Daphne Du Maurier: Writing, Identity and the Gothic Imagination [Hardcover]

Avril Horner (Author), Sue Zlosnik (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 15, 1998

This book is the first full-length evaluation of du Maurier's fiction and the first critical study of du Maurier as a Gothic writer. Using the most recent work in Gothic and gender studies, the authors enter the current debate on the nature of female Gothic and raise questions about du Maurier's relationship to such a tradition. They demonstrate that using recognizable popular forms, she was able to explore through Gothic writing the anxieties of modernity in the kind of fiction many people find accessible. This, they claim, explains the compulsive quality of her best novels and their enduring popularity.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'In this skilful exploration of du Maurier's identity and writing, Avril Horner and Sue Zlosnik weave together analysis of the Gothic mode with historical, geographical and cultural contextualising. Theirs is a consistently illuminating study which moves the reader to a more complex appreciation of the author's work. Never again can du Maurier be dismissed as mere bedtime reading for middle England.' - Mary Eagleton, Principal Lecturer in Literature and Women's Studies, University College of Ripon and York St John 'A series of intricate and subtle readings...a major and timely reworking of du Maurier's fiction, which also raises fascinating questions about the persistence of the Gothic imagination.' - David Punter, Professor of English Studies, University of Stirling 'Well written and compellingly argued, Avril Horner and Sue Zlosnik use various perspectives offered by feminist and other recent critical methods to highlight just what it is that makes du Maurier so interesting. Importantly, they demonstrate that Gothic overtones are not merely formulas, but vital resources that du Maurier used with considerable creativity to work out her own anxieties as a woman and a writer.' - Anne Williams, Professor of English, University of Georgia 'A well-written and accessible study...offering an informed and consistently interesting reading of this under-valued writer's work.' - Gothic Studies --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Avril Horner is Senior Lecturer in English and Associate Director of European Studies Research Institute at the University of Salford.

Sue Zlosnik is Head of the Department of English at Liverpool Hope University College.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 248 pages
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan (May 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312211465
• ISBN-13: 978-0312211462
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 1.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,406,998 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Review--not!, July 19, 2009

By 

Carl Talerico (Venice, Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Daphne Du Maurier: Writing, Identity and the Gothic Imagination (Hardcover)

Why is this book so prohibitively expensive? Who can afford these prices other than libraries and scholars affiliated with universities? Might there not be more of a demand for such critical studies if they were priced within the reach ordinary individuals? I would have liked to have read and owned this book but with an elitist price tag, I am effectively shut out. I cannot, therefore, render a review until (or when) my local library obtains a copy of it through ILL.