Rebecca (novel)
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 First edition cover |
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| Author | Daphne du Maurier |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Crime, Romance novel |
| Publisher | Victor Gollancz |
| Released | 1938 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback and Paperback) |
| ISBN | NA |
Rebecca is a novel by British author Daphne du Maurier, published in 1938 and considered to be one of the author's best works. It was partially inspired by Jane Eyre.[1][2]
Contents |
[edit] Plot summary
"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again" is the book's opening line, and from here its unnamed narrator recalls her past, recounting the tale of an innocent orphaned young woman who, while working as the companion to a society grande dame vacationing on the French Riviera, is swept off her feet by a wealthy Englishman, Maximilian (Max) de Winter, marries him, and becomes mistress of his house, the beautiful Cornish estate, Manderley.
Only after their return to Manderley does the new bride realize how difficult it will be to lay to rest the memory of her husband's first wife, Rebecca, who drowned just off the coast but whose spirit seems to pervade the estate and all its inhabitants, especially its domineering housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers, one of the best-known female villains in literature.
Mrs. Danvers, who was profoundly devoted to Rebecca, does her best to undermine the second Mrs. de Winter, suggesting to her that she will never attain the grace, elegance and charm that Rebecca possessed. Lacking self-confidence and overwhelmed by her new life, the protagonist commits one faux pas after another, until she is convinced that Max regrets his impetuous decision to marry her and is still deeply in love with the seemingly perfect Rebecca. The climax comes when, at Manderley's annual fancy dress ball, Mrs. Danvers tricks the protagonist into wearing the same costume worn by Rebecca the year before she died.
Later that night, a storm leads to the remains of Rebecca's boat being discovered. This unexpected event leads Max to confess the truth to his new wife (the narrator of the novel) about how the willful and adulterous Rebecca taunted him with a series of love affairs. She claimed to be pregnant by another man and threatened to burden Max with the responsibility of raising the child. Max, truly hating her, shot her and disposed of her body on her boat, which he sank at sea. The narrator, rather than being frightened by the revelation that her husband is capable of murder, is instead relieved to hear that Max did not love Rebecca.
During the following inquest into Rebecca's death, it is revealed that she had an appointment shortly before her death, presumably with a doctor to confirm her pregnancy. When the doctor is found he reveals instead that Rebecca had been suffering from cancer, and would have died within a few months. Moreover she could never have become pregnant. The implication is that, knowing she was going to die, Rebecca lied to Max that she had been impregnated by another man, because she wanted Max to kill her (thus her death could indeed be considered a form of suicide). During the inquest, the narrator faints at a critical moment while incriminating evidence against Max is being revealed.
Upon returning to Manderley after a verdict of suicide is read, Max and his bride discover the house in flames, probably set on fire by the deranged Mrs. Danvers.
It is suggested at the beginning of the novel by the heroine that the two now live in some foreign exile. The events recounted in the book are in essence a flashback of the narrator's life at Manderley.
[edit] Related works
The novel has inspired three additional books approved by the du Maurier estate:
- Mrs. de Winter (1993), by Susan Hill, is a sequel originally written in the 1980s. ISBN 0-09-928478-2
- The Other Rebecca (1996), by Maureen Freely, is a contemporary version. ISBN 0-89733-477-9
- Rebecca's Tale (2001), by Sally Beauman, ISBN 0-06-621108-5 is a narrative of four characters affected by Rebecca. It is often mistakenly referred to as a prequel.
[edit] Trivia
- The character of Mrs. Danvers is alluded to numerous times throughout Stephen King's Bag of Bones. In the book, Mrs. Danvers serves as something of a bogeyman for the main character Mike Noonan.
- One edition of the book was used by the Germans in World War II as a code source. Sentences would be made using single words in the book, referenced by page number, line and position in the line. One copy was kept at Rommel's headquarters, and the other was carried by German Abwehr agents infiltrated in Cairo after crossing Egypt by car, guided by Count László Almásy. This code was never used, however, because the radio section of the HQ was captured in a skirmish and the Germans thought the security was compromised. This is referenced in Ken Follett's novel The Key to Rebecca. This use of the novel was also referenced in Michael Ondaatje's novel The English Patient.
[edit] Film, television and theatrical adaptations
[edit] Film
Rebecca has been adapted several times. The most notable of these was the Academy Award winning 1940 Alfred Hitchcock film version Rebecca. The film (which starred Laurence Olivier as Max, Joan Fontaine as the Heroine, and Dame Judith Anderson as Mrs. Danvers) was based on the novel. The production code of the day required that if Max had murdered his wife, he would have to be punished for his crime, so the key turning point of the novel (the revelation that Max, in fact, murdered Rebecca) was altered so that it seemed Rebecca's death was accidental. At the end of the film version, Mrs. Danvers perishes in the fire. The film quickly became a classic and, at that time, was a major technical achievement in film-making.
[edit] Television
Rebecca has been adapted for television by both BBC (the book cover pictured on this page shows Joanna David as "Mrs de Winter") and ITV. The latter version starred Emilia Fox (David's daughter) in the same role, and was part of the 1998–1999 season of Masterpiece Theatre. There are many Latin- American soap operas inspired by this story: Manuela (Argentina), Infierno en el paraíso (Mexico) and La Sucesora (Brasil).
[edit] Theatre
On September 28, 2006 a musical version of Rebecca premiered at the Raimund Theater in Vienna, Austria. The new musical is written by Michael Kunze (book and lyrics) and Sylvester Levay (music) and directed by the renowned American director Francesca Zambello. The cast includes Uwe Kröger as Max de Winter, Wietske van Tongeren as "Ich" ("I", the narrator) and Susan Rigvava-Dumas as Mrs Danvers.
[edit] References
- ^ Du Maurier's 'Rebecca,' A Worthy 'Eyre' Apparent. Washington Post. Retrieved on December 12, 2006.
- ^ Presence of Orson Welles in Robert Stevenson's Jane Eyre (1944). Literature Film Quarterly. Retrieved on December 12, 2006.
