Trilby (Oxford World's Classics)

First published in 1894, the story of the diva Trilby O'Ferrall and her mentor, Svengali, has entered the mythology of that period alongside Dracula and Sherlock Holmes. Immensely popular for years, the novel led to a hit play, a series of popular films, Trilby products from hats to ice-cream, and streets in Florida named after characters in the book. The setting reflects Du Maurier's bohemian years as an art student in Paris before he went to London to make a career in journalism. A celebrated caricaturist for Punch magazine, Du Maurier's drawings for the novel--of which his most significant are included here--form a large part of its appeal.About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

About the Author

Elaine Showalter is Professor and Chair of the English Department at Princeton University. Her books include The New Feminist Criticism and Sexual Anarchy: Gender and Culture at the Fin de Siecle. George Du Maurier was born in Paris into a bilingual household and spent his childhood shuttling between London, Paris, Boulogne, and Belgium. After studying art in Paris, he made a career in London in journalism and magazine illustration. He joined the staff of Punch and quickly became known for his witty lampoons of high society. Encouraged by his friend Henry James, he wrote his first novel, Peter Ibbetson, in 1891. Trilby (1894), his second novel, became an immense international success, generating a craze - `Trilby-mania' - that went beyond the novel itself. Manufacturers vied to produce Trilby products - from ice-cream to shoes - and a town in Florida named its streets after characters in the book.

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