By Sherri Boomershine
As I prepare to write my next book, I’m drawn to the old classics I read in high school as well as the books I read for fun. Many of the Gothic romances—Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, and Rebecca come to mind from school. Remember the book covers of Victoria Holt, Phyllis A. Whitney, and Mary Stewart? A castle dominates the background and a young woman—always pretty—runs away from it, her long gown flowing behind her.
Gothic romances began in the eighteenth century during the Romantic period with the novel, The Castle of Otranto, (1764) by Horace Walpole. The quintessential novel was Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. While some of the characteristic books and movies have supernatural overtones, not all do, especially the more modern gothic romances of the mid-twentieth century. However, certain characteristics ring true in all of them. My favorite novel, Rebecca, illustrates the genre as does its movie, directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
The setting is usually in an old castle or mansion. The goal of the dark and mysterious setting is to create a sense of unease and foreboding. The first words of Rebecca set the tone: “Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again. It seemed to me I stood by the iron gate leading to the drive, and for a while I could not enter, for the way was barred to me.” Hitchcock’s opening scene shows the mansion enveloped in mist and clouds, foreshadowing the fire that left it barren. Within the dwelling are candle-lit halls, secret passageways, and imposing portraits of long-gone residents who frown down on the people who live there. There is a locked room into which the main character, a young, unnamed woman is denied entry. Of course, as the movie unfolds, she must find out what lies behind the locked door.
The antihero of gothic romances is a brooding man who brings the main character to live in the mansion. Some qualities of the antihero include a violent temper, a cynical outlook, a sinister secret or desire, and moodiness. On the flip side, the antihero is often capable of deep, strong affection, has a tortured soul crying out for compassion, and is viewed as solitary and suffering. https://www.toledolibrary.org/blog/a-glimpse-of-genre-the-gothic-romance/ In Rebecca, Lawrence Olivier plays Max de Winter, the man who marries the main character and brings her to live in Manderley after a brief courtship in Monte Carlo. Although he loves her, he is so overwhelmed by his past that he can’t help her adjust to the large staff and become the lady of the house, due to diabolical Mrs. Danvers, the woman who runs the household.
Gothic romances are usually associated with a mystery to be solved. In Rebecca, the young bride moves into the mansion to find physical reminders of Max’s late wife, Rebecca, at every turn. A large portrait of the woman dominates the main room. The letter R appears on every piece of stationery and every hand towel. Rebecca’s room is kept as a shrine to her by Mrs. Danvers. The young bride assumes her brooding husband misses Rebecca, but the question is—how did she die? Twist after twist leads her to the truth with surprising results.
Sherri Boomershine is a woman of faith who loves all things foreign whether it’s food, culture, or language. A former French teacher and flight attendant, her passion is traveling to the settings of her books, sampling the food, and visiting the sites. She visited a Netherlands concentration camp for A Song for Her Enemies, and Paris art museums for What Hides beyond the Walls. Sherri lives with her husband Mike, her high school sweetheart, whom she married fifty-five years later. As an author and editor, she hopes her books will entertain and challenge readers to live large and connect with their Savior. Join, chat, and share with her on social media. Newsletter Facebook Twitter Instagram Website
A Song for Her Enemies
Tamar Kaplan is a budding soprano with
the Harlaam Opera company. Her future looks bright, despite the presence of the
German soldiers guarding Haarlem. But when Nazi soldiers close down the opera
company, families start disappearing in the middle of the night, and Jews are
stripped of their freedoms, Tamar realizes her brother Seth was right about her
naiveté. She joins the resistance, her blond hair and light features making it
easy for her come and go under the watchful eyes of the German guards. Tamar becomes
Dr. Daniel Feldman’s assistant, as they visit families hiding out in forests
and hovels, tending to their health needs. But when she returns home to find
her parents gone and the family store looted, she and Daniel must go into
hiding. As they cling to the walls of an alley, Tamar recognizes a familiar
face—that of Neelie Visser, the neighbor, who beckons to them to follow her.
Can she trust this Gentile woman who talks about God as if he’s standing next
to her? https://bit.ly/40Yucjv
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