Original artwork, not a still
Rebecca ‧ 1938
Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
A dream, a house and a missing name: in one sentence the book sets up its ghost story before a ghost appears. Because the narrator is never named, the words belong to every reader who has ever dreamt of a place they cannot return to. The line is quoted whenever someone wants to evoke a grand house, a lost past or a gothic mood.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for RebeccaShow the scene
These are the opening words of chapter 1 of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca, published by Victor Gollancz on 5 August 1938. The narrator, an unnamed woman, dreams of returning to Manderley, her husband's estate, and mourns that she cannot go back. Time has passed since the house was destroyed, and she and her husband now live quietly in small Mediterranean hotels. The rest of the book is her flashback to how she got there. It closes on the night she and Maxim drive home and see a glow on the horizon and ashes in the wind.
Sources (2)
- Wikiquote: Rebecca (novel)Rebecca (1938) quotesReference checked
- Wikipedia: Rebecca (novel)infobox, lead, Synopsis, CharactersReference checked
Context reviewed
