leo Colston, who stays with the well-to-do Maudsley family for the summer. He befriends elder sister Marian and unknowingly helps her arrange liaisons with her lover, who’s not high-born like she is. The Go-Between is set at the very beginning of the Edwardian era, which means the costumes are divine. There’s lot of interesting lore surrounding this film — at one point, author Nancy Mitford was set to write the script, but the project ended up languishing for years.
Interview with Amelia Mainetti
Today’s interview is with Amelia Mainetti of the blog Pancakes & Spaghetti, which she co-writes with her bestie Kayla P! To go along with today’s newsletter theme, you should definitely read their post You Should Read a Gothic This October.
What does your life look like right now?
Right now my life looks fairly busy, but I’m blessed that it’s all wonderful things. I’ve just started to get involved with some additional ministries at my church, and work is the same as ever, which is great because it means free time for hobbies. In my spare time you might find me knitting blankets, making pottery, writing for my Substack, or reading!
What are your favorite topics to research and write about?
It’s so hard to pick just one topic — there’s so many things I love to learn and write about. I got my M.A. in forensic and legal psychology, so researching and writing about the intersection of law enforcement and psychology is definitely one of my favorites. Another that’s currently in my research roster is autism in women and girls. I didn’t receive an ASD (autism spectrum disorder) diagnosis until I was in my early twenties, and leaning into the academic side of that has helped me so much in understanding myself and how I approach things differently than other people might.
Why and where do you love to travel? Have any tips?
I love to travel because I was lucky enough to get a taste of it when I was young! My family lived abroad for several years when I was a kid, and that was such a defining time in my life. As soon as I was old enough to start traveling on my own, I was planning trips. I love to travel just about anywhere within reason — as a single woman there’s some places I won’t go for safety reasons, but other than that it’s all fair game. I think at this point I’ve been to ~35 states and ~5 countries? I hope that number grows by a couple countries in 2026! My biggest travel tip is to be willing to go anywhere when planning a trip! I’m very budget-conscious, and a lot of times my destination is planned around whatever the cheapest flight is for the dates I’m looking. I’ve taken two international trips this year (Spain and England) and the total cost for the trips combined has been about $1300 (including flights, lodging, food, etc.).
What’s a passion, hobby, or interest you have that surprises people?
I think one interest of mine that surprises people is my enjoyment of thrift shopping — because anyone who knows me knows that my ideal shopping trip is walking in, buying the exact item I came for, and walking out. But there’s few things I enjoy more than finding a good deal at the thrift store, especially for a brand-name item that I know will last me a long time. Plus it’s been a great way for my sister and I to stay connected despite being twenty hours apart; we love to send each other thrift items we find that we think the other would like.
What’s the best advice you ever received?
I think some of the best advice I’ve ever received has been that it’s almost never too late to walk away from something and start fresh if you feel led to do so or if your life is taking you in a different direction. I really struggle with change, and the idea of disrupting the future I have planned out in my head is overwhelming. But both of my parents are quick to remind me that they both made complete career switches in their late twenties and early thirties, and are so much happier for doing so. They told me “It’s perfectly fine to change what you’re doing, what you’re learning, etc., regardless of if you’ve spent years doing it. Sometimes you’re only supposed to do something for a while before you move on, and it doesn’t make you a failure to start anew or be the new guy at something later in life.” That piece of advice has helped me probably more than they will ever know, and I’m so grateful.
Bulletin Board
HOUSING: If you are in the DC metro area and are looking for a roommate starting in May/June, please email me at girlygirlsguidetodc@gmail.com! I have a couple of leads for you!
EVENT:
The Haps
Lana Del Rey’s Ex Joins The Bachelorette As Contestant
Reality TV, social media, and celebrity culture are merging in the weirdest way. In case you haven’t heard, singer Lana Del Rey’s ex-fiancé Clayton Johnson will compete with dozens of other dudes on The Bachelorette for the heart of TikTok star Taylor Frankie Paul. The Daily Mail has the story.
Here are other links to what I’m reading, writing, and listening to lately:
Will ‘Spreadsheet Brain’ Ruin Trucking? (The American Conservative): My latest book review on End of the Road: Inside the War on Truckers by Gord Magill. Read it here.
Aimee Lou Wood to Star in ‘Jane Eyre’ Series From Working Title (Variety): What, are there only two Brontë sister novels you’re allowed to adapt? Read it here.
Inside the AI resistance (UnHerd): Farahn Morgan talks to the people who will stop at (next to) nothing to protest AI companies. Read it here.
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass with Shilo Brooks (Christians Reading Classics): I wish I had had this podcast with Nadya Williams and Shilo Brooks when I was reading Douglass in high school! Listen here.
In case you missed it…