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I also thought of Jane Eyre when reading this book, except that Jane ran away from Rochester, and this one stood by Maxim even after finding out he was a murderer. Is it known that Daphne Du Maurier intended to rewrite Jane Eyre?
Yes, the parallels between the books are well known (well, I'm an obsessive fan, so yeah, I knew). Also between Jamaica Inn (another book by Du Maurier) and Wuthering Heights.
However, it is NOT a retelling of Jane Eyre. Daphne du Maurier herself never said such. Sure, it draws many parts of its plots from Jane Eyre, or at least there are many similarities, but Rebecca is by far much more about Menabilly. Menabilly, no matter how much Daphne du Maurier loved it, would never be hers. It was always and will always be the ancestral home of the Rashleighs. Daphne du Maurier would have to give it back. By making Menabilly the model for Manderly, she redefined it. In millions of hearts, Menabilly was no longer that ancestral home of the Rashleighs, it was the home Daphne du Maurier loved. She would always be like a ghost of the house, just like Rebecca.
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Kressel
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Aug 08, 2013 06:14AM
I also thought of Jane Eyre when reading this book, except that Jane ran away from Rochester, and this one stood by Maxim even after finding out he was a murderer. Is it known that Daphne Du Maurier intended to rewrite Jane Eyre?
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Yes, the parallels between the books are well known (well, I'm an obsessive fan, so yeah, I knew). Also between Jamaica Inn (another book by Du Maurier) and Wuthering Heights.
However, it is NOT a retelling of Jane Eyre. Daphne du Maurier herself never said such. Sure, it draws many parts of its plots from Jane Eyre, or at least there are many similarities, but Rebecca is by far much more about Menabilly. Menabilly, no matter how much Daphne du Maurier loved it, would never be hers. It was always and will always be the ancestral home of the Rashleighs. Daphne du Maurier would have to give it back. By making Menabilly the model for Manderly, she redefined it. In millions of hearts, Menabilly was no longer that ancestral home of the Rashleighs, it was the home Daphne du Maurier loved. She would always be like a ghost of the house, just like Rebecca.
