In the introduction of Rebecca, the author describes a dream she recently had. The dream is about her old home, Manderley. She describes the grand house, its vast gardens and wooded area, and its location near the sea. She imagines it, as it had once been, when she lived there. She describes the books and newspapers that would lay in stacks after being read, the warm fire they would sit near, and the dog that used to sit at her feet. The vision in her dream then turns to a description of how Manderley must look now. It is abandoned, no one is there to read newspapers by the fire or play with the dog. In fact the dog no longer lives at Manderley. The author describes how the gardens look; unkempt and the flowers have given way to weeds. The author is relieved they are no longer at Manderley because they had felt fear there. They are now staying at a hotel far away. (read more)
