When Rebecca Du Maurier’s Rebecca was published in 1938, the novel single-handedly resurrected the gothic novel, a genre that was on the verge of extinction. Gothic novels reigned supreme in the 19th century, when works by Ann Radcliffe, Charlotte Bronte, and Mary Shelly blended elements of a picturesque setting, mystery, romance, and sometimes a hint of the supernatural. By the early 20th century, such storylines were being discarded in favor of mysteries and more realistic forms of drama.
The book was an immediate bestseller on both sides of the Atlantic. Although it met initially with poor reviews, the public adored this story, in which a plain girl marries a wealthy and powerful widower. Swept away to a house of bewitching splendor, there nevertheless is a sense of foreboding that pervades the great estate. The heroine, who remains symbolically nameless throughout the book, lives in the shadow of the beautiful, glamorous dead wife. In the course of the book, the heroine’s self-esteem is methodically ripped to shreds until she discovers that her husband actually despised his first wife. The shift in power is subtle, but the second Mrs. De Winter gradually finds her backbone and is capable of becoming a salvation for her husband. 
It has been noted by critics that there are striking similarities between Rebecca and Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte, 1847). Both novels feature a presumably dead but haunting first wife, a plain heroine, a spectacularly gloomy estate in the English countryside, and a fire that destroys the estate and reduces the hero to a state of dependency. It is easy to understand the appeal of witnessing an apparently plain, unassuming heroine ultimately triumph over the beautiful, privileged other woman. For my thoughts on the enduring appeal of Jane Eyre as a movie, see here.
Rebecca sparked a new round of interest in the gothic genre in the 1950’s and 60’s, when massmarket paperback mysteries were failing to find a female readership. Gerald Gross from Ace Books set about to find the “next Rebecca.” Using the same formula of young and innocent heroine venturing into gloomily mysterious settings, a new wave of authors led by Phyllis Whitney and Victoria Holt gave rise to the modern gothic. Soon we saw countless paperbacks with young girls dressed in floaty gowns fleeing the gloomy mansions. Those battered paperbacks were my first foray into romance literature, and I devoured them. It was Rebecca which can probably be credited with having sparked that gothic revival, and for that, I will be forever grateful.
Comments 1
I never read the book, but loved the movie. I think the BBC made a movie of Rebecca too, but it had a much darker tone. And a different ending. Thanks for these tidbits of history about the book! I never considered the comparison to Jane Eyre, but it makes sense.