The Jamaica Inn

«The Jamaica Inn” — one of the most famous novels by English writer Daphne du Maurier (1907–1989), her first true major success, followed two years later by the triumph of «Rebecca». Today, the novel is considered a classic of the Gothic tradition in 20th-century literature, and the heroine Mary Yellan is compared to Jane Eyre. The events described in the novel unfold in the early 19th century against the backdrop of the magical landscapes of Cornwall, its heath-covered moors, and coastal cliffs. In full accordance with the laws of the genre, the orphaned Mary leaves her native land and travels to her relatives — her childless aunt and her husband, Joss Merlyn, a rough and reclusive owner of the roadside inn «Jamaica». The establishment has a bad reputation, respectable people avoid it, yet it lives its strange and frightening life. Gradually, Mary begins to suspect something, terrifying thoughts swirl in her head, but whom can she tell? A mistake could cost her dearly... In 1939, Alfred Hitchcock made a film based on the novel starring Charles Laughton and Maureen O'Hara — his first adaptation of du Maurier's books, and in 1983, an English miniseries was released with Jane Seymour in the lead role.