Rebecca is a novel by Daphne du Maurier, published in 1938. It tells the story of a young woman who falls in love with and marries a wealthy, older man named Maxim de Winter. The couple moves to Maxim's estate, Manderley, where the new Mrs. de Winter finds herself overshadowed by the memory of Maxim's first wife, Rebecca.
The novel begins with the narrator, the new Mrs. de Winter, recounting her first meeting with Maxim and their subsequent courtship and marriage. The couple travels to Manderley, where the new Mrs. de Winter is immediately struck by the grandeur of the estate and the presence of Rebecca, who seems to haunt every corner of the house. She is constantly compared to Rebecca and finds it difficult to live up to the expectations of the household staff and Maxim's sister, Beatrice.
As the story progresses, the new Mrs. de Winter begins to uncover the secrets of Manderley and the mystery surrounding Rebecca's death. She learns that Rebecca was a manipulative and deceitful woman who had many affairs and was disliked by the household staff. Maxim is revealed to have killed Rebecca in a fit of jealousy and rage, and the new Mrs. de Winter helps him cover up the crime.
One of the main themes of the novel is the danger of idealizing the past. Manderley is described as a perfect place, and Rebecca is depicted as a perfect woman. However, as the new Mrs. de Winter delves deeper into the mystery of Rebecca's death, she realizes that both Manderley and Rebecca were far from perfect. The idealized version of the past is shown to be a façade, and the new Mrs. de Winter is forced to confront the harsh realities of the present.
Another important theme is the power dynamics in relationships. Rebecca is portrayed as a manipulative and controlling figure, while the new Mrs. de Winter is initially submissive and powerless. However, as she gains confidence and learns the truth about Rebecca and Maxim, she begins to assert herself and take control of her own life.
Overall, Rebecca is a masterfully written novel that explores themes of idealization, power dynamics, and the dangers of secrets. Du Maurier's writing is evocative and atmospheric, and the plot is full of twists and turns that keep the reader engaged until the very end. It is a timeless classic that continues to captivate readers to this day.
Du Maurier's Rebecca, A Worthy 'Eyre' Apparent
This eventually leads to the characters in the story to commit acts of villainy. She obviously chose to direct attention away from this character, rather than letting readers know who she is and what she thinks. Frequently, the novels' protagonists appear in disguise; Lady Dona St. With its twisted motives, midnight crimes, smugglers, and secrets, this is du Maurier at her best. A sepulchre is a tomb, and its inclusion gives Manderley much greater significance.
Written by Daphne du Maurier, this novel became the Rebecca made it onto the list of The Big Read UK survey at number 14. In the end, we learn that Rebecca, even when she was alive, was almost dead from a terminal illness. Danvers, as housekeeper, scarcely recognizes as Mrs. Then to her astonished rapture, he proposed marriage to her, and carried her off to the splendors of Manderley, in its forest of azaleas, sloping down to the sea that had drowned Rebecca, the first Mrs. The citation above will include either 2 or 3 dates. Beginning writers often try leaving out specific details about crucial characters, hoping that, without names or faces, it will be easier for readers to relate to the characters, as if anonymity is the same thing as universality. They were not afraid.
Both marriage partners maintain disguises, acting out a "happy" married life, refusing to share, pretending before outsiders and one another. Elements Of Individualism In Jane Eyre 1414 Words 6 Pages Charlotte Bronte takes us on a journey from the point which Jane Eyre, the protagonist lives with her aunt and cousins whom very much dislikes her in Gateshead to her going to a boarding school in Lowood, after which she becomes a governess in Thornfield where she falls in love with Mr. Usually, avoiding the obvious just results in weak writing because readers tend to feel less, not more, involved when details are left out. Mallard which shows that the relationship between Mr. I should ask Frank to explain things to me. Rebecca Skloot Summary 687 Words 3 Pages In this work of nonfiction, Rebecca Skloot writes about the life of a woman that unknowingly supplied her cells to scientific research. The gothic atmosphere of a castle-like estate and a brooding, secretive husband with a troubled first marriage are elements that the two books have in common.
Philip Ashley, the narrator of My Cousin Rachel, genuinely mourns Ambrose, the cousin from whom he inherits a vast estate, yet Philip is aware that as the master of the family holding, he enjoys power and position which would have been unattainable in a secondary or even a shared mastery. Cite this page as follows: "Rebecca - The Narrator of de Maurier's Story" Novels for Students Vol. Significantly, Ben is the only character who acknowledges Rebecca's evil nature from the very beginning. The irony was when she thought she was free, her husband walks through the door. In Monte Carlo, Maxim was entranced by the narrator's innocence and purity specifically because it was so different from Rebecca's crass immodesty and sexual familiarity. This is a masterpiece that is well-loved by writers across the world as it produces an accurate account of the artistic and conceptual development of the plot and characters of this best-seller.
When I read I build up my word bank that I would be able to use in my writing without having to look up synonyms for a particular word. The cultural images and symbols du Maurier employs in her romantic adventures are very closely allied with the cultural myths or themes which she explores. Later on, it is revealed that Beatrice did not even like Rebecca, but, at this point, the narrator assumes that Beatrice is subtly voicing her preference for Maxim's glamorous first wife. Knowing too much about the narrator might make her sympathetic, thereby making readers less likely to believe that de Winter could love Rebecca's memory more than his wife. At the beginning of the novel, the narrator is the insecure, shy, and inexperienced paid companion of Mrs. These developments have only occurred because of the harsh experiences that both characters have encountered.
Reprinted by permission of the author. There, she finds herself haunted by reminders of his first wife, Rebecca, who died in a boating accident less than a year earlier. Danvers feels for Rebecca is dangerous, to say the least, and it pervades the entire novel with such an intensity that ultimately culminates in the fire at Manderley. It was as though I had taken a purge and rid myself of an intolerable pain. The question becomes even more compelling when the focus of inquiry is narrowed to one particular aspect of the book, such as du Maurier's handling of the narrator. His eyes blazed in anger. Danvers, exhibits fierce loyalty to the first Mrs.
A husband is not so very different from a father after all. Unsurpassed as a teller of gothic tales tinged with horror or the supernatural, she is worth studying if only for her pacing, which moves from plot twist to plot twist with consummate ease. Jem Mer-lyn Jamaica Inn who makes no attempt to hide his career as petty criminal and horse thief, is far more honest with Mary Yellan than are the other inhabitants of the Bodmin area. Armino Donati The Flight of the Falcon wants to trust his brother's charm, poise, and attractiveness, but he suspects that vicious intent lies beneath Aldo's attractive exterior, and John, the protagonist-narrator of The Scapegoat, must learn that even the most crass codes of behavior can generate redemptive action. Danvers, for instance, is unimaginable beyond her job in the book, which is to react to Maxim de Winter and his new wife. The other two likely explanations are difficult to unwrap from one another: either du Maurier just happened to find that one-in-a-million recipe of the precise amount of characterization needed, without one atom over, or else readers are willing to let her get away with underwriting her main character because the rest of the book is just so much fun.
His face was still ashen white. Certainly, it is no disgrace either to establish or to follow a popular, even beloved, literary formula. It may have been because you were with me. Rebecca has made a lasting mark on pop culture too. Artistically, this coy act should not work. Alfred Hitchcock directed film versions of Jamaica Inn, in 1939, and her best-selling Rebecca, in 1940.
But with the benefit of decades of perspective, Rebecca is acknowledged as a masterpiece psychological thriller. The last date is today's date — the date you are citing the material. Maxim de Winter, seemingly an adult in full control of his powers, is caught in the grip of an obsession, Man-derley and all it stands for, and is actually the most immature character of the lot. For critics, that commonality has sometimes been dismissed as "formula fiction," and this term often perceived as demeaning has contributed to some misapprehension of the skill with which the author combines formulaic elements with experiments in established literary forms, especially variations of the Bildungsroman, to create the freshness and innovation which account for so much of her appeal. Though even so swift a summary of the plots reveals variety, there are elements of commonality shared by all six titles under discussion here.
The only way to truly destroy her and move forward from the past is the cathartic fire that burns down the estate. One significant character in this story is Louise. Instead, she haunts Manderley in the memories of those that live there. She will achieve a final victory her body is discovered and Maxim is sent to prison as a murderer. This conflicting sense of self-worth obvious in Cinderella is often painful and almost always results in the protagonists' maintaining a kind of public guise of meekness which hides a fiery, judgmental, or even arrogant personality. But if the second Mrs.
