"Rebecca" - an English novel about love and death

"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again"

Hello again! Sorry for not writing so long, but I’ve had a lot of school work lately… you know, matura exam next year J. Anyway, recently I’ve read an outstanding book, titled "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier, so I’m going to tell you more about it…

"Rebecca" is a mystery novel about a willfully naive and poor woman in her early 20s, who decides to marry a much older (42 years old), recently met Maxim de Winter. The man is a widower – at the begining of the story we don’t know much about his first wife. After the honeymoon the couple arrives at the man’s great country estate – the Manderley. The woman is extremely shy and can’t get used to her new situation as a new mistress of the huge mansion. She fears that Maxim never really loved and only used her to forget about his loss. What’s more, she can’t get along with the housekeeper, Mrs Danvers. The old woman can’t accept the loss of her beloved first Mrs de Winter… Is Maxim really in love with his young wife? What happened to his first wife? Will "the dead come back and watch the living"? Read the novel and find out by yourself J.

It may seem that the "Rebecca" is the novel’s narrator – the second Mrs de Winter… but actually it’s how the first wife was named. What is interesting we never get to know the name of the second Maxim’s wife… This is very symbolic, as the young mistress always felt she was a complete failture, living in her predecessor’s shadow.

The novel gives the reader a perfect psychological portrait of an insecure woman who has to face the Menderley’s past. Young mistress tries her best to please her husband and feels overwhelmed by her new responsibilities. She can still feel the presence of the first Maxim’s wife and feels bullied by Mrs Danvers.

The novel’s narrator is the same woman, only this time she is more confident and brave. The book is some kind of a retrospection, containing memories from the dark past of the Menderley that was behind her.

"Rebecca" is remembered especially for Mrs Danvers – the main protagonist of the novel. The old woman is very devoted to the dead Maxim’s wife – she used to be her maid when she was a child and cared about her ever since. Mrs Danvers always admired Rebecca – for her intellingence, good manners and beauty. Her death came as a huge shock to the old woman. Maxim’s remarriage is very painful to Mrs Danvers – she tries to break up the couple’s marriage. The manipulative housekeeper despises the young Mrs De Winter, as she is the constant reminder of what has been lost for ever. She often humiliates the new mistress and tries to prove that she will never be as good as Rebecca. One day she suggests that the young mistress wear a particular dress to a costume ball, being aware that Rebecca wore it to the costume ball the previous year. She even attempts to persuade the Maxim’s wife to commit a suicide!

The book was first published in 1938. It shortly became a best-seller and captured the imagination of the legendary film director, Alfred Hitchcock. Therefore, in 1940, the book’s adaptation was made – it has also turned out to be very successful with a box office of $6 million (budget was around $1,29 million). The lead role is played by the Oscar winner, Joan Fontaine.

That would be all for today, I hope I encouraged you to read the book (or at least watch the movie ;)). See you soon!

+some pics from the Hitchcock’s movie "Rebecca", enjoy J