{"id":687,"date":"2006-12-03T18:27:37","date_gmt":"2006-12-03T17:27:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/terresdecrivains.org\/index.php\/2006\/12\/03\/jamaica-inn-a-reflection-of-daphne-du-mauriers-cornwall-iv\/"},"modified":"2021-06-25T20:29:22","modified_gmt":"2021-06-25T18:29:22","slug":"jamaica-inn-a-reflection-of-daphne-du-mauriers-cornwall-iv","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/terresdecrivains.org\/index.php\/2006\/12\/03\/jamaica-inn-a-reflection-of-daphne-du-mauriers-cornwall-iv\/","title":{"rendered":"Jamaica Inn : A Reflection of Daphne du Maurier’s Cornwall (IV)"},"content":{"rendered":"

INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER
\n
A biography<\/a><\/p>\n

WRITING CORNWALL
\n
a Setting and plot<\/a>
\n
b Suspense and mystery<\/a>
\n
c Daphne du Maurier’s rewriting of Cornwall<\/a>
\n
d Fact versus fancy<\/a><\/p>\n

DAPHNE DU MAURIER AND GOTHIC IMAGINATION
\n
a Ghosts in Jamaica Inn<\/a>
\n
b The \u00ab\u00a0uncanny\u00a0\u00bb<\/a>
\n
c Boundaries of the self<\/p>\n

SYMBOLISM AND lMAGERY lN JAMAICA INN
\n
a Animal farm
\n
b Escape
\n
c Treasure island<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

1) WRITING CORNWALL<\/p>\n

c Daphne du Maurier’s rewriting of Cornwall<\/strong><\/p>\n

Far from being neutral, the setting Daphne du Maurier
\ndescribes definitely seems to be out of this world. An
\noverwhelming impression of eeriness pervades the novel
\ntransforming the Cornish landscape into a land of fear and
\ninstability. By darkening the landscape and stressing its
\nshadows, by emphasizing the general instability of the
\nweather and endowing objects with human characteristics,
\nDaphne du Maurier stresses the dramatic aspect of the
\nlandscape. Plunged into a hostile world she doesn’t yet
\nknow, but is to discover in the course of her expeditions in
\nthe moorland, Mary experiences the menacing pressure of the
\nthreatening scenery which gradually envelops her. The
\nstriking and radical change in the scenery is first
\nintroduced to the reader through Mary’s childhood memory of
\nthe \u00ab\u00a0green hills<\/em> (7)\u00a0\u00bb, \u00ab\u00a0the tall protecting trees<\/em>\u00a0\u00bb (32) and
\nthe \u00ab\u00a0gentle rain that fell at Helford<\/em> (7)\u00a0\u00bb during her coach
\njourney to Jamaica Inn. As soon as Mary wakes up from her
\ndaydream, the coach itself \u00ab\u00a0[holds] a tone of menace<\/em> (15)\u00a0\u00bb
\nand the scenery suddenly becomes the roof of those \u00ab\u00a0born
\ntwisted<\/em>\u00a0\u00bb with \u00ab\u00a0evil thoughts<\/em>\u00a0\u00bb (15). This traumatic entrance into the world of evil deepens as Mary ventures into the very heart of the bleak universe. Its opressive atmosphere becomes a reality thanks to its systematic personification and the use of similes.<\/p>\n

Thus, the coach \u00ab\u00a0rock[s] between the high wheels like a drunken man<\/em> (1)\u00a0\u00bb, utters \u00ab\u00a0creaks and growns<\/em>\u00a0\u00bb (15); the wind doesn’t blow but shouts, cries, and moans (38), \u00ab\u00a0[shudders] like a man in pain<\/em> (38)\u00a0\u00bb, and a cloud even appears as \u00ab\u00a0a highwayman’ s cloak<\/em> (32)\u00a0\u00bb. The fiendish moor reveals its \u00ab\u00a0changing shadows<\/em>\u00a0\u00bb and its \u00ab\u00a0frowning crags of granite<\/em>\u00ab\u00a0(83) that \u00ab\u00a0frustrat[e] [Mary]<\/em>\u00a0\u00bb and almost follow in her footsteps. It seems it is the very contradiction between this country apparently \u00ab\u00a0untouched by human hand<\/em>\u00a0\u00bb (15) and its underlying human aspect which heightens the threat. The tors seem to alter to take on a human dimension, as clearly expressed in this striking passage :<\/p>\n

\u00ab\u00a0Some were shaped like giant furniture, with monstruous chairs and twisted tables ; and sometimes the smaller crumbling stones lay on the summit of the hill like a giant himself, his huge, recumbent fom darkening the heather and the coarse tufted grass.<\/em>\u00ab\u00a0(37)<\/p>\n

Such a scene conveys a nightmare impression which serves to deepen the vulnerability of the main character. Indeed, Mary is racked by anguish and devastated by this claustrophobic atmosphere which is further deepened by the author’s manipulation of luminosity. <\/p>\n

The scenery becomes a black universe in which everything
\nseems to be subjected to a baleful influence and distorted
\nby the forces of evil. \u00ab\u00a0The black sky<\/em>\u00a0\u00bb (15), the \u00ab\u00a0brown and
\nsodden moorland<\/em>\u00a0\u00bb (32) the \u00ab\u00a0black hills<\/em>\u00ab\u00a0, at times \u00ab\u00a0purple,
\nink stained<\/em>\u00a0\u00bb and \u00ab\u00a0mottled<\/em>\u00a0\u00bb (32) \u00ab\u00a0the dead black heather<\/em>\u00a0\u00bb (84)
\nexerts a morbid fascination in this \u00ab\u00a0grim and rather hateful
\nworld<\/em>\u00a0\u00bb (48). Oppressive though they are, the dull shades
\ndon’t triumph over the bright colours, darkness doesn’t
\nengulf brightness. Rather, the bright colours struggle against and resist the threatening power of the sinister
\ncolours. First, \u00ab\u00a0a feeble ray of sun<\/em>\u00ab\u00a0(32) breaks through the
\nthick sky, then the \u00ab\u00a0cold<\/em>\u00a0\u00bb and \u00ab\u00a0grey<\/em>\u00a0\u00bb (99) weather finally
\ngives way to sunlight (99), the candles in Jamaica Inn are
\nflickering (19) but don’t go out, \u00ab\u00a0the low turf fire<\/em>\u00a0\u00bb
\ndoesn’t die down, the colours of Launceston carry gaiety to
\nthe streets (131) and the lantern is so bright that it
\nblinds Mary : \u00ab\u00a0The light shone in her eyes, and she could
\nsee nothing<\/em>\u00a0\u00bb (17). This endless struggle between elements
\nconveys a feeling of instability, which is reinforced in the
\nsame way by the changing weather. As Mary notices, \u00ab\u00a0The
\nscene was never once the same<\/em> (32)\u00a0\u00bb. The elements have a
\nconstantly changing aspect in the novel. Thus, the pitiless
\nrain (140) and the \u00ab\u00a0nagging wind<\/em>\u00a0\u00bb (6) can transform into a
\n\u00ab\u00a0soft wind<\/em>\u00a0\u00bb gently blowing or even \u00ab\u00a0singing<\/em>\u00a0\u00bb (73) above a
\nbroak which \u00ab\u00a0burble[s] merrily over the stones<\/em>\u00a0\u00bb and increase
\nagain in violence to become a gust of wind,
\n\u00ab\u00a0in an instant<\/em>\u00a0\u00bb (137).<\/p>\n

\"Jamaica
Jamaica Inn<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The dichotomy between light and darkness and the constant
\ninstability of the weather deepen the effect of uneasiness
\nand fear linked with the suppression of any reliable, stable
\nlandrnark. The landmarks which previously linked the fiction
\nwith some aspects of reality (existing places and names)
\ngradually vanish with the emergence of this fanciful
\nlandscape. And the vocabulary used illustrates the author’s
\nintention to create a very special atmosphere, as she avoids
\ncommonplace descriptions. Indeed Daphne du Maurier doesn’t
\nseem to use this vocabulary for the meaning it conveys but
\nuses words such as \u00ab\u00a0darkness\u00a0\u00bb, \u00ab\u00a0mist\u00a0\u00bb, \u00ab\u00a0frowning\u00a0\u00bb, \u00ab\u00a0dead-
\nblack\u00a0\u00bb, \u00ab\u00a0threatened\u00a0\u00bb,
\n\u00ab\u00a0treacherous\u00a0\u00bb,
\n\u00ab\u00a0unknown\u00a0\u00bb<\/em> (84-85) to
\ncreate the sublime. The sublime implies a mood, stresses the
\naffective
\npower
\nof the
\nlandscape
\nwhich
\nstimulates
\nthe
\nreader’s emotions. The feeling of strangeness is conveyed by
\nthis specific vocabulary which in fact, does not focus the
\nreader’s attention on the objects
\n(\u00ab\u00a0crags\u00a0\u00bb,
\n\u00ab\u00a0heather\u00a0\u00bb,
\n\u00ab\u00a0tor\u00a0\u00bb, \u00ab\u00a0ground\u00a0\u00bb<\/em>…) but on the mood that emanates from them.
\nIt is, then, the very \u00ab\u00a0splendour\u00a0\u00bb<\/em> (85) of the scenery,
\nwhatever its terrifying aspects that inspires a feeling of
\nawe :<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00bb [ … ] The ground was boggy and treacherous and the
\nwell itself of an unknown depth. She bore to her
\nleft to avoid it, but by the time she had reached
\nthe level of the plain below, with Brown Willy
\nsafely descended and lifting his mighty head in
\nlonely splendour behind her, the mist and the darkness had settled on the moors and all sense of
\ndirection was lost to her.\u00a0\u00bb<\/em> (85)<\/p>\n

Such descriptions allow readers to create Mary’s emotions
\nfor themselves, because by the time the main character’s
\nfeeling is clearly expressed,
\nthe reader has already
\nexperienced the same \u00ab\u00a0growing sense of panic\u00a0\u00bb<\/em> (85). The real
\nscenery has been transformed into a subjective fantasy and
\nit is the reader’s perception which reduces the gap between
\nthe subjectivity of this fantasy and the objective world of
\nthe novel, for the internal experience comes to the fore.
\nThe emotional and psychological involvement of the reader is
\nachieved by means of a depiction of the setting. Moreover,
\nlike Mary, the reader obviously experiences the same sense
\nof being lost, feels confused and perturbed by the general
\ninstability. However, the overwhelming confusion experienced
\nby the reader is not only linked to the rather fantastic
\nscenery, it is also deepened as the author insists on
\nweakening the boundary between fancy and fictional reality
\nin the main character’s mind.<\/p>\n

d Fact versus fancy<\/strong> <\/p>\n

Fancy
\nsystematically
\nemerges
\nin
\nMary’s
\nmind,
\ntransforming the objective world of the novel into a
\n\u00ab\u00a0ridiculous and highly coloured story\u00a0\u00bb<\/em>,
\ninto a story
\ninvented by \u00ab\u00a0an over stimulated mind\u00a0\u00bb<\/em>, into a story which is
\n\u00ab\u00a0too much of a fairy-tale\u00a0\u00bb<\/em> (92). ln fact, this \u00ab\u00a0story\u00a0\u00bb<\/em>
\ncorresponds to the subjective nature of a dream. As Mary is <\/p>\n

plunged
\nrepeatedly
\ninto
\na
\nsemi-conscious
\nstate,
\nher
\nperception of what surrounds her is distorted, like the
\nfaces of men which become \u00ab\u00a0shapeless and distorted, all hair
\nand teeth, much too large for their bodies\u00a0\u00bb<\/em>(42). <\/p>\n

As a result, Mary offers a new perception of things,
\nreality is viewed from a different angle, and consequently,
\nthe very concept of reality is changed. There are many
\nexamples of these nightmarish and almost unreal scenes which
\nkeep confusing the reader. Witnessing the main character’s
\nperception of surroundings and facts,
\nthe
\nreader is
\ndefinitely invited to wonder whether what is seen through
\nMary’s eyes is or is not the fruit of her fancy. But for all
\nthat, does the story lack reality ? Does the reader loose
\ntrust in Mary? ln fact, the reader’s involvement is always
\nmaintained because the balance between subjectivity and
\nobjectivity, always threatened, never completely crumbles.
\nThis balance is for example restored thanks to the
\nchronological minuteness of the novel. The reader is given
\nvery exact details about time and space which restore an
\nimpression of settled reality. Although Mary sometimes looses
\n\u00ab\u00a0count of time and space\u00a0\u00bb<\/em> (16, 159), information such as,
\n\u00ab\u00a0Mary woke to the sound of the clock striking two\u00a0\u00bb<\/em> (71), \u00ab\u00a0It
\nwas half past eight\u00a0\u00bb<\/em> (246), \u00ab\u00a0this afternoon\u00a0\u00bb<\/em> (90), \u00ab\u00a0it was a
\nnightmare
\njourney
\nof
\ntwo
\nhours\u00a0\u00bb<\/em> (158),
\n\u00ab\u00a0Tomorrow
\nis
\nSunday\u00a0\u00bb<\/em> (183), give to the tale an impression of very
\nsimilitude realism. Mary’s physical appearance also strongly
\ncontrasts with the fantastical aspect of her surroundings.
\nHer \u00ab\u00a0thick skirt and coloured apron\u00a0\u00bb<\/em>, her \u00ab\u00a0heavy shoes\u00a0\u00bb<\/em> (30) tend to distance the character from the almost unrealistic world in which she evolves. Finally, the author’s manipulation of Mary’s senses, which are omnipresent throughout the novel, seems to make the character more human. Indeed, Mary constantly feels, hears, observes, smells, thinks, shivers because the exploration of this unknown world always hightens her senses. The insistence on the role played by Mary’s senses tends to humanize the character and makes the reader’s identification with Mary easier. However, the main character, like all the elements in the novel, is also victim of instability. This time, it is the very frailty of the character’s vital functions wich perpetuates the sense of instability. In fact, Mary’s vital functions are perpetually jeopardized by the instability of her environment. Aggressive lights and noises are suddenly replaced by unexpected darkness, by \u00ab\u00a0the deadly quietude\u00a0\u00bb<\/em> (160) and by frightening shadows which disturb the character’s perception of things. Her senses are put to the test and, all of a sudden, she loses her sight (\u00ab\u00a0The light shone in her eyes, and she could see nothing\u00a0\u00bb<\/em> (17), she fails to hear (\u00ab\u00a0If she could have heard some sound of them, the waiting in the empty carriage would have been more bearable\u00a0\u00bb<\/em> (160)), she even looses all sensation as she faints (\u00ab\u00a0She must have fainted quite away for a minute or two\u00a0\u00bb<\/em> (52)). As a result, the very fragility of the character and the instability of the atmosphere are both fascinating and disconcerting. Boundaries inevitably becomes the key word of the novel. The boundaries between reality and fiction have been blurred but these are not the only boundaries essentiel to the novel. In fact, there are all kinds of boundaries ; boundaries between night and day, stormy and fine weather, life and death, reality and fancy, inside and outside, fascination and fear, and boundaries of the self at the heart of Jamaica Inn<\/em>. Indeed, the reader has every right to wonder if the omnipresent instability in the novel may not be closely related to the main character’s confused inner life.<\/p>\n

Thus, without warning, the reader has left the superficial approach to the text as a story of adventure, to investigate a deeper level of reading if we consider, like Eugenia C. Delamotte, that \u00ab\u00a0[b]oundaries and barriers, after all, are the very stage properties of Gothic romance\u00a0\u00bb<\/em>[[Delamotte, Eug\u00e9nia, C. Perils of the Night : A feminist Study of Nineteenth-Century Gothic<\/em>. New York and Oxford : Oxford University Press, 1990 (19).]].<\/p>\n

A suivre…<\/p>\n

Copyright : Ombeline Belkadi (odalavie@wanadoo.fr).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER A biography WRITING CORNWALL a Setting and plot b Suspense and mystery c Daphne du Maurier’s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2081,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/terresdecrivains.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/687"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/terresdecrivains.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/terresdecrivains.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/terresdecrivains.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/terresdecrivains.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=687"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/terresdecrivains.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/687\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3829,"href":"https:\/\/terresdecrivains.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/687\/revisions\/3829"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/terresdecrivains.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2081"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/terresdecrivains.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=687"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/terresdecrivains.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=687"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/terresdecrivains.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=687"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}