Talk:Daphne du Maurier

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Contents 1 Page oddity 2 Du or du? 3 Definition of Cornish 4 Reads like a stub 5 Subconscious sexism in article 6 SEX & SEXISM: in defence of the evidence

[edit] Page oddity

There's an oddity at the bottom of this page which I thought I'd removed, but it keeps resurfacing - anyone else able to clip it off? StoneColdCrazy 20:37, 3 Dec 2004 (UTC)

Do you mean the wiggy date? I think that was vandalism. I removed. David Hoag 23:59, 25 February 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Du or du?

Is it "Du Maurier" or "du Maurier"? -- Zoe

On most of her book covers, it's mostly "du Maurier" (when it's not in all caps or DAPHNE du MAURIER), but at least one (early one) reads Du Maurier. It's "du Maurier" in Stanley Vicker's The du Maurier Companion, and in Benét's Reader's Encyclopedia. Capitalization of particles in surnames often depends on a style guide, but it looks like du Maurier has the edge. -- Someone else 01:32 May 9, 2003 (UTC)

FWIW, I have a 1971 hardback of Frenchman's Creek, wherein she's "Daphne du Maurier" on some pages and "Daphne Du Maurier" on others within the same book. Obviously, the publisher's pruufreeder was asleep at the switch. David Hoag 23:59, 25 February 2006 (UTC)

Her family is French. In the French language the du or de, or le or la or de la, are all small cap. No exceptions. And, even names of months are not capitalized in French. Check out French movies. First word is a capital, the rest are small caps. Jacques Delson

By "small caps", do you mean "lower case"? To me, "small caps" sounds like "small capitals", which are of course capitals ("upper case"). -- Oliver P. 03:40 May 9, 2003 (UTC)

Sorry, my brain is thinking sports not language. It is indeed "lower case". Thank you for pointing out my mistake. Jacques Delson

Okay, just checking. :) -- Oliver P. 20:51 May 10, 2003 (UTC)

What Jacques says is true, but no longer applies when a name has been anglicised. It's the librarian's nightmare - do we put her under "D" or under "M"? If it were a small "d" in "du", she would be under "M", but she is usually found under "D". But here I guess it doesn't matter, as long as we can find her. Deb 11:57 May 11, 2003 (UTC)

Having seen many of her original letters, I can say quite categorically that she herself wrote it "du Maurier". -- Necrothesp 12:45, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Definition of Cornish

She is defined as a "Cornish" novelist, even though she was born in London and was of French descent, presumably because her books are mainly set in Cornwall, she lived in Cornwall and was involved in Cornish politics (i.e. Mebyon Kernow). I am English but I live in Germany. Even if I wrote books set in Germany and became involved in German politics, I don't believe people would then refer to me as 'German'.Eorake 13:37, 2 October 2005 (UTC)

Well, it really depends on where you associate with I suppose. I was born in Surrey, of a family with its roots solidly in London, but I grew up in Cornwall, and I very definitely regard myself as Cornish (and also as English, since I'm not a Cornish nationalist). -- Necrothesp 12:54, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

History is full of nationalists with tenuous connections to the nation whose cause they adopt. Stalin, Napoleon, De Valera, Hitler, etc. A phenonemon referred to by Orwell as I think "transferred nationalism".

Exile 21:24, 11 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Reads like a stub

There's no comprehensive info on the author. One can't get an idea of what her writings are like by reading this article. 61.246.98.145 13:08, 6 June 2006 (UTC) A reader

[edit] Subconscious sexism in article

I was a little surprised to see such a classic example of sexism in the article. 'Though literary snobs have often berated Du Maurier's writings for not being 'intellectually heavyweight' in the way that George Eliot's or Iris Murdoch's are...' A woman author is only being compared with other woman authors! du Maurier is a women first and an author second! Why not a heavyweight female author and a heavyweight male author, after all there ARE more male heavyweight authors in the 19th/early 20th centuries. Unless anyone objects I'll change one of the authors to Thackery or something (or can someone suggest a male contempory).

I know this can be a touchy issue and some people may see my suggestion as reverse discrimination, or unneccesarily touchy/militant, but I think this is an important, if subtle, point. ChristineD 01:22, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] SEX & SEXISM: in defence of the evidence

On sifting through the large body of writing on the life of du Maurier, including letters, biographies and newpapers articles, we knew that the subject of her complex sexuality, first brought to the world's attention by her official biographer after her death, would be a contentious topic. We have attempted to address this issue with both candour and brevity but are aware that not everyone will agree with the views stated here. However, what no-one can deny is what Daphne du Maurier herself said (albeit opaquely) on the subject; she referred to a masculine energy in her psyche, what she called her "boy-in-the-box",and this was the side of her which gave her inspiration for her writing; an outlet for the realm of fantasy. This "boy-in-the-box" was infatuated with the unobtainable Ellen Doubleday and had his amorous attentions returned by Gertrude Lawrence. Yet where we have written that she in no way saw herslf as a Lesbian (and would have been appalled to have entertained the suggestion)is in no way a veiled piece of homophobia: our comments have been erased on this issue several times but that is unfair, both by the prudes who deny her the rich and colourful emotional life that she unequivocally had, and the Gay Lobby who wish to bring her into the fold.

Du Maurier was a complex character, not only on the topic of sexuality but on many issues. Though she had several homosexual friends in her life, it appears to have been a case of "something that should happen to other people, other families" . She was terrified that her spoiling of her son Christian would make him gay and chose to ignore homosexuality elsewhere if it appeared too close to home. She was, after all, a product of Edwardian society, and her views were shared by virtually the entire populace; since the civil rights movements of the 1960's we have all perhaps progressed some way towards enlightenment.

In reply to certain comments concerning purported sexism: we have mirrored only the opinions of the critics from the back-catalogue of reviews that we were able to source. Reviews of her early novels compare them to the likes of Treasure Island but once the sensation that was Rebecca had hit the public's consciousness and the comparison had been drawn with the novels of the Bronte sisters, du Maurier was set firmly in the cast of Romantic Novelist. After all, the literary establishment was, like most of the old orders, a glorified boy's club, and du Maurier recognised this. Certainly compare her to whosoever you wish to nowadays, either male or female, but remember that historically she has always been termed a "writer for women". We wholeheartedly agree that that is both an antiquated and offensive description and that she was a significant and important writer, regardless of gender. Far from a sexist put-down, we actually compare her with the gentleman Wilkie Collins: surely a comparison any writer would kill for?

MARC & NATASHA Ygrasil 02:14, 7 February 2007 (UTC)