Welcome to the Tale of Rebecca

A few months ago, I wrote a blog post about the gothic novel "Bluebeard's Castle" by Anna Biller. While the writing was solid, I found the characters to be insufferable. It's an excellent character study on what causes women to fall for and stay with bad men. However, some of those bad choices the main character made could have easily been prevented with a quick Google search.

I am not victim blaming. I am saying she had the technology to fact check her handsome creep and chose not to.

But that's all in the past. I've moved on to other books within the genre - books like "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier. 

"Rebecca" is one of those classic books (and movies) that everyone has (likely) heard of. It's most famous for having a protagonist without a name, a lot of twists and turns, and some queer subtext. Alfred Hitchcock directed the 1940 movie starring Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine. There's also a Netflix adaptation that I am ignoring. 

"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again."

It's a haunting opening line to be sure. Our nameless narrator meets the much older Maximilian "Maxim" de Winter while on holiday with her employer, Mrs. Van Hopper, in Monte Carlo. They have a whirlwind romance (kind of sort of) after Mrs. Van Hopper is taken ill. Then decide to get married when Mrs. Van Hopper gets better and wants to return to America. Mrs. Van Hopper warns the narrator about marrying the mysterious de Winter, but is so unpleasant about it that I don't blame the narrator for running off.

The honeymoon is wonderful - or so we're told; it's not included in the text. Then, they arrive at Manderley and things start to unravel. Everyone expects that the nameless protagonist is about to step into the previous Mrs. de Winter's place, do things as she did, and prefer things as she preferred them. The narrator is so uncertain of herself - she is very young after all - that she goes along with the established routine. However, Maxim seems to be pulling away. Hurt and jealous of a dead woman, the narrator becomes even more timid and falls into more elaborate fantasies - which she is already prone to do. 

Rebecca...

Enforcing the traditions of the previous Mrs. de Winter is Mrs. Danvers, who seems to hate the narrator. There are a few intense scenes between the two women, which culminates in a nasty prank by Mrs. Danvers using the narrator to emotionally hurt Maxim. Mrs. Danvers loved Rebecca de Winter and thoroughly blames Maxim for her death.

For good reason, but that's getting into spoiler territory. 

The first half of "Rebecca" builds up the character, Rebecca, into this mythically perfect person who is wonderful and kind to everyone. Except, perhaps, she wasn't so nice to Ben, the neurodivergent (they didn't have this word in the 1930s when this book was published, but it's clear he is not neurotypical) "beach hermit" who wanders around the grounds of Manderley. He seems afraid of Rebecca and claims that she wants to lock him away.

This is the first clue that Rebecca is not the saint we and the narrator have been led to believe. The next is a reaction from estate manager and family friend, Frank Crawley after the narrator confesses that she's afraid that Maxim doesn't really love her (anymore). Frank seems to be warry of the memory of Rebecca - almost like he had a bad experience or two with the women. Plus there's this creep, Jack Favell, coming into the house when he's been told to stay away.

Spoilers

Maxim hated Rebecca, but couldn't divorce her for a variety of upper class 1930s English reasons. She slept around, did (unspecified) terrible things, and may have been bisexual (it is also not specified). Her death might have freed him from her physically, but not emotionally.

Maxim may be portrayed (and often interpreted) as a classic upholder of traditional upper class patriarchy, but he's also someone who has clearly been emotionally, if not verbally abused for years. I feel a lot of people overlook this fact because "patriarchy" and "he gets away with [spoilers]". I feel that his quick romance with the narrator is a bit of a read flag, but the narrator is so nonthreatening that Maxim might have felt safe for the first time in decades. 

Patriarchy...

Rebecca is often interpreted as the antithesis to Maxim's traditional patriarchy. She's bold, outspoken, sexually liberated, possibly queer (we only have that one declaration from Mrs. Danvers that doesn't verify anything), and knows what she wants out of life. This isn't a bad or wrong interpretation, but I do think it minimizes the horrible things she did (and is implied to have done) to Maxim and some of his friends (like Frank, Beatrice, and Giles).

Daphne du Maurier once admitted that she is bisexual - long after she published "Rebecca" - and that admission seemed to have made Rebecca the character look more sympathetic to the casual reader. 

However, I don't think Rebecca is a feminist character or a foil for the patriarch. She's an interesting character and seems to defy the patriarchy, but also feels comfortable moving within and weaponizing it against other characters - especially Maxim. There's a moment during Maxim's confession where divorce is brought up and Rebecca (according to Maxim) tells him that it would be far too scandalous for him to divorce her after four days of marriage; such a thing would ruin him (but weirdly not her).

Also her implied treatment of Ben (as suggested by Ben) should really put a stop to people's rosy analysis of Rebecca.

Queerness...

Is "Rebecca" a queer novel?

Yes in the sense that at least three characters might be queer. The first two characters are obviously Rebecca and Mrs. Danvers. Though never explicitly stated that the two are queer (Rebecca would be bi and Mrs. Danvers a likely lesbian), Mrs. Danvers at one point does declare that Rebecca never loved a man. This could be interpreted a few ways such as Mrs. Danvers being so in love with Rebecca that she is in denial about her many affairs with men (including her cousin Jack) or that Rebecca was such a narcissist that she only loved herself. Either way, Rebecca is likely bisexual like du Maurier and Mrs. Danvers only has eyes for her.

The third possible queer character is Frank Crawley. I haven't seen Frank come up as much in the queer discourse about the book - some people seem to think he should have paired up with the narrator. However, I'd like to make an argument that Frank is in love with Maxim.

1. Frank is a bachelor and implied to be a similar age to Maxim - being a bachelor isn't a sign of being queer in the early 1900s, but it is a hint. 

2. Frank seems to already know the big bad thing Maxim did and is perfectly happy to help cover it up as best he can - I know his job is on the line, but his actions are a little more over the top than an employee-employer implies.

3. Frank is completely devoted to Maxim in a healthier way than Mrs. Danvers was to Rebecca. He maintains healthy boundaries with Maxim and the narrator. When he is with the narrator, I get nothing less than platonic vibes (such great evidence I know) from him.

4. Frank is completely repulsed by the memory of Rebecca. There's a conversation between the narrator and Frank where he all but confesses that Rebecca made a pass at him and Giles (who is Beatrice's husband and brother-in-law to Maxim). Giles either enjoyed it or was very confused by the encounter (it's not really made clear in the text), but Frank implies he nearly jumped out of his skin. Based on what we're told about Rebecca and her conquests, she wasn't used to being rejected by anyone. This was the moment I started questioning if Frank was gay.

And that is why I think there are actually three queer characters running around the pages of "Rebecca". Rebecca is the "bad" queer representation, while Frank is the "good" queer representation. Mrs. Danvers is the queer representation that should have been "good", but ended up getting beaten down by the powers that be and had a break from reality. 

However in the movie, since Mrs. Danvers is implied to be a lesbian, she has to die in a house fire. Thanks Hayes Code. She is the only character "punished" for their actions during the course of the story.

That's also not the only change made between the 1940s movie and the book that's due to the Hayes Code interfering with the adaptation. There are a couple of other changes - one really big as to change the morality of the text - that happen. There's a great YouTube video about the adaptation if you're interested and are familiar with the book and/or movie.

Gothic Romance...

I love a good gothic aesthetic tale, but gothic romances are a toxic mix of red flags and tragedy. Though I did enjoy "Rebecca", I can't say that I was rooting for any of the characters other than Frank (he's a good guy). It was a bit more to my taste than "Bluebeard's Castle". I wouldn't call "Rebecca" a feminist book, but it is a critique on the patriarchy, class, gender, and social issues. "Rebecca" is a book full of queer subtext that can be overanalyzed to literary scholar's hearts content.

Do I recommend "Rebecca"? Yes, it's a good classic read. 

Wow, I spent like two hours getting all my thoughts out about this book. I hope this doesn't come back to haunt me...

Until next week. 

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off), please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like hearing from me.

Welcome to Pride Month Book Recommendations

 As we approach the final few days of Pride Month, I wanted to share a few book recommendations that feature LGBTQIA+ writers, topics, and themes. It's been a tough month from many of us this year. Some of these books may be an escape for you, others a hope for a better future, and a few might inspire you to action. These books are different genres - fiction and non-fiction. Some teach us a history that has long been squashed in the name of "propriety". 

Starting out in non-fiction...and what I'm currently reading, I'd like to recommend Real Queer America: LGBT Stories From Red States by Samantha Leigh Allen. Allen is a transgender woman who grew up Mormon, went to BYU, and eventually found her true self in Atlanta Georgia.

Though I haven't yet finished this book, it's been a mood lifter. There's a temptation for coastal liberals and LBGTQIA+ people to write off the the southern and midwestern parts of United States - not that their politics make a good case for them. However, Allen emphasizes that Queer people are all over the United States, they are not afraid to fight for their rights, and they don't want to (or can't) leave their homes. 

The book was written during the early days of the Trump administration and chronical Allen's trip across the United States with her friend who is a transgender man. They learn and recount about the problems and issues faced by the queer people in red states and deeply conservative areas. Though things continue to become more difficult, this book shines a light of hope for places that seem the most aggressive to LGBTQIA+ people.

Following up with some historical non-fiction is Public Faces, Secret Lives: A Queer History of the Women's Suffrage Movement by Wendy L. Rouse. 

This book is more for the academically inclined readers. That doesn't mean it's not a good book, it's just a bit of a dense read. It's packed full of information around the Queer history of women during the Suffrage Movement - much of which had been suppressed, ignored, or erased. The Suffrage Movements had many distinct periods from its inception up to when the 19th Amendment was passed in the United States. The LGBTQIA+ community was there for all of it.

It also doesn't just cover the middle to upper middle class white queer community, but includes stories and information on the contributions of Black, Indigenous, Asian, and other minority communities. 

My final non-fiction recommendation is a little different from the above works. The graphic novel Fine: A Comic About Gender by Rhea Ewing starts as a small project to define what it means to be a woman and turns into a self reflective, soul search piece that leads Ewing to realize they are non-binary. 

The graphic novel isn't told in a linear fashion, instead recounting interviews Ewing had with many different people as it applies to their own journey to discovering their identity. The drawings are fantastic with Ewing depicting their interviewees' stories with beautiful detail. 

Like Real Queer America, Fine focuses on gender identity in the midwestern United States. This is primarily because this is where Ewing is from. The interviews start in 2012 and go to 2019 with flashbacks to interviewees and Ewing's own pasts. 

Moving to fiction, but continuing with journey of self discovery, I'd like to recommend the poetic YA novel The Girl and the Goddess: Stories and Poems of Divine Wisdom by Nikita Gill. 

I've made it no secret that Nikita Gill is my favorite poet (as of writing this). I've been collecting her work for a few years now. What makes The Girl and the Goddess different from her typical work, is that there is an overarching narrative that links each poem and story. There's a lot of magical realism mixed with Gill's Indian background. If you love poetry, Hindu goddesses, and Queer main characters, definitely check out The Girl and the Goddess.

Another YA Novel that's perfect for the upcoming spooky season (I know Halloween and fall are a few months off, but go with me here) is Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas. Thomas is a non-binary Latinx author and Cemetery Boys is their debut novel.

I loved this book. It's perfect for someone looking for a spooky paranormal mystery with a splash of romance. The main character, Yadriel, is a Mexican American transgender boy trying to prove to his family of brujos that he too is a brujo...not a bruja. 

Yadriel thankfully does have a fairly good support system, despite not being fully understood by his family. However, this novel does have some violence, mentions child abuse, and features homeless children - some of whom lost their family to deportation or jail. It doesn't shy away from the realities of being Latinx, Black, Queer, and/or transgender in the United States (the book takes place in Los Angeles). 

My next recommendation is a straight up horror novel. Such a Pretty Smile by Kristi DeMeester is unapologetically feminist.

Taking place in the American south, with most of the action set in the great city of New Orleans, Such a Pretty Smile radiates the heat and humidity that accompanies the novel's uncomfortable atmosphere. One of the main characters is a young girl coming of age and dealing with her crush on her not so nice best friend. The other main character is the girl's mother, still haunted a past she can't fully remember.

I did find the message and themes of the book to be a little on the nose at times, but that doesn't take away from the horrific imagery or monstrous actions happening with little explanation. Make no mistake, this isn't a creature feature in the traditional sense. This book won't chill you to the bone, but sit in your gut like a stomach bug.

And my final recommendation is: 

Galaxy: The Prettiest Star by Jadzia Axelrod and Jess Taylor as the illustrator. I had the opportunity to meet Axelrod a few years ago as she was one of my Writer's Group's presenters. I've been following her on Twitter for years and was so excited when she announced her superhero comic Galaxy: The Pretties Star. 

I was even more excited when DC Comics picked it up to part of it's superhero universe. 

Galaxy: The Prettiest Star doesn't start out with it's main character, Taylor fighting any supervillains. She's just your average high schooler playing basketball and hiding out as a human boy in her small town. You see, Taylor is actually a princess from another planet. Her Earth family are comprised of the survivors of a an attack on their home world. Taylor is forced to assume the identity of a human boy as an added layer of protection, but she's not a boy.

Unfortunately, their an accident with the device that keeps Taylor's identity a secret and her real form is revealed - much to the annoyance, hate, and hostility of her community. All Taylor wants to do is live her most authentic life and go to the homecoming dance with her girlfriend, Kat. But the school administration don't want her anywhere near the school. 

The art is fantastic and so colorful. The story is great and you're rooting for Taylor the whole way through. Also there's a corgi sidekick named Argus who is just the best!

So there are my recommendations for Pride Month reading. The list may be coming out at the end of the month, but the books here will keep you occupied throughout the whole year.

Let me know if you've read any of these books and if you have any to recommend for me.

Until next week. 

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me.