The Pathology of Desire in Daphne du Maurier’s Short Stories

Following a resurgence of interest in Daphne du Maurier’s writing, The Pathology of Desire in Daphne du Maurier’s Short Stories offers an overview of all her collections and a detailed reading of nine stories. These contain recurrent references to the incomplete or impaired human form and are best read through a corporeal lens. The criticism illustrates her importance as a cultural commentator fascinated by the results of frustrated human desire, and includes a synopsis of the published collections, and the stories within them, to give the reader a sense of the variety of the overarching themes and the persistent force of corporeality in the stories. Du Maurier is well-known as a novelist, but her short fiction is pivotal to understanding her position and influence as a writer. She rewrites fairytales and foregrounds female violence long before it became a cultural trend. Contents Acknowledgments Part I. The Corpus Introduction. Corporeality: The Conceptual Skeleton Chapter One. ‘The critics will never forgiveyou for writing Rebecca’: Repositioning Daphne du Maurier and an Anatomy of the Short Story Collections Part II. ‘The Dismembered Self’ Chapter Two. ‘Split Second’ [head] (1980) Chapter Three. ‘The Blue Lenses’ [eyes] (1952) Chapter Four. ‘The Lordly Ones’ [tongue] (1959) Chapter Five. ‘Monte Verità’ [breasts / yoni] (1952) Chapter Six. ‘The Apple Tree’ [limbs] (1952) Chapter Seven. ‘The Alibi’ [phallus] (1959) Chapter Eight. ‘The Little Photographer’ [feet] (1952) Chapter Nine. ‘The Doll’ [body] (1937, 2011) Part III. A Pathology of Desire Chapter Ten. Reconstructive Surgery The Bare Bones Bibliography Index About the Author "The book addresses critical omissions in du Maurier studies by carefully examining her less well-known shorter fiction. The analysis covers nine stories chosen to illustrate how du Maurier employs the diseased, disabled, and maimed human form as a recurrent symbol for social, political, and domestic misalignment"-- Provided by publisher