Title Page: "Rebecca" by Daphne Du Maurier. London: Victor Gollancz Ltd., 1938. First edition
“Rebecca” is Du Maurier’s first and most popular book, which opens with a truly memorable line: “Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.” The book is arguably the most famous and well-loved gothic novel of the 20th century. The story begins in Monte Carlo, where our heroine, a naïve young woman in her early 20s, is swept off her feet by the rich and dashing 42-year-old widower Maxim de Winter and his sudden proposal of marriage. Orphaned and working as a lady’s maid, she can barely believe her luck. After a brief courtship, she agrees to marry him and, after the wedding and honeymoon, accompanies him to his mansion in Cornwall, the beautiful West Country estate Manderley.
It is only when they arrive at his massive country estate that she realizes how large a shadow his late wife, Rebecca, will cast over their lives – presenting her with a lingering evil that threatens to destroy their marriage from beyond the grave. The sinister housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers, who was profoundly devoted to the first Mrs. de Winter, continually attempts to undermine the new Mrs. De Winter psychologically.
The story was made into a haunting film by Alfred Hitchcock in 1940 with Joan Fontaine, Laurence Olivier, George Sanders, and Judith Anderson. It was Hitchcock’s first American project and it won two Academy Awards, including Best Picture, out of a total of 11 nominations. Olivier, Fontaine and Anderson were all Oscar nominated for their respective roles. Here is a link to the movie trailer:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3YJcW2UQiw
Title Page: "Rebecca" by Daphne Du Maurier. London: Victor Gollancz Ltd., 1938. First edition
“Rebecca” is Du Maurier’s first and most popular book, which opens with a truly memorable line: “Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.” The book is arguably the most famous and well-loved gothic novel of the 20th century. The story begins in Monte Carlo, where our heroine, a naïve young woman in her early 20s, is swept off her feet by the rich and dashing 42-year-old widower Maxim de Winter and his sudden proposal of marriage. Orphaned and working as a lady’s maid, she can barely believe her luck. After a brief courtship, she agrees to marry him and, after the wedding and honeymoon, accompanies him to his mansion in Cornwall, the beautiful West Country estate Manderley.
It is only when they arrive at his massive country estate that she realizes how large a shadow his late wife, Rebecca, will cast over their lives – presenting her with a lingering evil that threatens to destroy their marriage from beyond the grave. The sinister housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers, who was profoundly devoted to the first Mrs. de Winter, continually attempts to undermine the new Mrs. De Winter psychologically.
The story was made into a haunting film by Alfred Hitchcock in 1940 with Joan Fontaine, Laurence Olivier, George Sanders, and Judith Anderson. It was Hitchcock’s first American project and it won two Academy Awards, including Best Picture, out of a total of 11 nominations. Olivier, Fontaine and Anderson were all Oscar nominated for their respective roles. Here is a link to the movie trailer:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3YJcW2UQiw