Author | Anya Seton |
---|---|
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Genre | Historical Romance |
Publisher | Houghton Mifflin |
Publication date | 1944 |
Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
Pages | 255 pp |
ISBN | 978-1-55652-581-0 |
Dragonwyck is a novel written by American author Anya Seton which was first published in 1944. It is a fictional story of the life of Miranda Wells and her abusive marriage to Nicholas Van Ryn, set against a historical background of the Patroon system, Anti-Rent Wars, the Astor Place Riots, [1] and steamboat racing on the Hudson River. [2]
The novel was adapted into the film Dragonwyck (1946).
The story begins in May 1844 with Miranda Wells, the daughter of a humble farmer in Greenwich, Connecticut. Abigail, Miranda's mother, receives a letter from Nicholas Van Ryn who is Abigail's maternal half first cousin and Patroon of a large manor called Dragonwyck near Hudson, New York. In the letter Van Ryn invites one of the Wells girls to Dragonwyck, to act as company for his six year old daughter Katrine. After initial doubts, Miranda's parents allow her to go to Dragonwyck where she is instantly attracted to and intrigued by the rich, mysterious and very dashing Nicholas, falling head over heels.
Not everyone welcomes Miranda to Dragonwyck. Nicholas' corpulent and lazy wife, Johanna, sees Miranda as a threat, and tries to keep her from her husband. Soon, Miranda encounters kind Doctor Jeff(erson) Turner, a skilled physician and a passionate anti-renter who believes that rich Patroons, like the Van Ryns, should give up their large estates. Van Ryn and Turner instantly dislike each other, and because of his views, Miranda is baffled when Nicholas asks the doctor to attend to his wife, who has a cold. However, while Dr. Turner is at Dragonwyck, Johanna becomes violently ill and dies. As Dr. Turner leaves, wondering what caused such a sudden death, Nicholas asks Miranda to marry him. She accepts.
Married life to Nicholas Van Ryn is far from what Miranda imagined. Despite him brutally forcing himself on her on their wedding night, she finds herself making excuses for him and staying by his side loyally but foolishly. As the story moves on, Nicholas's true mental state and his egotistical thirst for power become evident. After their newborn son dies, the relationship between Miranda and her now opium addicted husband withers, and the bonds between Miranda and Dr. Turner strengthen. Although the marriage then enters a potentially promising phase, this proves to be short-lived. Miranda's suspicions are aroused by Johanna's secret diary found in the attic and Dr. Turner eventually confirms to Miranda that Nicholas poisoned his frightened first wife with oleander resembling nutmeg on a cake. They confront him, then plan to escape, but Nicholas catches up with Miranda on a steamboat traveling down the Hudson River. The steamboat gets caught up in a race, catches fire, and crashes. Miranda is rescued by Nicholas, but he dies having rescued other passengers from the steamboat. After the ordeal, Miranda and Dr. Turner marry and plan to leave the Hudson Valley area forever, for a new life in California.
Kirkus Reviews called it "early 19th century decor for a good story -- a holding drama and colorful". [3]
Nina Brown Baker of the New York Times wrote, "It is disappointing that against this rich and satisfying background Miss Seton has chosen to set a trite Victorian melodrama," and "Dragonwyck is so real a house, set so solidly in such a real world, that it deserves worthier inhabitants than these pallid ghosts from a Bertha M. Clay past". [1]
Philippa Gregory wrote the foreword to the 2005 edition. [4]
Hillary Huber [5] and Bonnie Hurren narrate audiobook adaptations. [6]
Anya Seton, born Ann Seton, was an American author of historical fiction, or as she preferred they be called, "biographical novels".
Green Darkness is a 1972 novel by Anya Seton. It spent sixth months on The New York Times Best Seller list and became her most popular novel, as well as her last completed novel.
The Anti-Rent War was a tenants' revolt in upstate New York in the period 1839–1845. The Anti-Renters declared their independence from the manor system run by patroons, resisting tax collectors and successfully demanding land reform.
Henry Bell Van Rensselaer was an American military man, an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War, and a politician who served in the United States Congress as a Representative from the state of New York.
Katherine is a 1954 historical novel by American author Anya Seton. It tells the story of the historically important, 14th-century love affair in England between the eponymous Katherine Swynford and John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, the third surviving son of King Edward III.
Avalon is a 1965 novel by the American author Anya Seton.
Geoff Taylor is an English fantasy artist.
Down Argentine Way is a 1940 American musical film made in Technicolor by Twentieth Century Fox. It made a star of Betty Grable in her first leading role for the studio although she had already appeared in 31 films, and it introduced American audiences to Carmen Miranda. It also starred Don Ameche, The Nicholas Brothers, Charlotte Greenwood, and J. Carrol Naish.
Dragonwyck is a 1946 American period drama film made by Twentieth Century-Fox. It was directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, and produced by Darryl F. Zanuck and Ernst Lubitsch (uncredited), from a screenplay by Mankiewicz, based on the novel Dragonwyck by Anya Seton. The music score was by Alfred Newman, and the cinematography by Arthur C. Miller. The film stars Gene Tierney, Walter Huston, and Vincent Price.
The Great Man is a 2007 novel by American author Kate Christensen. It won the 2008 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, beating nearly 350 other submissions and earning Christensen the $15,000 top prize.
When You Reach Me is a Newbery Medal-winning science fiction and mystery novel by Rebecca Stead, published in 2009. It takes place on the Upper West Side of New York during 1978 and 1979 and follows a sixth-grade girl named Miranda Sinclair. After Miranda finds a strange note, which is unsigned and addressed only to "M," in her school library book, a mystery is set into motion—one which Miranda ultimately must face alone. At the same time, Miranda juggles school, relationships with her peers, and helping her mom prepare to be on the game show The $20,000 Pyramid. Important characters in the story include Miranda's mother; Richard, her mom's good-natured boyfriend; Sal, Miranda's childhood best friend; and a homeless man who lives on Miranda's block and is referred to only as "the laughing man." Central themes in the novel include independence, redemption, and friendship.
Greenwich Village is a 1944 American comedy-drama musical film from Twentieth Century Fox directed by Walter Lang. It stars Carmen Miranda and Don Ameche.
Arent Philipse Schuyler was a member of the influential Schuyler family. He was a surveyor, Native American trader, miner, merchant, and land speculator.
Vivienne Osborne was an American stage and film actress known for her work in Broadway theatre and in silent and sound films.
The Hearth and Eagle is a historical novel by Anya Seton. Set primarily in the old New England fishing village of Marblehead, Massachusetts, the story centers on strong-willed, passionate Hesper Honeywood and her search for love and fulfillment at a time when women had few options and the stormy Atlantic often claimed the lives of poor fishermen. Seton started researching her ancestors in the mid-1940s, which led her to Marblehead and the setting for her fourth novel.
Reinhold Schünzel was a German actor and director, active in both Germany and the United States. The son of a German father and a Jewish mother, he was born in St. Pauli, the poorest part of Hamburg. Despite being of Jewish ancestry, Schünzel was allowed by the Nazis to continue making films for several years until he eventually left in 1937 to live abroad.
The Van Rensselaer family is a family of Dutch descent that was prominent during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries in the area now known as the state of New York. Members of this family played a critical role in the formation of the United States and served as leaders in business, politics and society.
All the Truth That's in Me is a 2013 young adult novel by Julie Berry. The novel tells the story of Judith, a young woman from a deeply religious community who is kidnapped for two years and brought back with her tongue partially removed. The story deals with her life after returning and how she is treated by the village.
Emma is a 2020 period romantic comedy film directed by Autumn de Wilde, from a screenplay by Eleanor Catton, based on Jane Austen's 1815 novel of the same name. It stars Anya Taylor-Joy as Miss Emma Woodhouse, a wealthy and elegant young woman living with her father in Regency-era England who amuses herself with matchmaking and meddles in the romantic lives of those closest to her. The film also stars Johnny Flynn, Josh O'Connor, Callum Turner, Mia Goth, Miranda Hart, and Bill Nighy.
We Had to Remove This Post is a 2021 novella by Dutch writer Hanna Bervoets.