Rebecca is a gothic romance of the kind that has been popular since the genre was invented in the late eighteenth century. The plot is conventional: The protagonist, a young woman, finds herself in an unfamiliar and sinister setting, where she must solve a mystery and win the heart of a handsome man. This novel, which is considered one of the finest of its type, continues to be popular in the late twentieth century, despite the fact that the central character accepts a subservient role in society and in marriage.

Rebecca begins, “Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.” This often-quoted line sets the story in motion, not only establishing the narrative voice but also indicating that what follows will be an account of past events, ending sadly. In the pages that follow, however, the narrator explains that although they must live far from home, she and her husband are devoted to each other. After further arousing the curiosity of her readers with tantalizing references to the title character and to a Mrs. Danvers, Daphne du Maurier begins her story.

Although from this point on the novel moves chronologically, the narrator frequently uses similar hints to foreshadow future events, thus maintaining a high level of suspense. For example, in chapter 3 she muses, “I wonder what my life would be today, if Mrs. Van Hopper had not been a snob.” It soon becomes clear that the social aspirations of this rich American woman vacationing in Monte Carlo have resulted in the introduction of the narrator, who is Mrs. Van Hopper’s hired companion, to the aristocratic Maxim de Winter, and eventually in their marriage. When Mrs. Van Hopper decides to leave immediately for New York, the recently widowed Max does not want to lose his young companion, and to the older woman’s astonishment, he proposes. The result of Mrs. Van Hopper’s snobbery is now clear; what is still to be explained is the rest of the sentence, which recalls the narrator’s statements about suffering in the introductory chapters. For those answers, one must read on.

After this brief beginning, the novel moves to England and Manderley, Max’s country house by the sea. From the moment she sees the staff waiting for her, the narrator feels insecure. Ill at ease in British upper-class society, the shy, inexperienced girl fears that she cannot live up to the standards set by Max’s late wife Rebecca, a woman of great sophistication and legendary beauty. The narrator’s sense of inadequacy is carefully nurtured by the housekeeper Mrs. Danvers, who adored Rebecca and who takes every opportunity to make her successor feel like an intruder. Unfortunately, Max goes on with his own life, minimizing his wife’s concerns and refusing to talk about Rebecca. Thus isolated, the narrator is sustained only by the kindness of Max’s sister Beatrice Lacy and by the evident approval of his agent Frank Crawley.

Without any facts at her disposal, the protagonist proceeds blindly, with no way of knowing what will please or displease her husband. When she breaks a valuable ornament, horrifying Mrs. Danvers, Max treats the matter as trivial. Yet he disapproves of his wife’s going into a boathouse used by Rebecca, and he becomes livid after learning that Rebecca’s cousin Jack Favell has put in an appearance. The protagonist does not feel Max’s full fury, however, until the ball. When he sees her in the costume that Mrs. Danvers had suggested, he becomes enraged. Without explaining that Rebecca had previously worn an identical costume, he simply tells his wife to change and throughout the evening treats her like a stranger. Taking advantage of this breach between husband and wife, Mrs. Danvers has begun hypnotizing the broken-hearted girl into jumping to her death when, providentially, the explosion of rockets, signaling a shipwreck, shocks the narrator into sanity.

Ironically, it is the shipwreck that reunites the couple, even though it also results in Max’s having to defend himself against a suspicion of murder. When he hears that divers have found Rebecca’s body on her sunken boat, Max finally takes the narrator into his confidence. Throughout their marriage, he says, Rebecca had been malicious and promiscuous; when she indicated that she was to have a bastard child, who would inherit Manderley, Max shot her, put her body in the boat, and sank it. Now, he says, Rebecca has won. When the narrator assures him that she has no intention of deserting him, however, it is evident that, in fact, Rebecca has lost. Whatever follows, love has triumphed.

The final segment of the book describes the inquest and its aftermath. Despite the efforts of Jack Favell and Mrs. Danvers, Max is officially cleared of suspicion. Even though he has guessed the truth, the magistrate, Colonel Julwin, is so sympathetic with Max’s sufferings and so repelled by Favell’s attempts at blackmail that when he discovers Rebecca had been terminally ill, he chooses to call the drowning a suicide. On their way back from London, however, Max and his wife see a glow in the sky and realize that Rebecca’s two friends have taken revenge by setting Manderley on fire.

Manderley

Manderley. Estate in Cornwall to which Max de Winter brings his new bride, the second Mrs. de Winter. There, he earlier lived with his first wife, Rebecca. From the blood-red rhododendrons surrounding this house of secrets to its iron gates holding in its past when Max and his second wife arrive in early May, Manderley is a forceful, menacing, and even malignant presence. The house itself seems to cause the events of the plot by acting upon the characters. As willful and capricious as the spirit of the dead Rebecca herself, the house symbolizes her tomb; her spirit infuses the place. In this ghostly personification, Rebecca actually seems to transcend the gothic form.

Manderley is based on two distinctive houses, one a house du Maurier visited as a child, and the other, Menabilly, a house in which she herself lived for more than twenty-five years. The houses merged in the landscape of her imagination to become Manderley, which inspired one of the most famous opening lines of twentieth century literature: “Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.” As potent as a presence, as moody as a person, Manderley has a living aura and is as much a character in the novel as any man or woman. In fact, the house figures in the sensibilities of both of Max de Winter’s wives more than any living presence by being imbued with the spirit of his first wife, Rebecca.

According to a published memoir, du Maurier visited a family friend’s home, Milton, in 1917, and her memory of that house created the seed for Manderley. Struck by Milton’s portraits of four centuries of family ancestors, du Maurier wondered if the ancestors’ presences still haunted the house—with menace. For her the past is clearly a destructive force, destroying the present, just as the past wreaks havoc on present lives in Rebecca.

*Cornwall

*Cornwall. Historic region of southwestern England to which du Maurier felt a passionate attachment. Her sense of Cornwall’s atmosphere is integral to each of the novels she set there. Remote, distant from the rest of England, full of antiquities from prehistoric times to Arthurian legend, Cornwall infuses the imagination with history in a setting in which the ghosts of the past intrude upon the present. Dramatic things happen in such settings. For example, a shipwreck that du Maurier witnessed off the Cornish coast in 1930 became transposed as a symbol of the tragedy haunting Manderley in Rebecca. Indeed, the novel itself, originated in du Maurier’s memory of place. While she was living in Alexandria, Egypt, she became so homesick for the woods and shores of Cornwall that she was moved to write a novel about it, and that novel became Rebecca.

When Rebecca appeared in 1938, it was dismissed as a romance written to fit a familiar formula, designed purely for entertainment. Critics admired du Maurier’s technical skill, but they did not look in the novel for thematic or symbolic subtleties. The fact that since its publication Rebecca has continually remained in print, selling steadily over the years, must be attributed primarily to its still holding the same appeal for readers which made it such a commercial success a half century ago. The book is exciting and suspenseful, it has the kind of setting that lends itself to ghost stories, and it is essentially a love story with a happy ending.

Although many women readers evidently can still identify with heroines as subservient as the protagonist of Rebecca, contemporary critics are taking a new look at the novel. It is difficult to reconcile its seeming acceptance of a patriarchal system of male dominance with what, in her authorized biography, Margaret Forster has shown about the author herself. Not only was du Maurier convinced from childhood that she was a male in a female body, but, though a wife and mother, she felt free to have affairs with other people of both sexes. In other words, although she was not selfish and spiteful, in many ways du Maurier resembled Rebecca more than she did the virtuous protagonist of her novel.

Evidently, Rebecca is a more complex work than it was once thought to be. While it can hardly be argued that Rebecca is a sympathetic character or that her minions, Favell and Mrs. Danvers, are anything but revolting, du Maurier does show how dangerous not only innocence but also a system based on female subservience can be for both partners in a relationship. As she finally realizes, the narrator is of little use either to herself or to Max until she has developed an identity of her own. It is not the shy and helpless girl, but a woman—strong, self-confident, and independent—who chooses to support her husband in his ordeal and, in their exile, to make his life worth living.

Post World War I

Throughout the 1800s, Britain expanded its empire by acquiring colonies, dominions, and protectorates. These were the golden years of the British Empire, with Queen Victoria's reign, which lasted over sixty years, providing a sense of stability and progress. Her conservative social views fostered the image of the stiff-upper-lipped, formal British citizen, a stereotype depicted in "Rebecca." This era was characterized by strict social etiquette, daily tea at four-thirty, and a discreet fascination with wealth. When Victoria passed away in 1901, her son Edward ascended to the throne. The Edwardian age is remembered as a period of international stability, thanks to Edward VII’s diplomatic skills. Much like the Victorian era, Edward’s reign from 1901 to 1910 was marked by domestic stability and social formality.

World War I disrupted the peace of Europe, particularly in Great Britain. Previous conflicts, like the Crimean War and the Boer War, had been noted for the civility of their participants. In these earlier battles, the British class system was clearly delineated, with officers kept away from the front lines out of respect for their rank. However, World War I introduced new technologies that erased class distinctions in combat. Long-range artillery, portable machine guns, and especially poisonous gas, shattered the genteel traditions, exposing the brutal realities of modern warfare.

As part of the victorious forces, Britain gained territories that had been under German control, turning them into British mandates. There was a brief post-war economic boom as laborers returned and industries expanded. However, the rigid social class system, like the one depicted in du Maurier's "Rebecca," was on the decline. Modern technology rendered the feudal system that supported great estates like Manderley increasingly obsolete.

The Approach of World War II

In the 1930s, like many other nations, Great Britain experienced an economic depression. Once the most powerful country in the world, Britain had to implement measures to ensure economic stability. In 1931, the British government, which had been borrowing money from France and the United States, imposed a heavy tariff on imported goods. This move helped stabilize the economy by encouraging citizens to buy domestically produced goods or contribute tax revenue. Although this measure improved the economic situation, it hurt British self-esteem. The country's free trade policy had been a source of national pride, and abandoning it signaled that Great Britain no longer held the global dominance it once enjoyed.

During this period, Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party were ascending to power in Germany. Hitler's rise was largely facilitated by the same global economic downturn affecting America, Britain, and other nations. Germany experienced severe economic distress, with the cost of essential goods sometimes doubling within a week. Hitler capitalized on this suffering, appealing to the German populace by addressing their hardships and stoking national pride. He convinced Germans that their country was being unfairly treated by the international community. The Treaty of Versailles, which outlined the terms of Germany's surrender in 1918, had fragmented the German Republic and imposed strict limitations on its military, leaving Germany both economically and militarily weakened. In 1933, the Nazi Party was elected to power as the public believed they could alleviate the nation's suffering and restore its dignity.

Almost immediately, Hitler's regime initiated a program of military expansion. Over the ensuing years, German forces annexed Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, and Poland—territories relinquished to end World War I. In retrospect, many questioned why the victorious World War I nations did not intervene when Germany first breached the Treaty of Versailles. One reason was widespread agreement with the German perspective that the treaty was overly restrictive and had caused undue suffering for German citizens, leading to weak opposition against Germany's actions to "correct" the situation. Additionally, the economic crisis made Western European countries, such as England and France, hesitant to engage in conflict unless absolutely necessary. Hitler signed new treaties with London, promising to limit the size of the German military, which provided war-averse factions with arguments against intervention. The opposition to interfering in German affairs was so strong that the world ignored reports emerging from German territories about concentration camps where millions of Jews, Roma, and homosexuals were brutally mutilated and killed.

Great Britain eventually declared war on Germany in 1939 after Hitler violated a non-aggression pact with Poland and launched an attack on the country. By then, it was evident that he aimed for relentless expansion and that treaties held no weight. At the war's outset, France bore the brunt of opposing Hitler but was defeated by German forces in 1940. England endured relentless German bombing raids, resulting in the death of seventy thousand British civilians. The war continued until 1945.

Aside from the initial chapters set in Monte Carlo, Rebecca primarily unfolds at the Manderley country estate. The book's famous opening line, "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again," underscores the manor's significance. Du Maurier follows the Gothic tradition by imbuing the house with psychological weight, making it almost a character itself. The mansion's rooms reveal aspects of Rebecca's personality. The sea, where Rebecca drowned, carries a sense of foreboding. Maxim instructs Mrs. Danvers to redecorate the east wing, overlooking the rose garden, instead of the west wing with its view of the sea.

Manderley holds significance for the narrator even before she sets eyes on it. Her elderly companion, Mrs. Van Hopper, is fixated on British aristocracy and regards Manderley as a grand estate. Additionally, the narrator, during a previous vacation nearby, had bought a postcard of the estate. She muses, "Maybe there was something inviolate about Manderley that made it a place apart." This contemplation on the house's distinctiveness sets the stage for the unfolding events.

Setting

The novel features two primary settings. The first is Monte Carlo, a resort town on the southern coast of France. Since the opening of its first gambling casino in 1862, Monte Carlo has been renowned globally as a playground for Europe's elite. Starting the book in this locale helps establish the affluent social class of the characters. It also piques readers' interest in Manderley, a place frequently mentioned even by those who have never visited but know it by reputation. The narrator even purchases a postcard of Manderley at a shop in Monte Carlo.

Most of the narrative unfolds at Manderley, an English country estate that has been in the de Winter family for generations. For a young girl unaccustomed to such opulence, the grand house is overwhelming. It is so vast that she often loses her way, and one entire wing can be sealed off with Rebecca's personal items without much impact. Ancient portraits adorn the walls, reminding the narrator of the weighty responsibility of joining a well-established lineage. The decor, filled with expensive items chosen by Rebecca, constantly reminds her of the first Mrs. de Winter's lingering presence.

The estate is encircled by trees, which can be inviting on sunny days but menacing when it is dark and rainy. Beyond the trees lies the bay. Manderley's proximity to the sea enhances its beauty but also plays a crucial role, as the sea conceals the murder victim's body, only to reveal it later. Another significant feature of Manderley is the mysterious cottage where the narrator meets Ben. This place is left to decay, clearly because Maxim cannot bear to visit it, adding an element of mystery that persists until the end, when the cottage becomes central to the dark events of the past.

Structure

Rebecca largely follows a chronological timeline, beginning with the narrator's meeting with Maxim de Winter in Monte Carlo and culminating in the night Manderley burns down. However, the novel opens with a prelude set some time after the main events. The exact timing of this introductory section, which spans the first chapter and a half, is unclear, but it is evident that the occurrences at Manderley continue to haunt the narrator and her unidentified male companion.

The purpose of this introduction is to hint at events that the reader will soon encounter. Characters like Mrs. Danvers, Jasper the dog, and Favell are mentioned naturally, as they might surface in the thoughts of someone reminiscing about the past. Since readers are initially unfamiliar with these names, their mention in the early chapters serves to capture attention and maintain interest in the upcoming story. The most crucial aspect of this introduction is that the man traveling with the narrator remains unidentified. As readers delve into the main narrative, they must remain vigilant for indications that her romance with Maxim de Winter might end and look for hints about who her true love might ultimately be.

Gothicism

The true peak of the gothic novel occurred during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, as a subset of the broader romantic movement in literature. While romanticism portrayed humanity's relationship with nature as mutually beneficial, offering an escape from societal constraints and a chance for artistic expression, Gothicism emphasized nature's frightening, dark, and uncertain aspects. The most influential example of a gothic novel is Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's Frankenstein, which explores the tragic consequences of humans meddling with nature.

Gothic novels typically feature elements of the supernatural, mystery, and horror. In Rebecca, although all events are eventually explained within the bounds of common reality, the lingering "presence" of Rebecca's personality imparts a Gothic atmosphere to the book. Another essential aspect of these works is their setting in ancient, often decaying castles, reflecting the romantic movement's fascination with ancient history and the Gothic interest in death and decay. The short stories of Edgar Allan Poe exemplify many of the most recognizable Gothic elements. Numerous novels that modern readers associate with romance and horror incorporate elements of Gothicism.

Narrator

Readers often become so accustomed to the narrative voice in this novel that they might finish the entire book without realizing how little they know about the woman telling the story. Du Maurier doesn't even give her a name. She is portrayed as petite and youthful, with a pageboy haircut. (Frank Crawley suggests she might resemble Joan of Arc at the masquerade due to her hairstyle.) The book does not reveal her age, her upbringing, or how she came to work for Mrs. Van Hopper, her employer at the start of the story. She enjoys drawing, but not enough to pursue it actively within the narrative, and she appears confused by the art history books Beatrice gives her. It is not until the seventh chapter that any character addresses her directly, and they call her "Mrs. de Winter," identifying her by her husband's name.

Du Maurier skillfully prevents readers from becoming too curious about the narrator by having her describe her surroundings with such fascination and detailed affection that all attention is drawn to them. The people and events she encounters captivate her imagination, and she, in turn, captivates the reader with her vivid descriptions. Maxim de Winter, in particular, holds such significance for her that she centers her story around him. Additionally, this narrator's complete and believable personality, revealed through her storytelling, keeps readers from questioning her past.

Du Maurier excels in first-person narration. Rebecca is told from the perspective of Maxim's second wife, whose name remains undisclosed. This intentional omission highlights her lackluster personality and, by contrast, underscores the strong presence of her predecessor, Rebecca.

Du Maurier mentioned that she initially intended to start Rebecca with the narrator's meeting with Maxim, but she later chose to begin the story with an opening epilogue. This choice significantly contributed to the novel's success. In Rebecca, as well as in My Cousin Rachel and other works, the story starts with a major character's elusive recollections of life before a devastating event. The novel then details the occurrences that irrevocably altered the character's life. By employing this narrative technique, Du Maurier allows the story to conclude swiftly, avoiding a lengthy and anticlimactic ending.

Rebecca adheres to the conventions of the Gothic novel and played a significant role in the genre's revival in the twentieth century. Exemplified by Horace Walpole's The Castle of Otranto (1764), Gothic novels are often set in a spooky mansion or castle. Typically, a young heroine's life is endangered by secrets within the mansion until she is saved by her beloved. Rebecca follows this formula, except that Maxim, the hero, does not rescue anyone from the malevolent Manderley. In fact, Maxim is responsible for his first wife's death and is oblivious to the peril his second wife faces.

1938: German scientists successfully achieve the first nuclear fission of uranium, marking the beginning of the path to developing nuclear bombs.

1945: Nuclear bombs are dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, leading to the deaths of nearly two hundred thousand people and hastening the conclusion of World War II.

Today: Despite decades of global fear over the catastrophic potential of nuclear weapons, no additional nuclear bombs have been deployed in warfare.

1938: Understanding of cancer is minimal. Just five years earlier, the first cancer-causing agents, termed "carcinogens," were identified in England.

Today: Cancer remains the second leading cause of death in the United States. However, extensive research funding has significantly advanced our knowledge of its causes and treatments.

1938: Chester Carlson takes the initial steps in photocopy technology by inventing a method to reproduce images on paper using electrostatic attraction.

Today: Image reproduction has evolved dramatically, allowing computer users to transfer scanned images from one device to another without needing paper.

1938: Orson Welles broadcasts his radio show War of the Worlds in a news program format, causing widespread panic among listeners who believe Martians are invading Earth.

Today: Audiences are now accustomed to radio and TV programs mimicking news styles, and few would be fooled by such an outlandish story.

1938: Radio and movies dominate American entertainment, with urban residents also enjoying live theater. Although television technology exists, widespread TV ownership does not occur until post-World War II.

Today: Most households own at least one TV, with many having access to over five hundred channels via cable and satellite systems.

1938: Air travel remains risky. In 1937, aviator Amelia Earhart is lost at sea while attempting to fly around the world. In 1938, Douglas Corrigan flies from New York to Dublin, claiming a navigational error and earning the nickname "Wrong-Way Corrigan."

Today: International flights are commonplace, with the Federal Aviation Administration monitoring all flight paths.

As at least one critic has noted, du Maurier excels when writing in the first person. "My Cousin Rachel" (1951) is narrated from the perspective of Philip Ashley, while "Rebecca" is told from the viewpoint of the second wife. "Rebecca" is particularly notable because the narrator's name is never revealed. This intentional omission highlights the second wife's seemingly bland personality, which contrasts sharply with the strong presence of her predecessor, who is named.

Du Maurier has mentioned that she originally planned to start "Rebecca" with the narrator meeting Maxim but later chose to place the epilogue at the beginning of the book. This choice significantly contributes to the novel's success. In "Rebecca" — as well as in "My Cousin Rachel" and other works by du Maurier — the story begins with a major character's vague recollections of life before a tragic event. The novel then recounts the events that dramatically altered the character's life. Starting with the epilogue allows du Maurier to conclude swiftly, avoiding a lengthy, anti-climactic ending.

"Rebecca" adheres to the Gothic novel tradition and played a significant role in reviving the genre during the twentieth century. Originally established by Horace Walpole in "The Castle of Otranto" (1764), Gothic novels often feature an eerie mansion or castle setting. Typically, these stories involve a young heroine whose life is endangered by secrets within the manor, until she is saved by the man she loves. "Rebecca" follows this pattern, but with a twist: Maxim, the hero, does not rescue anyone from the malevolence at Manderley. Instead, he is responsible for his first wife's death and remains oblivious to the threats facing his second wife. Similarly, "My Cousin Rachel" adapts the Gothic novel framework, with a young hero and heroine entangled in a mystery at an old mansion. However, it deviates from traditional Gothic romance as the hero is implicated in the heroine's death, and the heroine's true nature remains ambiguous to the reader.

Two influential authors who used Gothic novel elements and impacted du Maurier are Charlotte and Emily Brontë. Charlotte Brontë's "Jane Eyre" (1847) also features a mysterious first wife, a brooding hero, and a fire. Both "Rebecca" and "My Cousin Rachel" start similarly to Emily Brontë's "Wuthering Heights" (1847), as they are narrated as recollections of past events. Daphne du Maurier has openly acknowledged her debt to the Brontës. She borrowed a line from one of Emily Brontë's poems for the title of her first novel, "The Loving Spirit" (1931), and wrote about their brother Branwell in "The Infernal World of Branwell Brontë" (1960). "Rebecca" also draws inspiration from other nineteenth-century romantics. For instance, Edgar Allan Poe popularized the idea that an evil woman is dark, a description frequently applied to Rebecca in du Maurier's novel.

While Rebecca delves into the conflict between good and evil, My Cousin Rachel examines the essence of these concepts. The story's narrator, Philip Ashley, wavers between opinions as he struggles to determine whether Rachel is a murderous, greedy schemer or an unfortunate victim of circumstances. In the end, Philip resolves his dilemma by killing Rachel, leaving readers to decide if he has murdered an innocent woman or delivered a crucial blow against evil. The novel powerfully illustrates that identifying evil is challenging and that judging a person's true character is highly subjective.

Du Maurier adapted Rebecca into a three-act play, which premiered in London in 1940 and later on Broadway in 1945. The most renowned adaptation of Rebecca is Alfred Hitchcock's classic film. Featuring Laurence Olivier as Maxim, Joan Fontaine as the second wife, and Judith Anderson as Mrs. Danvers, the film won the 1940 Academy Award for Best Picture. At a time when leading men were often depicted as entirely heroic, Hitchcock altered the plot so that Maxim kills Rebecca accidentally rather than intentionally. Rebecca was also adapted in 1978 by the British Broadcasting Company and Time-Life Films, airing on television in 1981. This version, starring Jeremy Brett, Joanna David, and Anna Massey, remains more faithful to the novel than Hitchcock's film and received positive reviews. However, it is less iconic than Hitchcock's adaptation.

In 1977, to commemorate her seventieth birthday, Daphne du Maurier took part in a television biography about her life. This rare interview, conducted by Cliff Michelmore and titled The Make Believe World of Daphne du Maurier, is available on VHS from Banner Films in London.

Rebecca, one of Alfred Hitchcock's most acclaimed films, was made in 1940 and starred Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine.

The novel Rebecca was also adapted into a television series by the British Broadcasting System in 1978. This version featured Jeremy Brett, Joanna David, and Anna Massey, and was directed by Simon Langson.

A 1996 adaptation of the book, co-produced by Carlton-UK television and WGBH-TV in Boston, stars Charles Dance, Diana Rigg, and Faye Dunaway, with direction by Jim O'Brien and a screenplay by Arthur Hopcraft.

An abridged audiocassette version of the book, read by Jean Marsh, was released in 1993 and is available from Audio Renaissance.

An unabridged audiocassette version, narrated by Anna Massey—who portrayed Mrs. Danvers in the 1978 British television adaptation—was released in 1999 by Audio Partners Publishing Company.

"Daphne du Maurier—Romantic." Ladies' Home Journal (August 1971): 102-103. This biography of du Maurier includes one of her stories, "Shock of Recognition," which was published as "A Border-Line Case" in Don't Look Now.

"du Maurier, Daphne." In Current Literary Biography 50 (June 1989): 63. This brief obituary highlights key moments in du Maurier's career and writings.

du Maurier, Daphne. Myself When Young: The Shaping of a Writer. New York: Doubleday, 1977. Provides insights into the creation of The Loving Spirit.

The Rebecca Notebook and Other Memories. London: Victor Gollancz, 1981. Contains an early draft of du Maurier's most renowned novel.

Kelly, Richard Michael. Daphne du Maurier. Boston: Twayne, 1987. This biography offers criticism and interpretation of du Maurier's novels, along with a useful bibliography and index.

Straub, Deborah A. "Daphne du Maurier." In Contemporary Authors New Revision series, vol. 6. Detroit: Gale. This biography of du Maurier includes a bibliography of her works and summarizes critical opinions of her most celebrated works.

Sources

Barkham, John, Review in New York Review of Books, March 8, 1953, p. 8.

Davenport, Basil, "Sinister House," in Saturday Review, September 24, 1938, p. 5.

Hill, Susan, Review in New Statesman, July 23, 1971.

Raymond, John, Review in New Statesman, August 11, 1951.

Rogers, Pat, "Saving Her Bacon," in Spectator, Vol. 237, No. 7727, July 31, 1976, p. 20.

For Further Study

Auerbach, Nina, Daphne du Maurier: Haunted Heiress, University of Pennsylvania Press, 1999.
This recent scholarly analysis of du Maurier argues against criticisms that label her work as superficial.

Forster, Margaret, Daphne du Maurier: The Secret Life of the Renowned Storyteller, St. Martin's Press, 1994.
This biography, authorized by du Maurier's family, offers insightful details due to the author's extensive access to personal papers and interviews, surpassing that of many other du Maurier researchers.