"The poisonous East--birthplace and home of an ill wind that blows nobody good."
I'm sure many people are familiar with the term Svengali, but did you know that it originated in this book form 1894? Svengali is an evil, mysterious, and Jewish (it's a tiny bit racist) mesmerist who takes the innocent title character and makes her into a brilliant singer. The actress who played Trilby on stage wore a hat that is now known as. . .wait for it. . .a trilby! Du Maurier was an illustrator for "Punch" magazine, grandfather of the author of "Rebecca," and friend of Henry James. You might also enjoy David Lodge's novel "Author, Author," which has a lot about the friendship of James and Du Maurier.