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Daphne du Maurier is a versatile writer and a master in the genre of Gothic Literature in both areas of Gothic Romance and Gothic Horror. ... Daphne du Maurier is not a typical representative of Gothic Literature because she was writing in twentieth century but she uses Gothic elements in her works very successfully. I have chosen to write my term paper on her novel “Rebecca” which is the first major Gothic Romance of the twentieth century. ... It is very typical for Gothic novels to be set in dark and mysterious places like Manderley in “Rebecca”. ... All these elements Daphne du Maurier has taken from Gothic Literature and has successfully involved in “Rebecca”. Du Maurier’s “Rebecca” is built on the second wife’s fear that she is inferior to the first dead wife Rebecca. “Rebecca” has been made into a movie by Alfred Hitchock and is the most popular and the most read work by Daphne du Maurier. ... In this paper I’m going to discuss people’s relationship and psychology in the novel “Rebecca”.
CHAPTER I
The background information about the author
Dama Daphne du Maurier (lady Browning) was born in 1907, in London. ... Then came her most famous three novels, “Jamaica Inn”, “Frenchmans Creek” and “Rebecca”. ...
Daphne du Maurier came from an artistic family. Her father was the actor-manager Sir Gerald du Maurier and she was the granddaughter of caricaturist George du Maurier. ... She later became the heroine of du Mauriers novel “Mary Anne” (1954). In 1831 Mary Anne Clarkes daughter married Louis-Mathurin Busson du Maurier. ...
When “Rebecca” came out in 1938 she suddenly found herself, to her great surprise, one of the most popular authors of the day. ...
Du Maurier grew up in a lively London household where friends like J. ... Du Maurier attended schools in London, Meudon, France, and Paris. ... Du Maurier also had a male narrator in several novels. ... Sir Laurence Olivier starred in the filmed version of Rebecca, and Jamaica Inn, Hungry Hill and Frenchmans Creek have also been notable successes; as well as The Birds and Dont Look Now, both adapted from a short story.
In 1932 du Maurier married to Lieutenant Colonel Frederick Arthur Montague Browning II, who was knighted for his distinguished service during World War II. ... Du Maurier was made dame in 1969 for her literary distinction. ... Like “Rebecca”, many of her novels and short stories were set in Cornwall, Englands westernmost county, whose wild, stormy weather and wild past inspired her imagination. Du Mauriers home was at a seventeenth-century mansion, Menabilly, which was the model for Manderley in du Maurier’s best known work, “Rebecca”. ... Du Maurier wrote both short stories and novels. ... She won the National Book Award in 1938 for “Rebecca”. The real life character of Daphne du Maurier is enchanting- she loved and lost, dreamed and wrote, and was as mysterious in her own life as are the characters and plots that unfold in her pages. ... Du Maurier puts an attractive spin on any story. When Daphne du Maurier was a child she went to stay at a house called Milton, near Peterborough. ... Daphne liked the house, feeling at home there and held it in her memory. As a young adult Daphne discovered Menabilly, the home of the Rashleigh family, situated just outside Fowey in Cornwall. ... Daphne would visit the house often, trespassing in the grounds. ... Much later Daphne was to live at Menabilly and do much of her writing there and her love for Menabilly was to last her a lifetime. It was a combination of these two houses that became Manderley, the house at the centre of Daphne du Mauriers novel “Rebecca”. Daphne started to write Rebecca in the late summer of 1937. Rebecca has been variously described, firstly as an example of the Cinderella story but with the central character being helped from rags to riches by the older man who marries her rather than the more traditional help of a fairy godmother. There is a thought that believes the Rebecca, Maxim, narrator triangle is a reproduction of the relationship between Daphne du Maurier and her father and mother or perhaps Daphne, her husband Tommy and his previous fiancée. The love that Daphne and her father Gerald had for one another is well documented, as is the less comfortable relationship that Daphne had with her mother. It has been suggested that the younger woman’s struggle to feel secure in the older mans love because of the influence of the more sophisticated and successful Rebecca comes from the relationship Daphne had with her parents. Another similar suggestion comes from the fact that Tommy had been engaged to a very beautiful and self-assured woman before he knew Daphne and although this relationship was called off, Daphne was consumed with jealousy and doubted that Tommy could love her as much as he had loved the other woman. It seems likely that this woman may well have been developed to create the character of Rebecca. Either way there can be little doubt that the nameless second Mrs de Winter is none other than Daphne du Maurier herself. ... Daphne du Maurier’s reply to this was that she could not think of one and it became a challenge in technique to write the whole story without naming her. It proved to be a very effective way of making the character appear to be a lesser person than Rebecca, so that she is less confidant, less capable, less attractive to Maxim, not even a significant enough person to be named. In 1939 Daphne du Maurier adapted Rebecca for the stage and the play, like the novel, has retained its popularity ever since. The story does leave one with lots of unanswered questions and there have been a number of attempts to write sequels to Rebecca. In 1993 Susan Hill wrote Mrs de Winter, which continues the story to quite a successful conclusion and in 2001 Sally Beauman wrote Rebecca’s Tale, which moves the story on twenty years and then looks back at what happened with interesting results and without spoiling any of the tension of the original novel. Undoubtedly the interest in Rebecca will continue for a long time to come.
CHAPTER II “Rebecca”- a psychological novel with the elements of Gothic Literature
I consider “Rebecca” to be a psychological novel but it certainly contains all the elements of the great gothic novel and had often been compared to Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, with the house so strongly influenced by the previous occupant, the brooding hero in the shape of Maxim, the mad woman in the shape of Mrs Danvers, the growing tension, and finally the house destroyed by fire. ...
In “Rebecca” the past of the heroine’s husband is mysterious. ...
Du Maurier sets up an interesting contrast of good versus evil within Manderley itself between the east and west wings of the house. ... This room was a seldom-used guestroom during Maxim’s marriage to Rebecca; and, therefore, it is not associated with her presence. ... This wing is paneled in a darker-colored wood than the east wing, and the rooms have not been utilized since Rebecca’s death. ... The only room that appears to be in use is Rebecca’s bedroom. ... Danvers has kept this room intact since Rebecca’s death. Overcome with curiosity, the narrator visits this room in an attempt to learn more about Rebecca. In this section of the novel, du Maurier uses imagery to evoke the presence of the dead Rebecca. ... Maxim’s first wife Rebecca is found drowned in the sea. ... The heroine of “Rebecca” experiences a serious crisis in her marriage life. She has to live with thoughts and fantasies of the previous wife of her husband, named Rebecca. Rebecca is haunting her, although not in reality but in her imagination. The heroine discovers that Rebecca was killed by her husband and it is a schock for her. ... Her husband is accused guilty for Rebecca’s death and the heroine goes through the process of the court. She hopes for the better future when Rebecca won’t haunt her anymore and her husband will be acquitted. ...
In “Rebecca” the heroine is longing for home, for family. ... She thinks that her husband is still in love with the previous wife Rebecca who was adored by many people. In fact, Maxim, her husband, loves her and has never loved Rebecca. ... In “Rebecca” Mrs. ... Danvers was Rebecca’s maid, she still adores her and doesn’t want anyone to take Rebecca’s place. ... She tells the heroine that perhaps Rebecca is watching her every step and tries to persuade her to jump through a window. ...
Rebecca was frightened by her death when she found out that she has cancer. ...
The Gothic aspects of death and decay are important in “Rebecca”. Maxim brutally murders Rebecca, shooting her through the heart in the cottage by Manderley’s beach. ... The heroine has a lot of fantasies about Rebecca in her mind. ... She imagines Rebecca and the presence of Rebecca so strong that she feels like knowing Rebecca for a long period of time, like seeing her, knowing her appearance, her voice, her movements although she has never seen her. It starts to horrify her because she is so much obsessed by these fantasies that she feels being watched by Rebecca. ... Throughout the novel the narrator is forced to do battle with Rebecca’s memory. ... In “Rebecca” a secret lies within the past. The past is mysterious because of Rebecca’s death. The major characters in”Rebecca” represent common stereotypes found throughout Gothic literature. ... During the second inquest she faints when Maxim is being questioned, just at the moment when Maxim is about to lose his temper and demonstrate his guilt concerning Rebecca’s murder. ... In contrast to the narrator, Rebecca displays the stereotypes common to dark-haired women in Gothic literature. ... One of the few characters in Rebecca who is able to see Rebecca’s true personality is Ben, a man who frequently walks along the stretch of coast near Manderley. ... Ben describes Rebecca to the narrator saying that Rebecca gives him the feeling of snake. ... Danvers is a sinister character, the evil witch who tortures the narrator with the idea that Maxim is still deeply in love with Rebecca. Du Maurier uses Gothic imagery when describes Mrs. ... 19) By describing his appearance as “medieval,” du Maurier indicates that Maxim looks as though he has just stepped out of the period in history dominated by castles. ...
Maxim is consumed with the guilt of murdering Rebecca and the fear that her corpse will be discovered and his secret will be revealed.
The Gothic aspects of death and decay are important in “Rebecca”. Maxim brutally murders Rebecca, shooting her through the heart in the cottage by Manderley’s beach. ... Although Rebecca’s shadow is no longer between them, Maxim and the narrator are not completely happy because they are not living at Manderley. ... 9-10) The dramatic conclusion of burning Manderley is similar to the burning of Rebecca’s signature from the book of poetry in the novel.
CHAPTER III
A short review of a content and characters
“Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again,” so begins the classic, gothic novel Rebecca, by Daphne du Maurier.
Rebecca is a beautiful, melancholy novel of love, romance, hate, suspense, mystery, intrigue and fear with gripping moments of high drama and tension. ... Daphne du Maurier was obsessed with Cornwall and her obsession became a part of her novels. ... His wife Rebecca has died in mysterious circumstances. ... Rebecca`s faithful servant Mrs. Danvers hates her because she adored and still adores Rebecca. ...
The dead, mysterious Rebecca seems to be everywhere, and her spirit is always present and haunts the new bride. The narrator thinks that Maxim doesn`t love her, that they as a married couple would never be so happy as Max and Rebecca were. ...
After some time Rebecca`s sailing boat is found with a skeleton lying on the cabin floor. ... Was someone else with Rebecca when she died or is it her corpse?
Rebecca’s sailboat is named Je reviens which means „I come back”.
After starting investigations about the mysterious Rebecca, the narrator, whose name is never mentioned, discovers the truth: Rebecca was not a wonderful woman she was meant to be, Rebecca knew she would die because of cancer and she prepared her “suicide” in order to make Maximillian appear guilty of her death. ...
Rebecca told him she was pregnant of one of her lovers and
Maxim shot her. ... A drowned woman which was found in the bay and buried in the crypt after Rebecca was drowned was not Rebecca. ... 436) She was unable to accept the truth about Rebecca. Max reveals the narrator that he loves her and has never loved Rebecca. ...
Du Maurier weaves tension throughout the story and maintains suspense to the very end. ...
The secrets of Maxim and Rebecca are hidden within the estate. Rebecca`s soul seems to be everywhere, everything at Manderley has Rebecca`s touch. ... Now Rebecca doesn’t haunt them so much but Manderley as the past already.
The main characters in the story are: the narrator (the protagonist, the heroine), Maxim De Winter, Rebecca and Mrs. ... When the novel begins, he has recently lost his wife, beautiful Rebecca. ... When Rebecca tells him that she is pregnant from another man, Maxim kills her by shooting. Maxim didn`t love Rebecca. ...
The character of Rebecca is extremely interesting. ... Danvers is a housekeeper at Manderley who adored Rebecca very much. ... 86) She tries to remind the narrator about Rebecca everytime and everywhere. At the end of the novel she burns Manderley to the ground because Rebecca`s plan is a shock for her. ...
CHAPTER IV
The role of the past in „Rebecca”
The role of the past in every human being`s life is very important. ... The role of the past in the novel “Rebecca” is very big. ... Danvers partly live in the past and it is because of the memory of Rebecca. ... He is not very sure that nobody will find Rebecca’s sailing boat and discover the truth. ... Danvers loved Rebecca very much and that`s why she cannot bow to fate that Rebecca is dead now. ... Nobody ever will be so deep in her heart than Rebecca and she will never accept any other Mrs. ... These are people who knew Rebecca very well, who met her almost every day and was a part of her life. There is one character who didn`t know Rebecca, hadn`t ever met and seen her but whos`e life is very much affected by the memories and presence of Rebecca and it is the new Mrs. ... She cannot live without thinking of Rebecca. She sees the competitor in Rebecca although Rebecca is dead. She feels inferior to Rebecca. She feels like Rebecca is everywhere, that she is watching and following her. Her first meeting with Rebecca is when she finds a book which was a present for Max from Rebecca. On the first page it is written “To Max, from Rebecca”. Rebecca’s handwriting is very assured and makes the narrator think her handwriting is a portrait of hers.
Rebecca seems to be very self-assured person. ... 52)
The heroine decides to burn the page with Rebecca’s handwriting because she is jealous of the past. She wants to get rid of any written evidence of Rebecca. ... Rebecca’s name burns the last of all the words and that has some connection with the future life of the heroine. Rebecca is not going to disappear of her life. ... de Winter and Maxim are not moved to Manderley and the heroine does not know anything about Rebecca, she is happy. ... de Winter feels the presence of Rebecca all the time and everywhere. ... I was sitting in Rebecca’s chair, I was leaning against Rebecca’s cushion, and the dog had come to me and laid his head upon my knee because that had been his custom, and he remembered, in the past, she had given sugar to him there. ... She thinks Rebecca is Mrs. ... )
Thinking of Rebecca as superior, the heroine has made in her mind a portrait of her and sees her as alive person. That`s why she thinks that Rebecca is the real Mrs. ...
Before meeting Rebecca (although only in her fantasies) she didn’t pay any attention to her personality but, living at Manderley, she started to compare herself with Rebecca and discovered that she is not self-assured and bright personality at all. ...
Dear God, I did not want to think about Rebecca. ... de Winter cannot ask the servants to take Rebecca’s things away, to buy new clothes for herself, not to dress in clothes which makes her think of Rebecca?
„Rebecca, always Rebecca. Wherever I walked in Manderley, wherever I sat, even in my thoughts and in my dreams, I met Rebecca. ... Hands that arranged flowers, made the models of ships, and wrote „Max from Rebecca” on the fly-leaf of a book. ... Rebecca, always Rebecca. I should never be rid of Rebecca. ...
Even Maxim feels the presence of Rebecca so strong that it disturbs for him to live normal life. ... The good thing is that a Rebecca’s ghost doesn’t torture them anymore. ... 10)
CONCLUSION
The main attention in the novel “Rebecca” is turned to the psychological experiences of a person. Du Maurier focuses on the fears, fantasies, horror and doubt of the heroine. ... She feels being watched, haunted and followed by a deceased-Rebecca.
Approximate Word count = 14699
Approximate Pages = 58.8
(250 words per page double spaced)
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