Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide

By Bright Summaries

Unlock the more straightforward side of Jamaica Inn with this concise and insightful summary and analysis!

This engaging summary presents an analysis of Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier, which tells the story of Mary Yellan, a young woman who promises her dying mother that she will go live with her aunt after her death. Unbeknownst to either of them, her aunt has married the murderous smuggler Joss Merlyn and now lives in remote Jamaica Inn, from where Joss masterminds his criminal operation. Mary soon finds herself risking death in this hostile situation, where danger can come from the unlikeliest of sources… Jamaica Inn is among Daphne du Maurier’s best-known works; she is also known for her novels Rebecca and My Cousin Rachel, and her short story The Birds.

Find out everything you need to know about Jamaica Inn in a fraction of the time!

This in-depth and informative reading guide brings you:
• A complete plot summary
• Character studies
• Key themes and symbols
• Questions for further reflection

Why choose BrightSummaries.com?
Available in print and digital format, our publications are designed to accompany you on your reading journey. The clear and concise style makes for easy understanding, providing the perfect opportunity to improve your literary knowledge in no time.

See the very best of literature in a whole new light with BrightSummaries.com!

• Language: English
• Publisher: BrightSummaries.com
• Release date: Apr 3, 2019
• ISBN: 9782808016315

Book preview

ENGLISH WRITER

Born in London in 1907.

Died in Cornwall in 1989.

Notable works:

Rebecca (1938), novel

My Cousin Rachel (1951), novel

The Birds and Other Stories (1963), short story collection

Daphne du Maurier was born in London in 1907. Her father was the actor-manager Sir Gerald du Maurier and her grandfather was the novelist George du Maurier. She married Lieutenant-General Sir Frederick Browning in 1932 and they had three children. She lived most of her adult life in Cornwall, its rugged landscapes and wild seas providing the inspiration for many of her novels, including Jamaica Inn. Altogether she wrote 18 novels, five collections of short stories and nine works of non-fiction, including a biography of her father. Several of her novels were adapted for the screen, including Rebecca, My Cousin Rachel and Jamaica Inn. Her most successful novel was Rebecca, which has never been out of print. She was a master story-teller, whose use of vivid imagery and dramatic plot keep the reader turning the pages. In 1969 she was made a Dame of the British Empire for her services to literature.

Genre: novel

Reference edition: Du Maurier, D. (2015) Jamaica Inn. London: Virago Press.

1stedition: 1936

Themes: love, loyalty, trust, evil, religion, light and darkness, journey

Jamaica Inn is a novel focused on an inn of the same name. Situated in a wild and isolated spot on Bodmin Moor, Cornwall, the inn is at the centre of a network of smugglers and ship wreckers, apparently led by the