242:
reprint, called the tone of the book "mocking" – shifting from the funny and farcical to the bleak and bizarre. Du
Maurier's publishers were worried by the implausible plot, and it bemused many of her readers. Yet, Westland said, the novel is held together by its very absurdity. She noted that the
221:
Du
Maurier started work on the novel early in 1972, following up an idea she had had for "a funny novel … mocking everything". It was to be "a mockup of what this country may be like in the mid-seventies”, and on its completion she was sure that she had pulled off a fast and funny piece of satire
173:
Andy, 12, one of Mad's adopted boys who has an obsession with bows and arrows and a hazy understanding of the concepts of right and wrong, shoots and kills one of the
Marines. Mad, Emma and some of the locals cover up the death, and throw the body over the cliff into the sea. It is not found for
197:. Emma notices Mad standing in welcome at her porch, but when she realises that nobody else can see her she tells the doctor that he had better go down into the basement, where Mad has been asleep for a very long time. The novel concludes with the helicopters still flying eastward into the sun.
189:
Mad and her family retreat to their cellar, where they subsist for several days on apples and beetroot, and water from a re-opened well. Early one morning, Emma and the boys are woken by aircraft and what appears to be gunfire, explosions and depth charges, while Mad sleeps on. Power has been
262:
Westland suggested that du
Maurier's motive in writing the book was to explore her own feelings about the Britain that her grandchildren would inherit. She hated the superior attitude of London, and the crass interventions from up-country. In the novel she tried to give Cornwall back to the
29:
190:
restored, and a television announcer states that the sinking of the warship may have been caused by torpedo action. In any event, the security regulations have been relaxed, and the
Marines are to leave the local area. A stream of helicopters flies overhead, leaving Cornwall.
151:. They share a large house near the coast with Mad's six ‘maladjusted’ adopted sons who range in age from 3 to 18. One morning, Emma wakes to the sound of aeroplanes overhead. An American warship has anchored in the bay and
230:
Reviewers did not share the author's opinion of her work, and most notices were unenthusiastic. There was general consensus that, at best, the novel was pedestrian and, at worst, it was plain silly. Du
Maurier's biographer,
174:
several days, and in the absence of a culprit the military authorities crack down on the local population by cutting food, electricity and water supplies, and arresting and taking into custody all the local men and youths.
185:
celebrations. Shortly afterwards, there is a huge explosion which sinks the warship in the bay. Nobody knows the cause, but in a televised speech the prime minister hints of sabotage "by unknown agents hostile to USUK”.
255:
on stage since before Daphne was born, and she held that the novel can be read as “Peter Pan meets the
Marines, with Emma playing Wendy to Mad’s Peter Pan”. Mad's boys are the six
170:, institutes roadblocks, and cuts local telephone and postal communication. To Mad and her family the US Marines appear less like invited friends than a hostile invading force.
743:
738:
599:
442:
177:
Mad encourages the local farmers to an act of civil disobedience in which huge piles of rotting manure are dumped in front of the local
316:
147:
Emma, 20, lives with her elderly grandmother, Mad (short for Madam), a famous retired actress, in the small village of
Poldrea in
259:
adopted by the
Darlings. But she considered that du Maurier had put more of her own character into Mad than she had realised.
607:
753:
159:
763:
166:, the UK and the USA have joined together as a single nation, to be called USUK. The new government of USUK declares a
408:
362:
114:
538:
758:
435:
340:
155:
are marching over the fields. They are trigger-happy, and one of them shoots and kills a local farmer's dog.
209:, who died in 1971. Cooper had been one of the leading ladies of Daphne's father, the actor and impresario
748:
728:
490:
182:
582:
136:
733:
428:
152:
634:
296:
554:
688:
506:
256:
135:. The novel is set in a fictional near future in which the UK's recent withdrawal from the
8:
626:
498:
474:
68:
658:
167:
163:
682:
676:
664:
592:
530:
466:
451:
404:
358:
248:
210:
128:
109:
42:
522:
276:
232:
670:
482:
132:
264:
158:
After some hours of civil confusion, a television announcement is made by the
722:
514:
206:
706:
252:
239:
546:
194:
700:
694:
244:
28:
420:
148:
341:
Rule
Britannia by Daphne du Maurier « Pining for the West
181:
where the American military authorities have arranged their
178:
235:, called it in 1993 "the poorest novel she ever wrote".
162:: due to recent economic and military failures on the
139:
has brought the country to the verge of bankruptcy.
403:. London: Chatto & Windus. pp. 382–383.
720:
238:Ella Westland, in her introduction to the 2004
311:
309:
307:
305:
436:
744:Novels about the United States Marine Corps
302:
443:
429:
378:
376:
374:
352:
27:
394:
392:
357:. London: Victor Gollancz Ltd. Flyleaf.
222:that would be "popular autumn reading".
398:
371:
721:
389:
346:
450:
424:
334:
225:
205:The book is dedicated to the actress
267:and let them defend their own land.
131:'s last novel, published in 1972 by
608:Not After Midnight / Don't Look Now
279: – 1740 British patriotic song
13:
739:British alternative history novels
247:since early childhood, her father
14:
775:
290:
382:Westland, Ella, introduction to
193:The local doctor arrives in his
659:Lt.-Gen. Sir Frederick Browning
297:SF Encyclopedia Picture Gallery
142:
16:1972 novel by Daphne du Maurier
317:"British Library Item details"
243:author had known the story of
1:
283:
216:
200:
7:
754:Novels by Daphne du Maurier
584:The Birds and Other Stories
353:du Maurier, Daphne (1972).
270:
10:
780:
399:Forster, Margaret (1993).
764:Victor Gollancz Ltd books
651:
618:
573:
458:
108:
100:
92:
84:
74:
64:
56:
48:
38:
26:
251:having regularly played
671:Muriel, Lady du Maurier
555:The House on the Strand
343:Retrieved 4 August 2013
299:Retrieved 4 August 2013
759:Novels set in Cornwall
689:Cannon Hall, Hampstead
665:Sir Gerald du Maurier
153:United States Marines
386:, Virago Press, 2004
749:Invasion literature
729:1972 British novels
69:Victor Gollancz Ltd
23:
600:The Breaking Point
507:The King's General
226:Critical reception
168:state of emergency
21:
734:Brexit in fiction
716:
715:
683:George du Maurier
677:Angela du Maurier
635:The Years Between
491:Frenchman's Creek
467:The Loving Spirit
452:Daphne du Maurier
401:Daphne du Maurier
249:Gerald du Maurier
211:Gerald du Maurier
129:Daphne du Maurier
120:
119:
85:Publication place
49:Cover artist
43:Daphne du Maurier
771:
703:(fictional home)
691:(childhood home)
523:My Cousin Rachel
445:
438:
431:
422:
421:
415:
414:
396:
387:
380:
369:
368:
350:
344:
338:
332:
331:
329:
327:
313:
300:
294:
277:Rule, Britannia!
233:Margaret Forster
76:Publication date
31:
24:
20:
779:
778:
774:
773:
772:
770:
769:
768:
719:
718:
717:
712:
647:
614:
576:and collections
575:
569:
454:
449:
419:
418:
411:
397:
390:
381:
372:
365:
351:
347:
339:
335:
325:
323:
315:
314:
303:
295:
291:
286:
273:
228:
219:
203:
145:
133:Victor Gollancz
93:Media type
77:
34:
22:Rule Britannia
17:
12:
11:
5:
777:
767:
766:
761:
756:
751:
746:
741:
736:
731:
714:
713:
711:
710:
704:
698:
692:
686:
680:
674:
668:
662:
655:
653:
649:
648:
646:
645:
642:September Tide
639:
631:
622:
620:
616:
615:
613:
612:
604:
596:
588:The Apple Tree
579:
577:
571:
570:
568:
567:
563:Rule Britannia
559:
551:
543:
535:
527:
519:
511:
503:
495:
487:
479:
471:
462:
460:
456:
455:
448:
447:
440:
433:
425:
417:
416:
409:
388:
384:Rule Britannia
370:
363:
355:Rule Britannia
345:
333:
321:primocat.bl.uk
301:
288:
287:
285:
282:
281:
280:
272:
269:
227:
224:
218:
215:
202:
199:
160:prime minister
144:
141:
124:Rule Britannia
118:
117:
112:
106:
105:
102:
98:
97:
94:
90:
89:
88:United Kingdom
86:
82:
81:
78:
75:
72:
71:
66:
62:
61:
58:
54:
53:
50:
46:
45:
40:
36:
35:
32:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
776:
765:
762:
760:
757:
755:
752:
750:
747:
745:
742:
740:
737:
735:
732:
730:
727:
726:
724:
708:
705:
702:
699:
696:
693:
690:
687:
685:(grandfather)
684:
681:
678:
675:
672:
669:
666:
663:
660:
657:
656:
654:
650:
643:
640:
637:
636:
632:
629:
628:
624:
623:
621:
617:
610:
609:
605:
602:
601:
597:
594:
590:
589:
585:
581:
580:
578:
574:Short stories
572:
565:
564:
560:
557:
556:
552:
549:
548:
544:
541:
540:
539:The Scapegoat
536:
533:
532:
528:
525:
524:
520:
517:
516:
515:The Parasites
512:
509:
508:
504:
501:
500:
496:
493:
492:
488:
485:
484:
480:
477:
476:
472:
469:
468:
464:
463:
461:
457:
453:
446:
441:
439:
434:
432:
427:
426:
423:
412:
410:0-7011-6167-1
406:
402:
395:
393:
385:
379:
377:
375:
366:
364:0-575-01598-5
360:
356:
349:
342:
337:
322:
318:
312:
310:
308:
306:
298:
293:
289:
278:
275:
274:
268:
266:
260:
258:
254:
250:
246:
241:
236:
234:
223:
214:
212:
208:
207:Gladys Cooper
198:
196:
191:
187:
184:
180:
175:
171:
169:
165:
161:
156:
154:
150:
140:
138:
134:
130:
126:
125:
116:
115:0-575-01598-5
113:
111:
107:
103:
99:
95:
91:
87:
83:
79:
73:
70:
67:
63:
59:
55:
52:Keith Richens
51:
47:
44:
41:
37:
33:First edition
30:
25:
19:
707:Mrs. Danvers
641:
633:
625:
606:
598:
587:
583:
562:
561:
553:
545:
537:
529:
521:
513:
505:
497:
489:
481:
473:
465:
400:
383:
354:
348:
336:
324:. Retrieved
320:
292:
261:
253:Captain Hook
237:
229:
220:
204:
192:
188:
183:thanksgiving
176:
172:
157:
146:
143:Plot summary
123:
122:
121:
18:
709:(character)
499:Hungry Hill
475:Jamaica Inn
326:27 December
723:Categories
547:Castle Dor
284:References
217:Background
201:Dedication
195:Land Rover
701:Manderley
695:Menabilly
661:(husband)
595:") (1952)
593:The Birds
531:Mary Anne
257:Lost Boys
245:Peter Pan
164:continent
65:Publisher
679:(sister)
673:(mother)
667:(father)
271:See also
149:Cornwall
57:Language
652:Related
627:Rebecca
483:Rebecca
265:Cornish
60:English
697:(home)
644:(1948)
638:(1945)
630:(1940)
611:(1971)
603:(1959)
566:(1972)
558:(1969)
550:(1961)
542:(1957)
534:(1954)
526:(1951)
518:(1949)
510:(1946)
502:(1943)
494:(1941)
486:(1938)
478:(1936)
470:(1931)
459:Novels
407:
361:
240:Virago
39:Author
619:Plays
101:Pages
96:Print
405:ISBN
359:ISBN
328:2017
110:ISBN
80:1972
179:pub
137:EEC
127:is
104:318
725::
591:("
586:/
391:^
373:^
319:.
304:^
213:.
444:e
437:t
430:v
413:.
367:.
330:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
