Secrets beyond the Door

Description

"The tale of Bluebeard's wife - the story of a young woman who discovers that her mysterious blue-bearded husband has murdered his former spouses - no longer squares with what most parents consider good bedtime reading for their children. But the story has remained alive for adults, allowing it to lead a rich subteranean existence in novels ranging from Jane Eyre to Lolita, and in films as diverse as Hitchcock's Notorious and Jane Campion's The Piano." "In this work, Maria Tatar analyzes the many forms the tale of Bluebeard's wife has taken over time, particularly in Anglo-European popular culture. It documents the fortunes of Bluebeard, his wife, and their marriage in folklore, fiction, film, and opera, showing how others took the Bluebeard theme and revived it with their own signature twists. Secrets Beyond the Door will appeal to both literary scholars and general readers."--BOOK JACKET.

First Sentence

whose problem-solving skills and psychological finesse make her a shrewd detective, capable of rescuing herself and often her marriage in the bargain. But she can also be seen as a figure who wants to know too much, whose curiosity represents a betrayal of trust, as Edna St. Vincent Millay suggests in a Bluebeard poem: "And you did so profane me when you crept/Unto the threshold of this room to-night."

Excerpt

whose problem-solving skills and psychological finesse make her a shrewd detective, capable of rescuing herself and often her marriage in the bargain. But she can also be seen as a figure who wants to know too much, whose curiosity represents a betrayal of trust, as Edna St. Vincent Millay suggests in a Bluebeard poem: "And you did so profane me when you crept/Unto the threshold of this room to-night."

Subjects

Other Editions

• Secrets beyond the door: the story of Bluebeard and his wivesPrinceton University Press2004-01-01
• Secrets beyond the DoorPaperbackPrinceton University Press2006-09-13