‘I too would find my ship’: Daphne du Maurier's Passion for the Sea

Abstract

This article examines the historical contexts for several of Daphne du Maurier's early novels, The Loving Spirit (1931), I'll Never Be Young Again (1932), Jamaica Inn (1932) and Frenchman's Creek (1941). She was strongly drawn to her adopted home in Cornwall and lived among people whose livelihoods depended on the sea. In particular, she first arrived there at a time of economic depression when there was great nostalgia for times past. Her novels reflect her fascination with the sea in all its moods, and the people who worked at sea and ashore. Her creative genius wound fact and fiction into powerful stories and the maritime background was meticulously researched. Her depictions of strong-minded women and coastal communities were unusual for her time. However, in all of this she had limitations that came from her gender, class and experience.

Keywords:

• coastal communities
• Cornwall
• gender
• maritime
• sea narratives
• wrecking