Rebecca, a gothic and mysterious love story written by Daphne De Maurier,
was published in 1938. Despite the majority of the critic’s reviews stating it was
never going to become a classic, Rebecca was an amazing success. It is such a unique
and universal book that it has stood the test of time among the literary classics. The
book engulfs the reader into a story about love, jealousy, and escaping the past. The
very first lines of the novel begin the reader’s intrigue, “Last night I dreamt I went to
Maderley again. It seems to me I stood by the iron gate leading to the drive, and for a
while I could not enter, for the way was barred to me” (1). This opening statement
grabs the reader’s attention and produces questions in the reader’s mind that urges
them on to continue the book. The novel is about the unnamed character that
marries a man named Max De Winter, who was recently widowed, and how no
matter what the new Mrs. De Winter does the late Mrs. De Winter, Rebecca, will
always over power her. Rebecca almost seems, as she is alive lurking in Maxim’s
beautiful palace of Manderley. As the novel continues the readers see how
insignificant the new Mrs. De Winter is becoming and how dominate Rebecca is over
her. Rebecca fills Mrs. De Winter’s thoughts and even dreams. In the end, Rebecca is
not who she was proclaimed to be which leads to a twist in the plot that catches the
reader off guard. De Maurier was inspired to write this novel through her own life.
She received her inspiration for the character of Rebecca from her husband’s ex-
fiancé. Although she was with he husband, De Maurier could never shake the feeling of insignificance compared to her. Rebecca is a classic that embodies mystery,...
... middle of paper ...
... occur make the book the classic
it is today.
This poem by Jessica represents the power Rebecca had over Mrs. De Winter.
She consumes her every thought, dream, and waking moment. Although she tries to
escape Mrs. De Winter knows her attempts are frivolous. Soon she learns just to
accept the domination Rebecca has over her. She no longer considers herself the
lady of Manderley, but just a puppet mimicking the routines of Rebecca.
Works Cited
"Daphne Du Maurier Book Reviews." Daphne Du Maurier Book Reviews. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2014.
"Escape." Best Teen Poems. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2014.
"Gothic Romance." The Free Dictionary. Farlex, n.d. Web. 27 Jan. 2014.
Maurier, Daphne Du. Rebecca. New York: Avon, 1997. Print.
Yardley, Johnathan. "Du Maurier's 'Rebecca,' A Worthy 'Eyre' Apparent." WashintonPost.com. N.p., 16 Mar. 2004. Web. 26 Jan. 2014.
For the Third Quarter SSR Project I chose the book Both Sides Of Time by Caroline B. Cooney. I settled on this fiction book not only because I’ve read all three books in Cooney’s series Time Travelers Quartet, but it just so happens to be my favorite out of all of them. This book is gripping to me because of the events happening in the book. A hopeless romantic going back in time, involved in two love triangles in two different centuries, then forced to leave one that she loves either way. I relish reading any kind of love stories, but I especially enjoyed this one because of the twisted storylines.
That is he cannot forsake his parents’ farm or has a way out to leave his parents he is stuck with them. Hollis experiences challenges in solitude since he has no spouse or sweetheart, drinking mates, and hunting friends. Therefore, his inadequacy triggers the idea of a brutal ending solution oriented at two feminized characters: mentally ill, an elderly lady and a frail, juvenile former patriarch. Socially disengaged, a maverick in his own particular and forced to play the role of nursemaid, Hollis, as well, has been feminized. His sibling outranks him by uprightness of his adherence to normative. Others have rights to the life of Hollis that he himself cannot guarantee. He reacts by pondering about murder, that, to a hunter, for example, he, provides a quick and common type of energy. Pancake finishes up "First Day of Winter" without revealing the destiny of Hollis or his
Burns, Olive Ann. “Boy howdy, ma'am you have sent us a fine book.” The English Journal. Dec. 1989: 16-20 Web. 14 NCTE Jan. 2014
Winter a popular girl who was born and raised in Brooklyn New York projects. The daughter of one of the biggest drug dealers in Brooklyn Ricky Santiaga a businessman but in everyone else's eyes a God. Mr. Santiaga and his wife Mrs.santiaga displayed their daughter's winter, Porsche, Lexus and Mercedes a certain lifestyle. Since the day they were born they were spoiled with jewels, designer clothes and of course Mrs.santiaga didn't work. She influenced others as a remodel, the way she dressed and her fetish with hair. Even winter her own daughter admired her mother.She said " Momma didn't work because beauty was a full-time occupation that left no room for anything else .''(pg.2 ) Mrs.santiaga made it clear to winter that beautiful woman should
Mrs. Danvers bond with the late Mrs. De Winter is not just a typical servant/mistress relationship, nor even friendship; it is stronger and more passionate than mere companionship. In Chapter Fourteen when Mrs. Danvers finds the narrator looking in Rebecca’s room, she demonstrates adoration for everything that was Rebecca’s: “That was her bed.
Imagery returns once more, allowing the reader to sense the nerves that were beginning to affect the narrator; preparing them for a suspenseful turning point. The turning point that follows had been the revelation of the narrator’s thoughts about stealing the book- which may have been why she must’ve lost her doubts prior. The narrator could not bring herself to steal the book, but was not ready to forget her special moment; looking to the book for an
As he slouches in bed, a description of the bare trees and an old woman gathering coal are given to convey to the reader an idea of the times and the author's situation. "All groves are bare," and "unmarried women (are) sorting slate from arthracite." This image operates to tell the reader that it is a time of poverty, or a "yellow-bearded winter of depression." No one in the town has much to live for during this time. "Cold trees" along with deadness, through the image of "graves," help illustrate the author's impression of winter. Wright seems to be hibernating from this hard time of winter, "dreaming of green butterflies searching for diamonds in coal seams." This conveys a more colorful and happy image showing what he wishes was happening; however he knows that diamonds are not in coal seams and is brought back to the reality of winter. He talks of "hills of fresh graves" while dreaming, relating back to the reality of what is "beyond the streaked trees of (his) window," a dreary, povern-strucken, and cold winter.
The effectiveness of this compacted novel is greater than those of a thousand paged. The story within this book is not entirely unfamiliar,
Abrams, M. H. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1993.
Her death is foreshadowed in the beginning when it mentions that she was “afflicted with heart trouble”. Because of this, when her sister told her that her husband had died, it was done so delicately. After Mrs. Mallard is told, is where the story really begins to set a tone of elegiac settings, and how she is expressing herself is in direct contrast to weather, i.e. ‘the storm of grief”. When Mrs. Mallard goes to her room and sits down to rest, she begins to notice how lovely the weather is outside, and here the tone takes a sudden change from elegiac to soothing and peaceful. She notices the trees that are “aquiver with new spring life” and the “delicious breath of rain”. Not only are these segments directly related to her change of emotion, but they are also foreshadowing the Birjoy she will feel momentarily. She begins to realize she is “free” from whatever responsibilities she held to her husband, and is consumed with “monstrous joy” that she will be living “for herself”. Other symbols besides the weather, is also the bird she first notices when she first retires to her room to be alone with her grief. The birds are happy, singing, and carefree of any limitations. Also the door when her sister, Louise, begs her to open the door. She is also symbolically opening the door to her new life, the one she will live in total liberation with the restraints of her husband. She begins to also look at life with new eyes, seeing it in a different light, no longer seeing as a life of repression. She loved him, but not as much as she suddenly loves herself.
...isease. The reader is the only component that realizes her death is due to the idea that she would once again live a life in the shadow of someone else. Fellow characters are given no real chance to look further into Mrs. Mallards passing and forego the opportunity to learn a great deal about this character. Frequently females are seen as creatures dependent upon the people that surround them.
Through attention to detail, repeated comparison, shifting tone, and dialogue that gives the characters an opportunity to voice their feelings, Elizabeth Gaskell creates a divide between the poor working class and the rich higher class in Mary Barton. Gaskell places emphasis on the differences that separate both classes by describing the lavish, comfortable, and extravagant life that the wealthy enjoy and compares it to the impoverished and miserable life that the poor have to survive through. Though Gaskell displays the inequality that is present between both social classes, she also shows that there are similarities between them. The tone and diction change halfway through the novel to highlight the factors that unify the poor and rich. In the beginning of the story John Barton exclaims that, “The rich know nothing of the trials of the poor…” (11), showing that besides the amount of material possessions that one owns, what divides the two social classes is ability to feel and experience hardship. John Barton views those of the upper class as cold individuals incapable of experiencing pain and sorrow. Gaskell, however proves Barton wrong and demonstrates that though there are various differences that divide the two social classes, they are unified through their ability to feel emotions and to go through times of hardship. Gaskell’s novel reveals the problematic tension between the two social classes, but also offers a solution to this problem in the form of communication, which would allow both sides to speak of their concerns and worries as well as eliminate misunderstandings.
In the original Little-Snow White by the Grimms brothers and the readapted Disney version, the stepmother
"Best Sellers in Classic Literature & Fiction." Amazon. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Dec. 2013. .
Now that Mrs. Mallard has tasted what life might have been like without her husband, the