ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses "The Doll" as emblematic of Daphne du Maurier's literary revolt against regressive societal notions through her experimentation with gender and sexuality. It explores how her stories portray societal fears of emerging female independence in their relationships with men, as this liberation also meant changes in their sexual attitudes. The chapter also explores how "The Doll" can be read as a seminal text for some of du Maurier's later works, particularly in relation to this story's Rebecca, a prototype in many ways for the infamous title character in her most famous novel Rebecca. In "The Doll" the entire tale is told through the "male gaze", a concept developed by feminist film critic Laura Mulvey in order to explain the correlation that stems from "sexual imbalance" of a "split between an active/male and a passive/female". Monstrous femininity, a trait shared by many of du Maurier's female figures, may have been inspired by some of the women in her life.
