A new study of 2,000 UK adults has uncovered the most romantic written lines of all time, drawing on classic literature, poetry, film and song to pinpoint the phrases that still make hearts flutter in 2026. And while the nation clearly still cherishes grand declarations of love, the research suggests many of us are quietly losing the confidence to put our own feelings into words.

Topping the poll is Charlotte Brontë’s enduring promise from Jane Eyre:

“My heart is, and always will be, yours.”

A line that has survived nearly two centuries — and still beats every modern text message hands down. [...]

Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights also secured its place in the nation’s heart, with Catherine Earnshaw’s declaration of spiritual unity — “Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same” — continuing to define literary passion at its most intense. (Liz Charlton)

The global launch of Catherine by bestselling gothic novelist Essie Fox will take place at 6pm on Thursday, February 12, at St Michael and All Angels' Church in Haworth, where Emily Brontë once worshipped.

The book, a reimagining of Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, offers a fresh perspective by telling the story through the voice of Catherine.

Essie Fox will be joined by Claire O'Callaghan for a discussion on Wuthering Heights, and both will read from their books, answer questions and sign copies.

Copies of the Special Edition Sprayed Edge first edition of Catherine will be available.

Diane Park, owner of Wave of Nostalgia bookshop, said: "Last year we organised more than sixty author, book or community events attended by over 2,500 people.

"We’re really proud of what we achieved and what an important role we have come to play in the community.

"This year’s programme is starting with a bang with two very special events in February, which we know local people will love." (Francis Redwood)

Book cover for "Catherine: A retelling of Wuthering Heights" by Essie Fox, featuring gold ornate designs on a dark blue background with a house, birds, and butterflies.

Essie Fox’s previous novels have been excursions into the historical gothic. In her new book she has turned to one of the genre’s founding texts — Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë — and reimagined it just in time for Emerald Fennell’s imaginative film adaptation, starring Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie. It’s told through the eyes of Catherine Linton, a ghost returned from the grave to provide her version of her turbulent relationship with the foundling Heathcliff and the tragedies that ensue. Fox has created a haunting work in its own right. As the publisher’s publicity proclaims: “Nelly Dean told only half the story.” Those unfamiliar with Wuthering Heights will struggle with Catherine, but for readers who love the original, Fox’s interpretation provides an extra dimension and new perspectives on one of literature’s best known tales of doomed love. (Nick Rennison)

 If love is thought of not as “naughty and nice” but as a transgressive, disruptive force that upends the order of society, unleashing chaos and causing collateral damage, then WH is a love story. However, we mustn’t forget that Catherine and Heathcliff’s love story is not the only one in WH. Emily offers an alternative in the story of Cathy and Hareton who, in their normalcy, sew up the rents made in the social fabric by Catherine and Heathcliff. The Nellys and Lockwoods of the world win the day.

But in between, we are shown how society itself creates the criminals it later condemns. The child Heathcliff is tortured by Catherine’s brother, Hindley, simply because he is weak and looks foreign. If Heathcliff later turns against Hindley, he has good reasons for acting so.

Emily also shows that good breeding does not guarantee a sound character. Hindley, born a gentleman, turns into a wastrel. And civility proves to be something brittle, crumbling into dust under duress. Desperation turns Catherine’s sister-in-law, Isabella, from a meek, mild-mannered woman to a scheming shrew in the blink of an eye. Hindley, Catherine’s husband, Edgar, and Isabella—the representatives of the feudal rich in WH—almost justify Heathcliff’s hatred of the pampered class although they do not deserve the violence he directs against them.

Ever since WH was published, critics have wondered how this slip of a girl called Emily Brontë, who lived her whole life in a secluded parsonage, who probably never had a lover and who never moved in elite social circles, could write a novel so layered, so quietly critical, that too in her 20s. Catherine and Heathcliff have been called forces of nature in their obstinacy, mercilessness, and readiness to smite social norms, but Emily does locate them firmly in society, if only to demonstrate why they cannot be accommodated. She probably would have sided with these two rather than with the genteel, lily-livered Thrushcross Grange set, but that is fond speculation.

Although very little is known about Emily, we do know that she was greatly fond of animals, especially dogs. WH is full of dogs who growl and threaten, but also shove a comforting nose into the hands of their owners, showing “humanity” while the humans around them behave like beasts. In one of his longest monologues in the novel, Heathcliff tells Nelly that he has toughened Hareton by teaching him to “scorn everything extra-animal as silly and weak”. This might be the closest we get not just to Heathcliff’s heart but also to his creator’s.

I do not have much expectations of Fennell’s Wuthering Heights, which is releasing on February 13, to cash in on Valentine’s Day fervour. As I explained, to see WH as an erotically charged love story is to insult Emily Brontë. One of the only female writers to have survived in the literary canon that is still overwhelmingly male, Emily Brontë surely does not deserve this indignity.

Wuthering Heights
by Emily Brontë
Chartwell Deluxe Editions
ISBN: 9780785848844
February 10th, 2026

Cherish Emily Brontë’s beloved classic for generations with this heirloom edition.
A timeless tale of haunting and passionate love and obsession, Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights is one of the most enduring classics in English literature. Originally published in 1847, the novel follows the tragic bond between Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw—a relationship that defies social conventions and even death itself. A powerful exploration of human emotion, class, and fate, Wuthering Heights has been embraced by literature lovers across the years.

This stunning collectible edition of Wuthering Heights includes:
An elegant faux-leather cover with foil-embossed designs
Complete and unabridged text
A new introduction by novelist Christina Bartolomeo
A timeline of the life and times of Emily Brontë

A stunning addition to any personal library, this deluxe edition is perfect for readers, collectors, and fans of Gothic romance.

Essential volumes for the shelves of every classic literature lover, Chartwell Deluxe Editions include beautifully presented works from some of the most important authors in literary history. Other deluxe classics from Chartwell include Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice, Frankenstein, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Great Expectations, and Crime and Punishment.