Daphne du Maurier, Haunted Heiress (Personal Takes)
In an engaging prose style, Auerbach, a scholar of Victorian and feminist studies, reveals her literary passion for du Maurier, which started at age 12 while she was attending summer camp. She devotes a chapter to du Maurier's familyAher grandfather, novelist George du Maurier, and her father, actorAmanager Gerald du Maurier-and how these strong men were reflected in her fiction, turning her novels and stories into a reaction against her male heritage. Auerbach also examines film versions of du Maurier's work, revealing how Hitchcock and others romanticized the dark vision of Rebecca and other fictions. While the critic's emphasis on the gloomy side of du Maurier may turn off some potential readers, she does succeed in her aim of rescuing her chosen author from the label of "romantic writer." For undergraduate and large public library collections.AMorris Hounion, New York City Technical Coll., BrooklynCopyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to theHardcoveredition.