Some feminist critics suggest du Maurier intended for Maxim de Winter to be the real villain-the controlling husband who not only murders Rebecca when she refuses to play the obedient wife, but also oppresses and alienates the second Mrs de Winter, marrying her after the most unromantic of proposals: “I am asking you to marry me, you fool.” 6. Initially marketed as a romance novel with Rebecca as the villainous, menacing wife, feminist interpretations of du Maurier’s novel now see it as a critique of gender power dynamics and a sexist society’s fear of powerful women.

Rebecca has been celebrated as an important piece of feminist literature. “I am not one of those mothers who live for having their brats with them all the time,” du Maurier later wrote. Her secret? Arranging to spend time away from her children. Once she got past her early writing challenges, du Maurier wrote quickly and completed the manuscript for Rebecca in four months. Once she got past her writer’s block, Daphne du Maurier wrote Rebecca in four months. She discarded the first 50 pages of an early draft, telling her publisher: 'The first 15,000 words I tore up in disgust and this literary miscarriage has cast me down.' 4. Ben van Meerendonk, AHF, IISG, Amsterdam // Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0ĭu Maurier struggled with a serious case of writer’s block when she began writing Rebecca. Daphne du Maurier struggled with writer’s block while writing Rebecca.ĭaphne du Maurier circa 1947. Mostly, we see her through the eyes of the new Mrs de Winter, the 'heroine' of the novel who, paradoxically, remains unnamed-a choice that surprised many fans of the book, including Agatha Christie. She is brought to life via the impressions and memories other characters have of her and her lingering presence in Maxim de Winter's estate, Manderley, via her scent, her handwriting in books, and the carefully preserved clothes that remain in her wardrobe. Rebecca, after whom the novel is named, is dead when the story begins. The heroine of Rebecca, Mrs de Winter, remains unnamed throughout. In 2017, English bibliophiles voted Rebecca their favorite book of the past 225 years.

Over time, the novel has transformed from bestseller to cultural classic, with many stage and screen adaptations, including an Oscar-winning film by Alfred Hitchcock in 1940, and a 1993 book sequel by Susan Hill titled Mrs de Winter.

Since it was published in 1938, Rebecca has never gone out of print, selling 2.8 million copies between 19. Selznick International Pictures, Public Domain // Wikimedia Commons

Rebecca by daphne du maurier