Benighted (novel) explained
| Benighted |
| Author: | J. B. Priestley |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Language: | English |
| Genre: | Drama, Thriller |
| Publisher: | Heinemann |
| Release Date: | October 1927 |
| Media Type: | Print |
Benighted (published in the United States as The Old Dark House) is a 1927 novel by the British writer J.B. Priestley.[1] [2] Priestley's second published novel, the story explores the post-First World War disillusionment that Britain felt during the time period.[3] A number of travellers are forced to take shelter at an old Welsh country house during a storm. The book was published in the United States in 1928.[4]
Adaptations
It served as the basis for James Whale's film The Old Dark House in 1932 and its remake in 1963.[5]
Analysis
The book has been described as a study of British feeling following the First World War. Priestley himself described the book's characters as "forms of postwar pessimism pretending to be people".[6] As an author, Priestley tended to pit characters against people and environments that took place outside their regular circumstances.[7] Within the book, three travellers are taken in by a family, and they discover hidden dark secrets. The book draws on gothic literature elements. In particular, the book draws inspiration from the 1847 novel Jane Eyre.[8]
Bibliography
- Baxendale, John. Priestley’s England: J. B. Priestley and English culture. Manchester University Press, 2013.
- Gale, Maggie B. J.B. Priestley. Routledge, 2008.
- Goble, Alan. The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film. Walter de Gruyter, 1999.
External links
Notes and References
- Book: Watson . George . The New Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature . Willison . Ian . Cambridge University Press . 1972 . 978-0521085359 . 4 . 713 . en.
- Book: Office, Library of Congress Copyright . Catalogue of Title-entries of Books and Other Articles Entered in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, Under the Copyright Law ... Wherein the Copyright Has Been Completed by the Deposit of Two Copies in the Office . 1920 . U.S. Government Printing Office . en.
- Book: Petley . Julian . British Horror Cinema . Chibnall . Steve . Routledge . 2002 . 9780415230032 . 80 . en . February 23, 2023.
- Book: Office, Library of Congress Copyright . Catalogue of Title-entries of Books and Other Articles Entered in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, Under the Copyright Law ... Wherein the Copyright Has Been Completed by the Deposit of Two Copies in the Office . 1920 . U.S. Government Printing Office . en.
- Book: Kabatchnik, Amnon . Blood on the Stage, 1925-1950 - Milestone Plays of Crime, Mystery, and Detection : an Annotated Repertoire . Scarecrow Press . 2010 . 9780810869639 . 339 . en.
- Book: Baxendale, John . Priestley's England - J. B. Priestley and English Culture . Manchester University Press . 2013 . 9781847796448 . en . February 23, 2023.
- Book: McFarlane, Brian . The Cinema of Britain and Ireland . Wallflower . 2005 . 9781904764380 . 35.
- Book: Downing . Niamh . Haunted Landscapes - Super-Nature and the Environment . Heholt . Ruth . Rowman & Littlefield International . 2016 . 9781783488834 . 114 . en . February 23, 2023.
