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That said, I can’t deny that it didn’t blow me away as much as my first taste of du Maurier’s books. SPOILERS: My Cousin Rachel is another of Daphne du Maurier’s finest works. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. Rachel’s laughter shows that she finds Philip’s earnestness both ridiculous and touching. Soon, however, he is taken ill, grows suspicious that Rachel is poisoning him, and begs Philip to come to his rescue. That’s what makes the tale so intriguing, from beginning to end. Because of this opening narrative, even when Philip’s suspicions are removed, the reader remains suspicious of Rachel’s motives. In fact, the reader is provided with almost no opportunity to give Rachel the benefit of the doubt, as the seeds of “murder” are planted in our head from the very beginning. This moment shows how vulnerable Philip is to jealousy. That said, despite being a female writer throughout the 20th century, she made a real mark on the scene.

( Log Out /  Was Rachel Poisoning Philip in My Cousin Rachel? Philip’s use of Rachel’s name also represents a break from Ambrose’s habit of using the phrase “cousin Rachel.” For the first time Philip seems to be asserting himself as a man, addressing Rachel the woman. Maybe Rachel just liked the plant, and enjoyed collecting it… who knows? Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. My Cousin Rachel is, arguably, du Maurier’s most popular novel. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!”, “This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. By planting this seed of doubt on Rachel’s character from the very beginning, du Maurier harks on the general depiction of women throughout history as the femme fatale. (including.

My Cousin Rachel, directed by Roger Michell, is the second film version of Daphne du Maurier’s 1951 novel.

Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. It seems only fitting, therefore, that my first book review of 2020 should be another of du Maurier’s works don’t you think? I tried so hard to see through Philip’s narrative, but the laburnum plants in Rachel’s drawers told a different story. "My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." I have to say, as a feminist myself, I wanted to give Rachel the benefit of the doubt. I have to say, as a feminist myself, I wanted to give Rachel the benefit of the doubt.

It is worth noting that it is Rachel’s intelligence that makes her threatening. This suggests that society at large is not comfortable with educated women. Despite Philip’s prejudice, Rachel’s arrival changes his impression of her, and he soon finds himself in a similar position to his late uncle. When Philip arrives in Rome to find his uncle dead, his thoughts run wild about what Rachel might have done to him. By using our site, you acknowledge that you have read and understand our. To me, it seems that du Maurier’s general attitude towards her female characters, and the unfair narratives they are given, acts as a commentary on the wider world around her. Then, Ambrose’s letters become more and more agitated and confused, and Philip grows concerned for his uncle. Philip, the protagonist of My Cousin Rachel, has been raised by his bachelor cousin Ambrose. “Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. The first, directed by Henry Koster and … In Rebecca, for example, it was interesting to note that her protagonist and narrator was given no name. This could be because Ambrose and Philip both have trouble fully believing Rachel might be a bad person. Or, perhaps laburnum is not as dangerous as Philip is persuaded. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Recycling Clothes Tips: My Winter Fashion Style Each Year, Tips For Layering Clothes: How to Layer Like a Pro, The House on the Strand: the Most Original Daphne du Maurier Book – Joanna Journals. Rachel is painted as the classic evil temptress from the very start, and her track record of moving from man to man immediately draws us to the conclusion of murder from then on.

Unlike Rebecca, where our protagonist is an unnamed female character, this time, our lead is a young heir named Philip. ( Log Out /  Rachel’s beguiling character whisks the middle-aged bachelor off his feet, and they are married within a few months. My Cousin Rachel is told from the perspective of Philip Ashley, a young man who develops a complicated relationship with Rachel, his cousin’s widow. Instant downloads of all 1364 LitChart PDFs On a thematic level, this scene shows how naïve Philip is. Philip is next in line to receive his much-beloved Uncle Ambrose’s fortune and property. Like many women during the 20th century who had no voice, Rebecca is a true tale of women’s lives twisted by the male gaze. ( Log Out /  This is merely a hint of the destructive power of Philip’s jealous, obsessive tendencies, which are rooted in his desire to have sole “possession” of Rachel. It is noteworthy that this reminder of Rachel’s guilt comes in the form of a rediscovered letter because it suggests the extreme power of the written word and of the past itself, which reasserts itself despite attempts to suppress it. We are also unsure of the clarity of Philip’s narrative due to his prejudice of women and Rachel from the start.

I’d love to hear your opinion in the comments below – thanks for reading! However, Rachel is nowhere to be found, until she turns up at Philip’s door on his return to England. It’s been adapted and readapted into film after film, and it’s no surprise when we consider the tense feeling of uncertainty it ignites throughout the story. Our, LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in, Jealousy, Possessiveness, and Unknowability. Similarly, in My Cousin Rachel, du Maurier focuses purely on Philip’s narrative, filling the readers’ head with suspicions of Rachel from the start. Teachers and parents!

But by the time Philip arrives in Florence, Ambrose is dead and Rachel …

We’ll see…. This is a key moment in the novel. I re-read it in a day and a half, and then looked up reviews on Amazon. Du Maurier is known to be a bit of a feminist writer, hence her many stories about women overpowering men. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Philip mentions to Rachel that some of the tenants believe in witchcraft, but it will be he who interprets Rachel’s medicinal abilities as sinister; by the end of the novel, Philip will suspect that Rachel is poisoning his tisana with laburnum seeds. Ambrose’s letter startles Philip out of his sense of comfort with Rachel, reminding him and the reader that the question of Rachel’s guilt and innocence is still very much at stake.

My Cousin Rachel, like many of du Maurier’s books, received a lot of criticism at the time.

So, I read My Cousin Rachel in the 1960s and recently found a copy in my branch library. When Philip gets there, Ambrose has died, and Rachel is gone. Will I ever read a novel as beguiling as Rebecca? The dynamic between Philip and Rachel is similar to the one between Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester in Charlotte Brontë’s classic, to which My Cousin Rachel has long drawn comparison. Rachel’s talent at prescribing herbal remedies makes her particularly special and valuable to the community—however it also ultimately makes her a threat. Rachel’s popularity with the tenants at the Ashley estate, as well as other members of the landed gentry, shows her charisma. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. However, what is interesting about her works is the clear lack of voice that her female characters have. Up to this point, Philip has always referred to Rachel as “my cousin Rachel.” Here, for the first time, he directly addresses her as just “Rachel.” This moment is often interpreted as the moment in which Philip falls fully in love with Rachel. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. So, the question is, was it murder, as well as attempted murder, all along? It also seems likely that part of the reason the Ashley men tend to dismiss Rachel’s agency is because they don’t believe her to be a fully autonomous person, by virtue of the fact that she is a woman.

Change ). Nearly three years on, and my lack of reading over the years has urged me to read at least one book a month this year. Daphne du Maurier books are known for their tense, atmospheric nature, and My Cousin Rachel is certainly no different.

Philip surprises even himself when he does this. Without a voice to plead their case, the patriarchy is able to blame women for its transgressions. Back in the mid-century there was a movie by that title starring Richard Burton and Olivia deHavilland but I wasn’t curious to see that movie. However, I did wonder whether it was a little cliche to believe that a woman like Rachel would succumb to using a “woman’s method” of murder. Find out my thoughts on the plot, and whether it lived up to Rebecca, right here…. He soon makes the decision to take a trip to Rome to ensure Ambrose is safe and well…. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading My Cousin Rachel, so much so, that I picked up two more of Daphne du Maurier’s novels from Waterstones the first opportunity I got.

He easily becomes obsessed with the possibility that Rachel might marry his godfather, Nick Kendall, and the idea makes him incredibly sulky, and resentful of a man he has known and loved all his life. However, little does he know that, on Ambrose’s departure to Italy for his health this winter, they would never see one another again. As it is for Philip, it is impossible for the reader to know why Rachel enjoys “disturb[ing] the atmosphere.” The dynamic between Philip and Rachel is similar to the one between Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester in Charlotte Brontë’s classic, to which. His home is so important to him that he has come to genuinely believe that it can provide a reasonable stand-in for a romantic partner. -Graham S. By the end of October, the fair weather breaks, and—at. We are uncertain of Rachel’s motives, as well as her innocence. Have you read My Cousin Rachel, and want to give your thoughts on the story? Similarly, the infamous villain, Rebecca herself, is also given no voice to plead her innocence. With a plot surrounded by intrigue, suspicion, and mistrust, it really is no surprise that it’s a firm favourite amongst her fans. Ambrose goes away to Italy, marries there, and a few years later sends a letter to Philip intimating that he is in danger, and asking Philip to come to Italy straight away. So, if you want to discover a little taste of the My Cousin Rachel plot, and my thoughts on the storyline, don’t go anywhere…. The question of Rachel’s past—and her potential past sins—reappears on center stage.

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