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| Plot Summary of Trilby |
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"George Du Maurier (father of novelist Daphne Du Maurier) based many parts of this novel upon his experiences as a student in Paris during the height of "La Vie Boheme" at the end of the 19th century. The protagonist, Little Billee, is a young English painter with great talent. He and his friends Taffy and the Laird share a studio in a Quartier Latin neighborhood full of artists and musicians, including a German-Polish music teacher named Svengali. The group become acquainted with an artists' model named Trilby, who was orphaned as a child and who works to support her little brother and herself. Trilby is lively, charming, unpretentious, and beautiful, and soon Little Billee is madly in love.
When his mother learns that Little Billee intends to marry an artists' model (nude models were almost as socially unacceptable as protitutes) she travels to Paris and tells Trilby that such a marriage would mean ruin for Billee and his family. Trilby promises that she will never see Little Billee again. Soon afterward, Trilby vanishes, leaving Billee sick and distraught.
Many years later, Billee and his friends hear of a singer called "La Svengali" who has astonished all of Europe. By attending one of her performances, they learn that "La Svengali" is the wife of the music teacher they knew in the Quartier Latin, trained by him to sing with more technical mastery than anyone has ever heard. When "La Svengali" appears on stage, they see that she is none other than Trilby. Her singing moves the audience to tears, though everyone notices that she moves stiffly and strangely and that her face is as blank as an automaton's. Not until Svengali dies suddenly during a concert is Trilby set free from the hypnotic spell that has controlled her for years. "
Jacqueline West, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Trilby |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book?
- thoughtful
Time/era of story
- 19th century
Romance/Romance Problems
Yes
Life of a profession:
- artist
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Job/Profession/Status story
Yes
Lover is
- of a different social class
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- artist
Age:
- 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Ethnicity/Nationality
- British
How sensitive is this character?
- soggy whimpering jelly muffin
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- healthy but a geeky weakling
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- teacher
Has magical powers?
Yes
Magical/mental powers
- mind control
Eccentric/Smart/Dumb:
Yes
Eccentric:
- obsessed
- eccentric
- emotionally unstable
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 5 (an average amount)
Europe
Yes
European country:
- France
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
Weird Victorian/Shakespearean English?
Yes
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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Click here for more information about this book
George Du Maurier Resident Scholar Profiles
TOP SCHOLAR:
 Jacqueline West
SCHOLARS:
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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