Megan Newstead 9P1
Rebecca
Novel Genre and why
Rebecca, a novel by Daphne Du Maurier, first published in 1938, has often been described as a mixture of the romance, the gothic and the murder mystery genre. I, personally, do not think that it is one single genre, but all three, the gothic, romance and mystery (not murder mystery), just at different sections of the plot.
I think the first part of the book, when the future Mrs De Winter first has the pleasure of meeting Maxim and experiencing ‘the fever of first love’ (Chapter 5, after the narrators outing with Maxim and when she realises she is in love) is the part most suited for the romance genre. I also think romance is the genre when the narrator finds out Maxim murdered Rebecca and feels exceptionally relieved, and their flame is almost ‘rekindled’. This ‘flame relighting’ or even lighting for the first time, is best explained in these quotes, from just after the revelation of Rebecca’s true cause of death; “I knelt there by Maxim’s side, my body against his body, my hands upon his shoulders, and I was aware of no feeling at all, no pain and no fear, there was no horror in my heart.” Also; “Then he began to kiss me. He had not kissed me like this before. I put my hands behind his head and shut my eyes. ‘I love you so much,’ he whispered. ‘So much’”. It was ‘romantic’ because, even though the narrator had found out her husband was a killer, she did not care, but felt tension leave her body, feeling no hatred in the slightest. A typical romance novel would include two characters falling in love, getting married, experiencing ‘problems’ and finally them getting along happily and live happy ever after. I think this is the basic plot for most novels, except where the hero or heroine die, and it is very similar to the basic relationship outline for the De Winters.
