Rebecca and Other Gothic Literature Comparison Essays
Birmingham City University
We are delighted to say that we have again collaborated with Serena Trowbridge, Reader in Victorian Literature at the School of English, Birmingham City University, and the final year students to whom she has been teaching the module on Gothic Literature.
Many of you will recognise Serena's name because she has contributed a number of essays and articles to the Daphne du Maurier website, and is a regular and popular speaker at the du Maurier Fowey Literary Festival.
Rebecca
This is the fifth year that Serena and her students have contributed to our website. This year, we bring you the two finest essays comparing Rebecca (1938) by Daphne du Maurier with other Gothic literature, firstly with Jane Eyre (1847) by Charlotte Brontė and secondly with the novella, Carmilla (1872) by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu.
Jane Eyre
While nearly everyone will be familiar with Jane Eyre, they may be less aware of Carmilla, which was one of the earliest vampire stories, and will have influenced Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897), published twenty-five years later. It is regarded as one of the most influential vampire stories of all time and popularised the lesbian vampire trope.
Carmilla
Click on the links to read these two excellent essays:
1). Gothic Monsters: How do Jane Eyre and Rebecca construct Gothic monstrosity? by Samuel Parker.
Rebecca and Jane Eyre
https://www.dumaurier.org/data/uploads/2284_1263254684.pdf
2) How are women villainised for not conforming to patriarchal ideals in Carmilla and Rebecca by Jana Abdalla Ahmed?
Rebecca and Carmilla
https://www.dumaurier.org/data/uploads/2285_1127870701.pdf
We thank Samuel and Jana for sharing their essays with us, and Serena for making this collaboration possible.
To look back at the essays the students from Birmingham City University shared with us in previous years, go to our website's Interesting Facts section and click on these three headings:
Gothic Literature and the place that Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca takes in the genre
Reading Rebecca as Gothic
Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca as Gothic
Comparing Rebecca with other Gothic Literature
February 2026.