{"id":1767964,"date":"2026-02-13T17:37:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T14:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1767964"},"modified":"2026-02-13T17:37:00","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T14:37:00","slug":"no-gen-z-arent-too-dumb-to-read-wuthering-heights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1767964","title":{"rendered":"No, Gen-Z aren\u2019t too dumb to read Wuthering Heights"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1015\/138-43-1015-677\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437348.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article class=\"main-article standard \">\n<div class=\"article-main-content article-wrapper has-media-but-its-an-image\" data-status=\"loaded\" data-primary-article=\"true\" data-url=\"\/life-culture\/article\/69645\/1\/wuthering-heights-novel-difficult-reading-emerald-fennell-tiktok\" data-article-id=\"69645\">\n<header class=\"article-header has-landscape-image no-media\">\n<div class=\"wrapper dg-max-width\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<figure class=\"main-img has-figcaption\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"1.78\" data-template=\"Standard Article\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Wuthering Heights, 2025 (Film Still)\" class=\"img\" height=\"720\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1280\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437348.jpg\" width=\"1280\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"inner\"><span class=\"credit\">Wuthering Heights, 2025 <span class=\"nowrap\">(Film Still)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"meta\">\n<div class=\"inner\"><time datetime=\"2026-02-13T17:37:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"13 February 2026\"><span class=\"month\">February<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"13\">13,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<div class=\"titles\">\n<div class=\"tags\">\n<div class=\"sections\"><a class=\"category vertical - life-culture\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\">Life &amp; Culture<\/a><br \/>\n\/<br \/>\n<a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/opinion\">Opinion<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"standard-tag-container\"><a class=\"standard-category\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\">Life &amp; Culture<\/a> \/<br \/>\n<a class=\"standard-series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/opinion\">Opinion<\/a><\/div>\n<h1 class=\"title\"><span>No, Gen-Z aren\u2019t too dumb to read <span class=\"nowrap\">Wuthering Heights<\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n<div class=\"standfirst\">\n<h2>Young people are struggling with Emily Bront\u00eb\u2019s novel, prompting a chorus of complaints about a stupid and illiterate generation \u2013 but is social media really <span class=\"nowrap\">to blame?<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-02-13T17:37:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"13 February 2026\"><span class=\"month\">February<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"13\">13,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-02-13T17:37:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"13 February 2026\"><span class=\"month\">February<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"13\">13,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/p>\n<div class=\"providers\">\n<div class=\"contributors\"><span class=\"contributor\" data-contributor-role=\"Text\"><span class=\"contributor-role\">Text<\/span><a class=\"contributor-name\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/user\/HalimaJibril\">Halima Jibril<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article-body-container\">\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>The day has finally come: Emerald Fennell\u2019s third feature film, <\/span><em><span>\u201cWuthering Heights\u201d<\/span><\/em>,<em><span>\u00a0<\/span><\/em><span>is out in the UK, and it\u2019s already dividing opinion. After the contrasting reviews from the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/arts-entertainment\/films\/reviews\/wuthering-heights-movie-review-margot-robbie-jacob-elordi-b2919641.html\"><em><span>Independent<\/span><\/em><\/a><span>, which gave it a one-star rating and the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/films\/2026\/02\/13\/margot-robbie-jacob-elordi-wuthering-heights\/\"><em><span>Telegraph<\/span><\/em><\/a><span>, which gave it five, many of us are eager to find out whether the gothic tragedy is the best thing we will ever see, the worst, or a secret third thing (an OK-but-kind-of-mid period drama?) We already know that Fennell\u2019s adaptation is not a faithful retelling of Emily Bront\u00eb\u2019s 1847 novel, but this hasn\u2019t stopped droves of young people buying the book ahead of its release, to be better equipped to engage with the film. According to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/books\/2026\/feb\/06\/sales-of-brontes-wuthering-heights-skyrocket-ahead-of-film-adaptation\"><span>Penguin<\/span><\/a><span>, UK sales of <\/span><em><span>Wuthering Heights<\/span><\/em><span> have risen by 469 per cent in the last year. When you look at TikTok, however, it\u2019s clear that actually finishing the book may be easier said than done.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cIs this book actually that hard to read, or am I just dumb?\u201d asks one <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@elitereading\/video\/7605430588320795917?_r=1&amp;_t=ZN-93tK72EkxoU\">TikTokker<\/a>, Laura (@elitereading), who is far from the only person to admit they\u2019re having a tough time. Bellz (@heyitsbelz) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@heyitsbellz\/video\/7592463290186337566?_r=1&amp;_t=ZN-93tK88PvuYo\">remarks<\/a> that her reading experience has \u201cliterally turned into homework\u201d, citing in particular the Yorkshire dialect which Bront\u00eb evokes for the character of Joseph. Her copy is filled with annotations, and she writes a synopsis of each chapter in a separate notebook. If people are going to attempt the book, Bellz warns, \u201cthey\u2019ve got a big storm coming\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Predictably, certain critics have used these videos to lambast young people for their inability to read. For Liam Kelly at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/books\/classic-books\/gen-z-reading-wuthering-height\/\"><em>Telegraph<\/em><\/a>, they are evidence of the disastrous effect which TikTok has had on our attention spans. Unlike the good old days, he argues, when \u201cliterature students could move from discussing <em>Pride and Prejudice<\/em> one week to <em>Crime and Punishment<\/em> the next,\u201d we\u2019re now at a point when young people can\u2019t get through a novel that uses \u201cfairly accessible\u201d language. But is it fair or accurate to say that we are living in a \u201cpost-literate\u201d society, purely because of social media?<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html-embed\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>In its 2024 survey of Adult Skills, the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/theweek.com\/culture-life\/books\/the-uks-growing-adult-literacy-problem\"><span>Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development<\/span><\/a><span> found that millions of British adults \u201cstruggle with basic literacy\u201d, with one in five Britons aged 16 to 65 only being able to read below the level expected of a ten-year-old. In that same year, the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/magazine\/archive\/2024\/11\/the-elite-college-students-who-cant-read-books\/679945\/\"><em><span>Atlantic<\/span><\/em><\/a><span> spoke to 33 professors at elite US universities, who noticed that students were arriving on campus with a \u201cnarrower vocabulary and less understanding of language than they used to\u201d. This year, the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/ideas\/2026\/01\/college-students-movies-attention-span\/685812\/\"><em><span>Atlantic<\/span><\/em><\/a><span> also spoke to film professors, who reported that their students are now struggling to sit through films. The problem? Our <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/science\/2022\/jan\/02\/attention-span-focus-screens-apps-smartphones-social-media\"><span>attention spans are being <\/span><em><span>stolen<\/span><\/em><\/a><span> by short-form media, infinite scrolling, incessant text messages, emails, notifications, and whatever else. As we get more and more addicted to our phones, movies and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/arts-entertainment\/tv\/features\/tv-netflix-stupid-slop-explained-second-screen-b2903979.html\"><span>TV shows are dumbing themselves down<\/span><\/a><span> \u2013 overstating scenes and speaking out obvious plot points because they know that, as we are watching, we are likely to be distracted by a second screen. If we can barely watch TV without being on our phones, what hope do we have in getting through a book, especially one written in the 1840s?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>This is the consensus when we talk about the state of literacy today: our waning attention spans can be blamed entirely on our phones. It\u2019s not just Netflix shows which are adapting to this new era, spoon-feeding an audience presumed to be incapable of maintaining focus.<\/span><span>\u00a0Even books \u2013 particularly popular <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\/article\/61641\/1\/romantasy-was-2023s-hottest-book-genre-booktok-trends-fourth-wing\"><span>romantasy<\/span><\/a><span> BookTok books \u2013 are being accused of being \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/thedrewacorn.com\/2025\/10\/10\/the-tiktok-ification-of-literature\/\"><span>TikTok-ified<\/span><\/a><span>\u201d (meaning unchallenging). As Arianna Marmol writes for the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/thedrewacorn.com\/2025\/10\/10\/the-tiktok-ification-of-literature\/\"><em><span>Drew Acron<\/span><\/em><\/a><span>, they have become \u201cconduits for instant gratification and spoon-fed metaphors where subtlety goes to die.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>However, there is a larger reason why people opt out of reading more challenging novels, watching more difficult films, or doing anything else they perceive as requiring deep, effortful concentration: modern life leaves so many of us exhausted and unable to find the time for personal pleasures and pursuits. After a hard day of selling our time and bodies, people want to relax and not use their brains. Social media and other forms of easily digestible content facilitate that sense of comfort and recovery, demanding nothing from us other than our time. Obviously, we need to fight the fact that social media wants to turn us into passive, inactive zombies, but to do that, we need to recognise why we are so susceptible in the first place.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<blockquote>\n<p><span>People should be reading more and grappling with the friction of denser texts, but, like most things in life, literature is not one-size-fits-all<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>It\u2019s clear that social media isn\u2019t helping our attention spans, but it\u2019s not the only reason young people might struggle with <\/span><em><span>Wuthering Heights<\/span><\/em><span>. As Claire O\u2019Callaghan told the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/books\/classic-books\/gen-z-reading-wuthering-height\/\"><em><span>Telegraph<\/span><\/em><\/a><span>, <\/span><em><span>Wuthering Heights<\/span><\/em><span> is a \u201cdifficult text\u201d. Along with its often archaic language, it features a \u201cconvoluted structure, multiple narrators and overlapping names. You have several generations and movement across time \u2013 you go backwards and forwards. It\u2019s a book that, in my experience, often takes quite a few reads to really get a sense of all those things clearly.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em><span>Wuthering Heights <\/span><\/em><span>is not the easiest text in the world to read, and that is OK to admit. Is it really that offensive or such a moral failing? In the UK, we are made to read these classic texts, described to us as masterpieces, at a young age. But lots of people, whether in this country or around the world, may not be familiar with them, or struggle to engage with them for all sorts of socio-economic and political reasons. This doesn\u2019t inherently make them dumb or stupid, but it does make you a snob for thinking so. It\u2019s a good thing for people to read more and grapple with the friction of denser texts, but, like most things in life, literature is not one-size-fits-all.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html-embed\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>I think it\u2019s beautiful that people are creating TikTok guides on how to tackle each section of the novel for those who don\u2019t understand it immediately. As a friend told me recently, \u201cReading something requires you to sit with a certain degree of friction. Focusing, slowly getting into the flow of the text and either stopping to look up the period, location, specific language or glossing over it \u2013 it\u2019s all a part of reading.\u201d Instead of sneering at people for admitting that they find something difficult, we should recognise that we\u2019re all just trying to use our brains, even as capitalism is trying its best to turn them to mush.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline-last\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! Get The Drop<\/h1>\n<div class=\"meta-row\">\n<p class=\"meta\">Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"confirmation\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p class=\"confirmation-title\">Thank you. You have been subscribed<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<footer class=\"article-footer\">\n<div class=\"wrapper\">\n<div class=\"article-series\">\n<h4 class=\"heading\">More on these topics<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-series\"><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\">Life &amp; Culture<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/opinion\">Opinion<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/margot-robbie\">margot robbie<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/jacob-elordi\">Jacob Elordi<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/wuthering-heights\">wuthering heights<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/tiktok\">TikTok<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/footer>\n<div class=\"grid\">\n<div class=\"lava-lamp\">\n<div class=\"lava-lamp-text-container\">\n<h3 class=\"lava-lamp-subheading\">Expand your creative community and connect with 15,000 creatives from around the world.<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"grid section-header\">\n<div class=\"section-header__link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\/article\/69645\/1\/life-culture\"><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"section-header__title\">READ MORE<\/h2>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"grid tag-article-list\">\n<div class=\"swiper swiper-latest\">\n<div class=\"swiper-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"swiper-slide list-element\">\n<div class=\"scard-latest__section\">\n<div class=\"card-latest__wrapper\"><a class=\"card-latest\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\/article\/69605\/1\/impossible-to-find-love-in-the-club-dating-apps-nightclub-valentines-day\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"card-latest__img-wrapper\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"3895\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/480\/0-1-1200-798\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436900.jpg\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"card-latest__content\">\n<h3 class=\"card-latest__title\">Why do we think we can\u2019t find love in the club?<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a class=\"card-latest\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\/article\/69640\/1\/romance-booming-our-culture-less-romantic-ever-wuthering-heights-valentines-day\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"card-latest__img-wrapper\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Wuthering Heights\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/480\/87-0-1097-730\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437342.jpeg\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"card-latest__content\">\n<h3 class=\"card-latest__title\">Romance is booming. 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imagining a better future for humanity?<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"swiper-slide list-element\">\n<div class=\"scard-latest__section\">\n<div class=\"card-latest__wrapper\"><a class=\"card-latest\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\/article\/69529\/1\/the-women-fighting-for-trans-inclusion-at-hampstead-heath-ponds-sex-matters\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"card-latest__img-wrapper\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"GettyImages-1005639160\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/480\/0-0-1024-681\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436091.jpg\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"card-latest__content\">\n<h3 class=\"card-latest__title\">The women fighting for trans inclusion at Hampstead ponds <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a class=\"card-latest\" 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class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Addison Rae\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/480\/0-194-1440-957\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436437.jpg\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"card-latest__content\">\n<h3 class=\"card-latest__title\">The year of the Fire Horse: What does it mean for you?<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline\" data-newsletter hidden>\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! Get The Drop<\/h1>\n<div class=\"meta-row\">\n<p class=\"meta\">Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"confirmation\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p class=\"confirmation-title\">Thank you. You have been subscribed<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>The day has finally come: Emerald Fennell\u2019s third feature film, <\/span><em><span>\u201cWuthering Heights\u201d<\/span><\/em>,<em><span>\u00a0<\/span><\/em><span>is out in the UK, and it\u2019s already dividing opinion. After the contrasting reviews from the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/arts-entertainment\/films\/reviews\/wuthering-heights-movie-review-margot-robbie-jacob-elordi-b2919641.html\"><em><span>Independent<\/span><\/em><\/a><span>, which gave it a one-star rating and the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/films\/2026\/02\/13\/margot-robbie-jacob-elordi-wuthering-heights\/\"><em><span>Telegraph<\/span><\/em><\/a><span>, which gave it five, many of us are eager to find out whether the gothic tragedy is the best thing we will ever see, the worst, or a secret third thing (an OK-but-kind-of-mid period drama?) We already know that Fennell\u2019s adaptation is not a faithful retelling of Emily Bront\u00eb\u2019s 1847 novel, but this hasn\u2019t stopped droves of young people buying the book ahead of its release, to be better equipped to engage with the film. According to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/books\/2026\/feb\/06\/sales-of-brontes-wuthering-heights-skyrocket-ahead-of-film-adaptation\"><span>Penguin<\/span><\/a><span>, UK sales of <\/span><em><span>Wuthering Heights<\/span><\/em><span> have risen by 469 per cent in the last year. When you look at TikTok, however, it\u2019s clear that actually finishing the book may be easier said than done.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cIs this book actually that hard to read, or am I just dumb?\u201d asks one <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@elitereading\/video\/7605430588320795917?_r=1&amp;_t=ZN-93tK72EkxoU\">TikTokker<\/a>, Laura (@elitereading), who is far from the only person to admit they\u2019re having a tough time. Bellz (@heyitsbelz) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@heyitsbellz\/video\/7592463290186337566?_r=1&amp;_t=ZN-93tK88PvuYo\">remarks<\/a> that her reading experience has \u201cliterally turned into homework\u201d, citing in particular the Yorkshire dialect which Bront\u00eb evokes for the character of Joseph. Her copy is filled with annotations, and she writes a synopsis of each chapter in a separate notebook. If people are going to attempt the book, Bellz warns, \u201cthey\u2019ve got a big storm coming\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Predictably, certain critics have used these videos to lambast young people for their inability to read. For Liam Kelly at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/books\/classic-books\/gen-z-reading-wuthering-height\/\"><em>Telegraph<\/em><\/a>, they are evidence of the disastrous effect which TikTok has had on our attention spans. Unlike the good old days, he argues, when \u201cliterature students could move from discussing <em>Pride and Prejudice<\/em> one week to <em>Crime and Punishment<\/em> the next,\u201d we\u2019re now at a point when young people can\u2019t get through a novel that uses \u201cfairly accessible\u201d language. But is it fair or accurate to say that we are living in a \u201cpost-literate\u201d society, purely because of social media?<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html-embed\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>In its 2024 survey of Adult Skills, the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/theweek.com\/culture-life\/books\/the-uks-growing-adult-literacy-problem\"><span>Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development<\/span><\/a><span> found that millions of British adults \u201cstruggle with basic literacy\u201d, with one in five Britons aged 16 to 65 only being able to read below the level expected of a ten-year-old. In that same year, the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/magazine\/archive\/2024\/11\/the-elite-college-students-who-cant-read-books\/679945\/\"><em><span>Atlantic<\/span><\/em><\/a><span> spoke to 33 professors at elite US universities, who noticed that students were arriving on campus with a \u201cnarrower vocabulary and less understanding of language than they used to\u201d. This year, the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/ideas\/2026\/01\/college-students-movies-attention-span\/685812\/\"><em><span>Atlantic<\/span><\/em><\/a><span> also spoke to film professors, who reported that their students are now struggling to sit through films. The problem? Our <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/science\/2022\/jan\/02\/attention-span-focus-screens-apps-smartphones-social-media\"><span>attention spans are being <\/span><em><span>stolen<\/span><\/em><\/a><span> by short-form media, infinite scrolling, incessant text messages, emails, notifications, and whatever else. As we get more and more addicted to our phones, movies and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/arts-entertainment\/tv\/features\/tv-netflix-stupid-slop-explained-second-screen-b2903979.html\"><span>TV shows are dumbing themselves down<\/span><\/a><span> \u2013 overstating scenes and speaking out obvious plot points because they know that, as we are watching, we are likely to be distracted by a second screen. If we can barely watch TV without being on our phones, what hope do we have in getting through a book, especially one written in the 1840s?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>This is the consensus when we talk about the state of literacy today: our waning attention spans can be blamed entirely on our phones. It\u2019s not just Netflix shows which are adapting to this new era, spoon-feeding an audience presumed to be incapable of maintaining focus.<\/span><span>\u00a0Even books \u2013 particularly popular <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\/article\/61641\/1\/romantasy-was-2023s-hottest-book-genre-booktok-trends-fourth-wing\"><span>romantasy<\/span><\/a><span> BookTok books \u2013 are being accused of being \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/thedrewacorn.com\/2025\/10\/10\/the-tiktok-ification-of-literature\/\"><span>TikTok-ified<\/span><\/a><span>\u201d (meaning unchallenging). As Arianna Marmol writes for the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/thedrewacorn.com\/2025\/10\/10\/the-tiktok-ification-of-literature\/\"><em><span>Drew Acron<\/span><\/em><\/a><span>, they have become \u201cconduits for instant gratification and spoon-fed metaphors where subtlety goes to die.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>However, there is a larger reason why people opt out of reading more challenging novels, watching more difficult films, or doing anything else they perceive as requiring deep, effortful concentration: modern life leaves so many of us exhausted and unable to find the time for personal pleasures and pursuits. After a hard day of selling our time and bodies, people want to relax and not use their brains. Social media and other forms of easily digestible content facilitate that sense of comfort and recovery, demanding nothing from us other than our time. Obviously, we need to fight the fact that social media wants to turn us into passive, inactive zombies, but to do that, we need to recognise why we are so susceptible in the first place.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<blockquote>\n<p><span>People should be reading more and grappling with the friction of denser texts, but, like most things in life, literature is not one-size-fits-all<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>It\u2019s clear that social media isn\u2019t helping our attention spans, but it\u2019s not the only reason young people might struggle with <\/span><em><span>Wuthering Heights<\/span><\/em><span>. As Claire O\u2019Callaghan told the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/books\/classic-books\/gen-z-reading-wuthering-height\/\"><em><span>Telegraph<\/span><\/em><\/a><span>, <\/span><em><span>Wuthering Heights<\/span><\/em><span> is a \u201cdifficult text\u201d. Along with its often archaic language, it features a \u201cconvoluted structure, multiple narrators and overlapping names. You have several generations and movement across time \u2013 you go backwards and forwards. It\u2019s a book that, in my experience, often takes quite a few reads to really get a sense of all those things clearly.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em><span>Wuthering Heights <\/span><\/em><span>is not the easiest text in the world to read, and that is OK to admit. Is it really that offensive or such a moral failing? In the UK, we are made to read these classic texts, described to us as masterpieces, at a young age. But lots of people, whether in this country or around the world, may not be familiar with them, or struggle to engage with them for all sorts of socio-economic and political reasons. This doesn\u2019t inherently make them dumb or stupid, but it does make you a snob for thinking so. It\u2019s a good thing for people to read more and grapple with the friction of denser texts, but, like most things in life, literature is not one-size-fits-all.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html-embed\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>I think it\u2019s beautiful that people are creating TikTok guides on how to tackle each section of the novel for those who don\u2019t understand it immediately. As a friend told me recently, \u201cReading something requires you to sit with a certain degree of friction. Focusing, slowly getting into the flow of the text and either stopping to look up the period, location, specific language or glossing over it \u2013 it\u2019s all a part of reading.\u201d Instead of sneering at people for admitting that they find something difficult, we should recognise that we\u2019re all just trying to use our brains, even as capitalism is trying its best to turn them to mush.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline-last\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! Get The Drop<\/h1>\n<div class=\"meta-row\">\n<p class=\"meta\">Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"confirmation\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p class=\"confirmation-title\">Thank you. You have been subscribed<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\/article\/69645\/1\/wuthering-heights-novel-difficult-reading-emerald-fennell-tiktok&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1015\/138-43-1015-677\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/7\/1437348.jpg&#8221;] Wuthering Heights, 2025 (Film Still) February\u00a0 13,\u00a0 2026 Life &amp; Culture \/ Opinion Life &amp; Culture \/ Opinion No, Gen-Z aren\u2019t too dumb to read Wuthering Heights Young people are struggling with Emily Bront\u00eb\u2019s novel, prompting a chorus of complaints about a stupid and illiterate generation \u2013 but is social media really [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,76],"class_list":["post-1767964","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-dazeddigital-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1767964","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1767964"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1767964\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1767964"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1767964"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1767964"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}