A Feminist Reading of Rebecca 
Abstract

Daphne Du Maurier was a famous English novelist in the 20th century. Being a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, she has written 17 novels and dozens of types of literature throughout her life. She was born in an artistic family in London. Her grandfather George du Maurier was a famous caricaturist, and her father Sir Gerald du Maurier was a famous actor-manager, and her mother, Muriel Beaumont, was an actress. She had two sisters but no brother. Keenly being aware of her father's desire for a son, Du Maurier grew up wishing that she could be a boy. However, she turned to be her father's favorite, partly due to her literary talents. Deeply influenced by the family background and the second wave of feminism, a large portion of her works were on the theme of feminism. And in her famous novel Rebecca, she gave the two ladies entirely different female images, which made this novel a hot topic for feminist critics.

In this article, we will explore whether Daphne Du Maurier is a feminist from her tendency to the two ladies’ view of marriage in Rebecca. At the beginning of this article, we first give an introduction to the writer’s life experience and her creations. And then, we will bring in the concept and history of feminism and view of marriage. And the second part is a summary of the current state of criticism on Daphne and Rebecca.
   
In the body, we will firstly analyze the two ladies’ traits of character which was an important factor that deeply influenced people’s view of marriage. And then we will bring in their different attitudes toward marriage. And at last, with the help of her autobiography, and from her tendency to the two ladies’ view of marriage and also to the destinies of the two ladies, we will finally give conclusion that the author has the feminist thought. 

Key word: Daphne Du Maurier, Feminism, View of marriage, Rebecca