The Loving Spirit (Virago Modern Classics)

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The novel tells the story of the Coombe family over four generations starting with Janet Coombe, Joseph Coombe, Christopher Coombe and Jennifer Coombe. On one of the winter holidays to Switzerland, Daphne met Carol Reed. Carol was only a few months older than Daphne and was the illegitimate son of the actor-producer, Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree. The latter was well known to the du Maurier family because of his role in the production of the play of Gerald's father, George du Maurier's novel Trilby. Carol was also the half-brother of Viola Tree, a close friend of all the du Maurier family. So, there he was, at last, the ideal boyfriend, handsome, the right age, and seemingly perfect as far as Daphne's parents were concerned because he worked in the theatre. Daphne and Carol made a great couple. They were friends as well as lovers and spent much time in each other's company.

I know I sometimes used to wish my mum would have been slightly more affectionate but for Heaven's sake, control yourself madam. Very odd, very odd. Joseph put out the lamp, and snuffed the candles. He drew aside the curtains, and the light of the moon made a white pattern on the carpet. Then he came across the room, and knelt beside Janet in the darkness. Myerson J. Frenchman’s Creek. In: Taylor H, editor. The Daphne du Maurier companion. London: Virago; 2007. p. 156–60. Es verdad que no es tan emocionante como "Rebeca" o "Jamaica Inn" pero en ella se ven ya muchas de las características que van a ser cruciales en la prosa de la autora como es el caso de las magníficas ambientaciones de las que nunca me canso. Parece que te transportan totalmente a la época y el lugar en cuestión. Jennifer, figlia di Cristopher, chiude il cerchio familiare riportando gli equilibri, ritornando alle sue radici d'infanzia richiamata a casa dal legame del sangue e della terra.Helen's interest in ships and the sea must have been born into her through her Slade family ancestors because she eventually became a maritime historian. At the same time, her interest in her family and their links with The Loving Spirit continued to fascinate her. In 1997 Helen produced a little booklet entitled From Facts to Fiction: The men and women of Polruan who inspired Daphne du Maurier's first novel. The booklet was sold locally, and the proceeds went to St Wyllow Church for their Fabric Appeal. St Wyllow Church in Lanteglos is, of course, the church where Jane and many other Slade family members are buried and where the fictional wedding of Janet Coombe and the real wedding of Daphne and Tommy took place.In 2002 Helen published her first full-length book Jane Slade of Polruan. In it, she combined the history of the Slade family and Slade's boatyard with the history of the Jane Slade and other ships built at the yard. She also explained the connections between the Slade family and the fictional Coombe family in Daphne's novel. So, you might think that all this parent-child obsessiveness would be the thing that leads to the family's downfall? Nope. What leads to their near downfall (it's not a tragedy, in the end) is the jealousy of Joseph's younger brother, Philip, who hates Joseph firstly because, well, mother Janet had been his first great love too, of course. Here's a glimpse into Philip's thoughts when he first meets his adult grand-niece, Jennifer: There were no more years, no time, no grim and satisfying death; this was Janet herself who stood before him, Janet who flamed in the bows of her vessel, Janet as he had seen her in his dreams as a boy, Janet who had preferred Joseph to himself. (Book IV, chapter IX, p. 276.)It seems Philip is fated to lose his women to Joseph, as Joseph later sweeps Philip's intended wife right out from under him. Philip seeks his revenge in the only way he can, by bringing financial ruin upon Joseph and his heirs. Her debut novel established du Maurier’s reputation and style with an inimitable blend of romance, history and adventure.” From Facts to Fiction – the men and women of Polruan who inspired Daphne du Maurier’s first novel by Helen Doe (Printed by Parchment, Banbury, Oxon. 1997) Philip, another one of Janet's sons, is a total mustache-twirling villain with no complexity at all. Other characters were no better.

This single chain of events altered all the du Maurier girls' lives forever and affected Daphne in particular. She had never been comfortable with the crowded, social life of London and Hampstead, so this house was about to change everything. In this article, written to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the publication of The Loving Spirit, we take a look at the du Maurier family in the late 1920s and how the advent of Ferryside, as the du Maurier's holiday home, gradually altered the dynamics of Daphne's life. We tell you how the Slade family and their boatyard's real story came to be written into Daphne du Maurier's first novel and what Daphne's life was like at the time she was writing it. Even as a novice writer Daphne was able to conjure up the atmosphere of life in the boat building harbour of Fowey. She described the sights and sounds, the smells and the weather, so much of which still the same today, giving the book a timelessness that means it never becomes dated and always offers more each time we read it.Wieder einmal eine solide Leistung von Frau Maurier. Eine opulente und großartige Familiengeschichte über vier Generationen und mehr als hundert Jahre. Sie beschreibt, wie sich eine narzisstische Kränkung eines Buben, der dann als Erwachsener richtig fies und bösartig wird, sogar noch auf die Ur-Enkel auswirkt. Christopher, Joseph’s son, feels the weight of his Uncle Philip’s hatred. Jennifer, Christopher’s daughter, almost dies of it. The good nonentities of the family are swept aside into bewildered poverty by it. It remains for Elizabeth, her excellent husband and their son and grandson to throw in their weight, and the end of the book finds the loving spirt of the time being at rest from its violent journeying. Le roman s'étend sur la totalité du XIXème siècle, et Daphné du Maurier nous décrit parfaitement les évolutions "techniques" de cette époque. J'ai beaucoup aimé ce contexte, mais j'ai également adoré les cadres que l'autrice nous dépeint : le village de Plyn, un village côtier brumeux dans lequel le gros de l'histoire se déroule, mais aussi un Londres pluvieux, dans la grisaille, avec sa société bourgeoise. Le contraste entre les deux lieux est super intéressant dans l'histoire, et c'est une manière pour l'autrice de dévoiler son amour pour les villages de Cornouailles. Twon’t be a life away from you. ‘Twill be a misery an’ an anguish, turnin’ me to stone till I’m by your side again.’ I was thrilled reading the introduction to discover that this book was inspired by Emily Brontë, and actually, 'The Loving Spirit' is from one of Brontë's notable poems. Throughout the book are gorgeous snippets of Brontë's poetry, which I obviously appreciated no end, because I love Brontë's works.

Deacon B. Imagining the fishing: artists and fishermen in late nineteenth century Cornwall. Rural Hist. 2001;12(2):159–78. I’ve in my mind’s eye the model of my ship. I can picture the shear of her, an’ the long graceful lines. Her sails spread to the wind. She’d run like a devil if I let her, laughin’ with the joy of escape, but a touch of my hand an’ she’d understand, obeyin’ my will, recognizin’ I was her master an’ lovin’ me for it.’ On 1st April 1967, youngHelen wrote to Daphne, asking about how she had come to document her family's history into the novel The Loving Spirit. She received a wonderfully full letter in reply. Daphne explained how the characters in The Loving Spirit related to the real people in the Slade family and the reasons for the fictional choices that she made in the novel. She referred to the novel's character Katherine, who was really Helen's grandmother Dora. She also told Helen that her dear grandfather Harry had taught Daphne how to row and fish and that he had been the du Maurier family's boatman for many years. Hughes H. A silent, desolate country: images of Cornwall in Daphne du Maurier’s Jamaica Inn. In: Westland E, editor. Cornwall: the cultural construction of place. Penzance: Patten; 1997. p. 68–76.Westland E. The view from Kilmarth: Daphne du Maurier’s Cornwall. In: Taylor H, editor. The Daphne du Maurier companion. London: Virago; 2007b. p. 114–21. Cornwall, 1900s. Plyn Boat Yard is a hive of activity, and Janet Coombe longs to share in the excitement of seafaring: to travel, to have adventures, to know freedom. But constrained by the times, instead she marries her cousin Thomas, a boat builder, and settles down to raise a family. Daphne du Maurier (1907 – 1989), the prolific British novelist, playwright, and short story writer started her publishing career at age twenty-two with her first novel, The Loving Spirit (1931).

At home at Cannon Hall, in Hampstead, the du Maurier's decided that they should use the windfall from The Ringer to buy the house in the country that they had talked of. Muriel decided to take her three daughters on a trip to Cornwall to search for a second home. Daphne, having returned from Britany, was planning to carry on with her writing, but somewhat reluctantly, she agreed to join her Mother and sisters on the trip to Cornwall,and they set off in September. Horner A, Zlosnik S. Glimpses of the dark side. In: Taylor H, editor. The Daphne du Maurier companion. London: Virago; 2007. p. 242–8. Pues me ha gustado mucho quizá porque no iba con las expectativas muy altas por ser la primera novela de la autora. One of the things that shines in du Maurier's works is the setting. The Loving Spirit was set in Plyn Boat Yard, in Cornwall, and I could feel the sea whenever I was reading the book. It became an actual character in the novel (as well as something else I can't mention because spoilers!) and I loved it so much, since I'm obsessed with the sea.Doe H. Jane Slade of Polruan: the inspiration for Daphne du Maurier’s first novel. Truro: Truran; 2002. Beginning in the early 1800s, The Loving Spirit tells the story of the Coombes family, and is mainly set in Cornwall, a part of England in which the author spent much of her life. Janet Coombes marries her cousin, Thomas Coombes, who is a shipbuilder. The novel follows the adventures and trials of this family for four generations.