Status Updates From Daphne du Maurier, Haunted ...

This is a really good analysis on the life of Daphne Du Maurier and examines many of her literary characters, and her past life with her famous father Gerald, and legendary grandfather George Du Maurier. Lots of interesting family secrets are shared as well. It also goes into detail about her disturbed and neurotic husband Frederick Browning and how troubled and unhappy he was.

Quote from chapter 6 in book : “ Daphne du Maurier felt she could be anything: man (mad or sane), woman, wife (good or bad), lady , boy, movie star. “ Apparently people who knew her claimed she rotated through all these roles in her real life ; that must have been stimulating.

On chapter 5 , REBECCA AND ROMANCE . Yes, Auerbach is all about Daphne du Maurier recapitulating ALL the thoughts, feelings and emotions of her immediate and remote ancestors or even of misappropriated, pseudo-ancestors .

This book is ok. Auerbach considers herself a Victorian literature specialist so now we are getting reams of quotes from the novels of Daphne du Maurier’s grandfather George(s) du Maurier. This critic is plumbing the depths of what Daphne du Maurier owed exactly to her ancestors and how exactly she expressed those things. Auerbach was enthralled by HUNGRY HILL & THE SCAPEGOAT. Me too, THE SCAPEGOAT blew me away.

‘Disembodied spirit’ to me sounds like mental dissociation, which, experienced to clinical depths, could be considered a serious mental disorder. Or could popularly otherwise be known as some sort of social alienation. Are the authors alleging du Maurier was mentally maladjusted because of her actor-father’s celebrity status? I doubt a maladjusted woman could have written such a body of work.

Very academic intro chapter 1 -A ‘DISEMBODIED SPIRIT’: WRITING, IDENTITY and the GOTHIC IMAGINATION. WRITING , GENDER AND ANXIETY .
The authors are trying to convince us, the readers, about du Maurier’s alleged inner conflicts about gender, creativity and desire. I mean only du Maurier’s medical records would know for certain, wouldn’t you agree ? Lots of alleged literary-medico diagnoses…