Interestingly, one of du mauriers other novels jamaica inn shares similarities with wuthering heights. Rebecca, daphne du maurier, 1968 pocket book, 30th. Rebecca by daphne du maurier, 9781844088799, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Vintage hardback book, rebecca by daphne du maurier. Though its an excellent book, it bugged me a lot because the heroine, who is the narrator does not have a name all we know is that she has a lovely and unusual name in the story until she gets married, and you do not know her age, you are told that she is young and. A mentally challenged gardener who works at manderley. What du maurier understood is that the heart of the romantic gothic is the struggle between two women, one. Rebecca is a gothic novel by english author dame daphne du maurier. The character of ben in rebecca from litcharts the creators.
Her first novel, the loving spirit, was published in 1931. Miss du maurier writes of her people with a lavish hand, and they come to life beneath her gestures. Rebecca by daphne du maurier, daphne du maurier, paperback. Yet, even though she is such a despicable person, she was my favourite character in the book, because du mauriers description of her is perfect. Like manderley itself, ben is a mysterious force in the novel. Buy rebecca by daphne du maurier online at alibris.
Daphne du maurier hat ihre ehe mit lieutenant colonel tommy browning ein. She was born in london, the daughter of the actormanager sir gerald du maurier, and granddaughter of the. Rebecca is an intensely erotic novel, but its eroticism is of a queasy kind. A brilliant piece of writing, with the atmosphere and suspense and pace that made jamaica inn an absorbing and thrilling storyand it has besides a depth of characterization and soundness of psychological conflict that makes it a finer and more penetrating book. Rebeccas tale by sally beauman, daphne du maurier and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Daphne du maurier was born in london, the middle of three daughters of prominent actormanager sir gerald du maurier and actress muriel beaumont. Psychologically astute and disturbingly romantic, rebecca was an immediate bestseller on publication in 1938 and has cast a sinister spell ever since marie claire addictive and. Her mother was a maternal niece of journalist, author, and lecturer william comyns beaumont. Rebecca is one of the books that catched my attention as soon as i read the back cover.
Rebecca is the most famous of daphne du mauriers novels. Rebecca by du maurier, daphne book the fast free shipping. Having destroyed her first attempt at the novel, du maurier returned to writing it whilst in egypt, where she and her soldier husband were stationed in alexandria. Daphne du maurier really knew how to hold the readers attention, and i highly suggest this book if youre a reader who enjoys romance, suspense, and books that are hard to put down. The character of ben in rebecca from litcharts the. Rebecca, gothic suspense novel by daphne du maurier, published in 1938. Daphne du maurier s son is quoted as saying that his mother was keen on the idea of beaming down and of people reinhabiting others. General frederick browning, was away working for the british army. This book, is a stunning, dramatic, and an awesome novel. Another is that rebecca, the titular character, is never seen in the. The blackandwhite film, which captured the moody, mysterious feel of the book, was the first american film by director alfred hitchcock. Nightmares, mirrors and possession in daphne du mauriers.
It is boldly signed in blue ink by daphne du maurier. Daphne du maurier 1907 1989 daphne du maurier dbe may, 1907 april 19, 1989 was one of the most successful cornish novelists of all time her bestknown work, rebecca 1938, is a literary classic and was the inspiration for alfred hitchcocks oscarwinning film. Danvers, the fictional estate manderley, and its opening lines. But more than this, the authors use of unconventional techniques effectively brings power and moodiness to the work. In the beginning of the novel, the narrator is the.
Rebecca 1940 film based on the novel by daphne du maurier. In 1931 her first novel, the loving spirit, was published. Matthew dennison, how daphne du maurier wrote rebecca, the. Rebecca is a masterpiece in which du maurier pulls off several spectacular highwire acts that many great writers wouldnt attempt jim crace guardian a mesmerising novel which reveals more on each reading helen dunmore a brilliantly constructed novel the ultimate in psychological suspense, instantly gripping and haunting, rebecca. A rage to live, john ohara, bantam fifty, 1960 th printing, nice. Rebecca by daphne du maurier, first edition, signed abebooks. Rebecca, a novel written by daphne du maurier illustrates this point. Among her more famous works are the scapegoat, jamaica inn, rebecca, and the short story the birds, all of which were subsequently made into filmsthe latter three directed by alfred hitchcock. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. With good wishes yours sincerely, daphne du maurier on blue stationery with a matching stamped envelope 3 cents stamp oyster bay new york, 1949. Her work was not critically well received when during her life time, but in recent years has earned respect.
In 1937, daphne du maurier signed a threebook deal with victor gollancz and accepted an advance of. Widely considered a classic, it is a psychological thriller about a young woman who becomes obsessed with her husbands first wife. Du maurier plotted her novel well and brought it to exactly the ending it should have. This special edition of rebecca includes excerpts from daphne du mauriers the rebecca notebook and other memories, an essay on the real manderley, du. Actually, the opposite of rebecca if a person can have an opposite youll see why in a minute. Rebecca topics for discussion daphne du maurier this study guide consists of approximately 81 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of rebecca. Rebecca was adapted by alfred hitchcock into a popular film 1940. Its a melodrama, and by no means short on bangs and crashes. N is jealous from the moment she sees rebecca s handwriting.
Daphne du maurier s rebecca is crucial to the genre, for in it du maurier simplified and organized these six elements, refining the narrative, concentrating the mythic, and enriching the ambiguity of her tale. Rebecca has been called a modern jane eyre, and there are certainly striking similarities between the. Rebecca is a 1938 gothic novel by english author dame daphne du maurier. Inchingly, daphne du mauriers difficult novel came together. Daphne du maurier 19071989 has been called one of the great shapers of popular culture and the modern imagination. She began writing short stories of mystery and suspense for magazines in 1928, a collection of which appeared as the apple tree in 1952. Daphne du maurier books biography and list of works.
I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it last night i dreamt i went to manderley again is the opening line and sets the tone for the story i personally prefer books by victoria holt in this genre daphne du maurier tends to be rather depressive in a lot of her books tho i do appreciate rebecca i would rate it at 7 out of 10 because of that. Dame daphne du maurier, lady browning 1907 1989 was an english author and playwright. Rebecca 80th anniversary edition by daphne du maurier is published by virago on 1 march. Is this a novel of social realism or a popular romance. A bestseller, there were 2,829,3 copies of rebecca sold between its publication in 1938 and 1965, and the book has never gone out of print. Although daphne du maurier s novel rebecca was an immediate bestseller when it was published in 1938 and was made into an oscarwinning film two years later by alfred hitchcock its narrator is. Published in 1938, it has never gone out of print and is one of the great international bestsellers. Instead of using his temporary leave from the army to spend time with his.
A new adaptation of the daphne du maurier novel will be directed by high rises ben wheatley published. Dec 04, 2016 du maurier herself described the novel as a sinister tale about a woman who marries a widowerpsychological and rather macabre. Out of firewracked ruins of manderley, would love and renewal rise phoenixlike from more. Rebecca s tale by sally beauman, daphne du maurier and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Throughout the engrossing story, the characters experience much and as a result, the characters undergo both temporary and lifealtering changes to their thoughts, beliefs and behavior. Daphne du maurier was born in london on may, 1907 and educated in paris. Rebecca by british author daphne du maurier 190789. It is wellknown that maxims widely adored wife rebecca, has recently drowned at sea and the local people of maxims home county are devastated. Daphne du maurier herself said it was about my feelings of jealousy re my husband and jan ricardo, ricardo being an exgirlfriend of brownings. Find all the books, read about the author, and more.
Du maurier had just given birth to her second child and her husband, lt. While working as the companion to a rich american woman on holiday in monte carlo, the unnamed narrator, a naive young woman in her early 20s. This woman, our narrator, is dreaming of returning to a place called manderley, but she and the man shes with can never go back. Rebecca is the novel that made daphne du maurier famous and that remains her bestknown work.
Though its an excellent book, it bugged me a lot because the heroine, who is the narrator does not have a name all we know is that she has a lovely and unusual name in the story until she gets married, and you do not know her age, you are told. Rebecca by maurier, daphne du and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Daphne du mauriers rebecca is crucial to the genre, for in it du maurier simplified and organized these six elements, refining the narrative, concentrating the mythic, and enriching the ambiguity of her tale. Rebecca was daphne du mauriers most famous and bestloved novel. It is wellknown that maxims widely adored wife rebecca, has recently drowned at sea and the local people.
Daphne du mauriers son is quoted as saying that his mother was keen on the idea of beaming down and of people reinhabiting others. The far country, nevil shute, 1952 dell publishing edition, richard powers cover. In 1932, she married lieutenantgeneral sir frederick browning. N is jealous from the moment she sees rebeccas handwriting. Daphne du maurier 190789 was born in london, the daughter of the famous actormanager sir gerald du maurier and granddaughter of george du maurier, the author and artist. Rebecca is a novel by english author daphne du maurier. The 1940 film version of rebecca, based on daphne du mauriers 1938 novel of the same name, was a psychological thriller with nod to the gothic tradition.
An influential british author, daphne du maurier was an institution within her own right, who came to be respected as a masterful storyteller with a keen eye for both structure and form, something which many have tried to replicate over the intervening years since her death to varying degrees of success. Dead some months, the most potent person at manderley is rebecca, kept alive by the demon who is mrs. The fact that benwhos far below the narrator on the social totem polehas power over the narrator insofar as he knows about rebecca, is a powerful reminder of rebeccas massive. Im an experienced editor and massive culture obsessive doing an offduty project to look at two books, a film and an artist from each country in the world. It is said that during world war ii field marshal erwin rommel kept a copy of rebecca at his headquarters, and that it was the source for a. Du maurier herself described the novel as a sinister tale about a woman who marries a widowerpsychological and rather macabre. The fact that benwhos far below the narrator on the social totem polehas power over the narrator insofar as he knows about rebecca, is a powerful reminder.
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