Il y a des femmes fortes dans ce roman, et qu'est-ce que cela fait du bien pour un roman datant de la première moitié du XXème ! En particulier Janet, "l'héroïne" du livre, que j'ai beaucoup aimé dans sa détermination, et pour son féminisme sous-jacent. by Anne Brontë A Reminiscence The Arbour Home Vanitas Vanitatum, Omnia Vanitas The Penitent Music on Christmas Morning Stanzas If This Be All Memory To Cowper The Doubter's Prrayer A Word to the "Elect" Past Days The Consolation Lines Composed in a Wood on a Windy Day Views of Life Appeal The Student's Serenade The Captive Dove Self-Congratulation Fluctuations by Emily Brontë Faith and Despondency Stars The Philosopher Remembrance A Death Scene Song Anticipation The Prisoner Hope A Day Dream Imagination How Clear She Shines Sympathy Plead for Me Self-Interrogation Death Stanzas to ---- Honour's Martyr Stanzas My Comforter The Old Stoic I know I sometimes used to wish my mum would have been slightly more affectionate but for Heaven's sake, control yourself madam. Very odd, very odd. The nature of the ‘solution’ made available to Janet is relevant to du Maurier’s own experience of gender where, at different times in her life she both came to understand the desire to escape her gender and the impossibility of that escape. Forster explains that early in life she comes to understand that ‘there was no escape from being a girl’ and so she must suppress the boy-in-the-box. Later in life she looked to shift the boundaries of this either–or gender dichotomy by referring to herself as ‘neither a girl nor a boy but a disembodied spirit’ suggesting that it is only disembodiment that can facilitate the escape from being read in relation to gender; Forster, Daphne du Maurier, pp. 28, 221–2. It is not surprising, therefore, that rather than a one-off experiment from a first-time novelist, later novels continue to explore supernatural elements as potential solutions. Light recognises ‘her later concern with the boundaries of the body and the possibility of the “supernatural” ’ but it is clear that this is a concern right from the very beginning with her first novel. She also explains that novels written after the Second World War ‘sought to find other ways out of the blind alleys into which flights from respectable womanhood seemed to lead. Many of her stories start to look for metaphysical escape routes into a super- or hyper-natural reality’; Light, Forever England, pp. 158, 181.

The first problem is that the "loving spirit" (Janet Coombes) is not very loving. She is entirely self-absorbed and her great love affair of her heart and soul is with her own son, and he with her. It's a profound emotional incest which we are meant to understand goes beyond the here-and-now and resides in their eternal souls. It is also grotesquely incestuous in its expression, stopping short of actual sex, but including such passages as this: "... You'd come alone, without father, without Sam or the others―you alone, for me." This happened constantly. All of these would be fine if they were a couple instead of mother and son. But I just couldn't get over it, time and time again. It's not even a book about incest. Those innuendos are all written in a passing way, with no special attention to it. The author treats all of this as if it's completely normal and natural, and there's no reason to dwell here. I still don't understand why, how, and for what purpose was this written this way? Westland E. The passionate periphery: Cornwall and romantic fiction. In: Bell IA, editor. Peripheral visions: images of nationhood in contemporary British fiction. Cardiff: University of Wales Press; 1995. p. 153–72. Her debut novel established du Maurier’s reputation and style with an inimitable blend of romance, history and adventure.”

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During this time, Daphne was involved in another of her odd relationships, this time with her cousin Geoffrey Hoyer Millar, another actor. He was considerably older than Daphne and married but had been hovering since she was little more than a child. She did not really understand her feelings for Geoffrey, and her father was aware of the situation and furious with rage and jealousy. It seems possible that Daphne's contempt for her father, as far as relationships went, encouraged her to string Geoffrey along, perhaps giving her a feeling of being in control. However, he proved to be quite needy, and she was not sorry when his work took him away and out of the picture. Roberts M. The loving spirit. In: Taylor H, editor. The Daphne du Maurier companion. London: Virago; 2007. p. 133–8. Daphne du Maurier (1907 – 1989), the prolific British novelist, playwright, and short story writer started her publishing career at age twenty-two with her first novel, The Loving Spirit (1931). Gerald arrived at Ferryside for his first visit in the summer of 1927. Uncertain as to how much he would enjoy living in the house so close to the river and the unpredictable Cornish weather, a succession of friends and family members were invited to stay so that Gerald could be constantly entertained. In due course, everyone left again except for Angela and Daphne, who were allowed to stay, providing they returned home to Hampstead by October. Kent AM. The literature of Cornwall: continuity, identity, difference 1000–2000. Bristol: Redcliffe; 2000.

The Jane Slade figurehead was removed from the ship and is in place on a beam at Ferryside. It can be seen when passing the house from the river and even from the Fowey side of the ferry crossing. Nearby Lanteglos church is where Jane Slade (Janet Coombe) was married and where Jane and other family members are buried. Fowey was a busy port at this time and Joseph serves his time on board a sea trading vessel. In time Joseph earns his master certificate and the family agree to build their own ship and name it the “Janet Coombe” which Joseph then captains. Tragedy strikes when Janet, who has a weak heart, passes away on the day of the ship launch. Les personnages sont très, très puissants. Ils sont tous dépeints avec justesse, sont tous extrêmement fournis et détaillés, et Daphné du Maurier nous sert en plus de ça les 4 personnages les plus attachants et complexes en guise de personnages principaux (j'ai personnellement adoré la première partie, et surtout la deuxième où l'on suit le personnage de Joseph pour cela). Munford R. Spectres of authorship: Daphne du Maurier’s Gothic legacy. In: Taylor H, editor. The Daphne du Maurier companion. London: Virago; 2007. p. 68–74.Beginning in the early 1800s, The Loving Spirit tells the story of the Coombes family, and is mainly set in Cornwall, a part of England in which the author spent much of her life. Janet Coombes marries her cousin, Thomas Coombes, who is a shipbuilder. The novel follows the adventures and trials of this family for four generations. Of these children, Samuel and Mary, the two oldest, and Herbert, the fourth, were hard-working, estimable souls, just like their father. Joseph, the third child, was twin spirit with his mother. Philip, the fifth child, was a stranger in the family. Elizabeth, the sixth, was a happy blend of both parents. Bold V, Greenhill P. Frenchman’s Creek and the female sailor: transgendering Daphne du Maurier. West Folk. 2012;71(1):47–67.

J'aime beaucoup la plume de Daphné Du Maurier, très fluide et poétique. On se laisse porter par les descriptions, on ressent la présence de la mer, des embruns salés et cela rend le roman très immersif. Payton P. Paralysis and revival: the reconstruction of Celtic–Catholic Cornwall 1890–1945. In: Westland E, editor. Cornwall: the cultural construction of place. Penzance: Patten; 1997. p. 25–39.

A 1931 review of The Loving Spirit by Daphne du Maurier

Later, when the Jane Slade was broken up, the Slade family gave Daphne the beautiful figurehead, which was mounted on the wall of Ferryside, just outside Daphne's bedroom window, the room where she wrote The Loving Spirit. Plyn doesn’t exist, but Ferryside does. Where Daphne spent her summer holidays. A place that inspired her to pen down her first novel. The loving spirit. From the very start, her love for the Cornish countryside is so apparent. Wide open spaces, the sprawling blue skies overhead, the tiny swaying sails in the distance: I could almost feel the grass bend and the stalks break under my bare feet. Such is the elegance and dexterity of her prose. And even though her voice here isn’t as refined as in her later novels, especially Rebecca, it is strong with a whiff of the greatness it will ultimately mould into. by Charlotte Brontë Pilate's Wife's Dream Mementos The Wife's Will The Wood Frances Gilbert Life The Letter Regret Presentiment The Teacher's Monologue Passion Preference Eveining Solace Stanzas Parting Apostasy Winter Stores The Missionary