The Dark Genius of Daphne du Maurier - Four Iconic Short Stories & Her Writing Process
- sylviakayrose
- 6 days ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
Daphne du Maurier's short fiction reveals a unique mastery of horror and weird fiction. Stories like Kiss Me Again, Stranger, The Old Man, The Birds, and The Doll showcase her ability to blend psychological tension with eerie atmospheres and shocking revelations. These tales have influenced generations of writers and filmmakers, affirming her place as a dark genius of 20th-century literature.
Kiss Me Again, Stranger (1953)
Daphne du Maurier's "Kiss Me Again, Stranger" is a psychological thriller set in post-WWII London, delving into themes of deception and horror through the viewpoint of a young mechanic fixated on a captivating usherette. Du Maurier skillfully crafts a dark, gothic ambiance enhancing the turmoil of obsessive romantic attraction.
The story takes us to a dreary, rain-soaked, and desolate graveyard, a boundary between the living and the dead. The girl appears innocent, gentle, and "sleepy," yet she actually has a diabolical secret, highlighting the theme of deception and the unreliability of appearances.
The narrative draws from the dislocation and mental instability of the times. The narrator is a straightforward, sensitive young man whose orderly, routine life is disrupted by his meeting with the intriguing girl. The story transitions from an ordinary evening into a strange romance and shocking revelation.
The Old Man (1952)
The narrator of The Old Man is a curious neighbor who observes a secretive family liviing by a lake. The tale creates suspense as the narrator watches the old man and his devoted but seemingly subservient wife, three daughters and an oafish son.
Told from a first-person perspective, the story evokes a sense of foreboding from the beginning, and is is famous for its significant plot twist. The reader initially believes the unreliable narrator is describing a dysfunctional human family.
The narrator witnesses the old man become aggressive and drive his simpleton son, "Boy", out of the home, culminating in the young man's death. It delves into themes of parental cruelty, territoriality, and the nature of observation.
Set near a lakeside in Cornwall, the story reflects a place of both beauty and, in the narrator's view, a sinister tragedy. It's as a masterclass in unreliable narration, where the reader's assumptions are challenged by the final revelation.
The Birds (1952)
Perhaps her most famous short story, The Birds depicts a sudden and unexplained attack by flocks of birds on a coastal town, focussing on a farm hand and his family. The story’s tension builds as nature turns hostile, building a feeling of helplessness and impending doom. Du Maurier’s portrayal of the birds as relentless and intelligent forces taps into fears of nature’s unpredictability.
Set in a post-WWII British coastal town, The Birds follows Nat Hocken, a disabled veteran employed at a nearby farm, who discovers thousands of birds are becoming violently aggressive towards humans. As attacks intensify, coinciding with the high tides, Nat struggles to protect his family in their fortified cottage, while hearing about nationwide panic and failing government defenses.
Realizing the birds' behavior aligns with the high tides, Nat secures his home to keep his family safe. The radio confirms these attacks are widespread across England, leading to total societal breakdown.
Nat discovers the neighbors who ignored his warnings are dead. The story leaves us with an open-ended conclusion, implying a grim and uncertain fate. The story remains influential a it combines everyday settings with extraordinary terror, making the horror feel immediate and plausible.
This story inspired Alfred Hitchcock’s 1963 film adaptation.
4. The Doll (1928, pub 2011)
This dark, gothic short story follows a man’s obsession with a woman named Rebecca. She plays him along, and one day shows him her secret, hidden in another room - a grotesque mechanical doll named Julio.
The doll is described with "wet" lips and a "sinister" look, blurring the line between human and machine. It's a ghastly object representing a perfect, cold, and controlled relationship for Rebecca, who enigmatically tells our hero she can never love a man.
Rebecca is depicted as fatal and soulless, an intense woman who controls the narrator through her indifference and hidden secrets. She holds all the power, while the narrator becomes a madman consumed by his passion and conflicting feelings.
The story, explained to be found in a waterlogged notebook, uses a framing narrative of discovered, fragmented writings. This adds an intimate touch to the sense of dread, mystery, and suspense.
Du Maurier wrote this gripping tale when she was twenty-one, years before her famous novel Rebecca (1938). The Doll , featuring a femme fatale of the same name who is cruel and desirable, foreshadows the complex, haunting female character of her later work.
Though written around 1928, the story was deemed too provocative for publication during that period. It was lost for decades until rediscovered and published in 2011.
Daphne du Maurier’s Writing Process and Legacy
Daphne du Maurier was known for her disciplined writing routine and deep connection to the settings she described. She often drew inspiration from Cornwall’s rugged landscapes, which appear as vivid backdrops in many of her stories. Her attention to detail and ability to create mood through setting are key to her storytelling.
Du Maurier wrote with a focus on character psychology and atmosphere rather than explicit horror. She believed fear was most effective when subtle and suggested, rather than shown outright.
She wrote her short stories primarily from a male perspective. Her father treated her as a tomboy because he'd wanted a son, and dark elements arise when peeking backstage at the relationship between father and daughter. She always felt the need for his approval, and at one time even described their intense, obsessive relationship as thematically homoerotic. She also felt her writing was driven by a male energy.
She often revised extensively, sometimes rewriting stories multiple times to perfect the tone. She also kept detailed journals, which reveal her thoughts on storytelling and her desire to explore human fears in new ways.
As her fame grew as a writer, she became more reclusive. Today her influence extends beyond literature into film and popular culture. Her short stories continue to be studied for their innovative use of horror elements and psychological depth.
Why These Stories Remain Influential
Each of these stories demonstrates du Maurier’s unique ability to blend the ordinary with the uncanny. She builds tension through character, setting, and mood, making her work timeless and influential as writers and filmmakers strive to create horror that feels real and unsettling.
Her stories also explore universal fears: loss of control, isolation, madness, and the unpredictability of nature. These themes resonate across cultures and eras, ensuring her work remains relevant.
For readers interested in horror and weird fiction, du Maurier’s short stories offer a compelling study in subtlety and psychological depth. They show how fear can be crafted through suggestion and atmosphere.
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