History Literature / DollangangerSeries

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: The main family bears similarities to the family of Hollywood Legend, Creator/JoanCrawford. Crawford had four adopted children, ([[AlliterativeFamily all with names beginning with "C") a daughter Christina, who she had a contentious relationship with, a son Christopher and a younger set of twins, Cathy and Cynthia. Despite their glamorous upbringing, Crawford was reportedly a narcissistic and abusive parent, which Christina detailed in her book, ''Literature/MommieDearest'', which was a huge, RippedFromTheHeadlines story at the time ''Flowers in the Attic'' was published.

* ChainOfHarm: In reference to the AbusiveParents above. The series winds up covering multiple generations of the same family over nearly a century (including the prequel), allowing the reader to see how each generation of parents (starting with Garland Foxworth) abused and damaged their spouses and children, leading to the spouses lashing out and the children growing up to abuse their own spouses and children in similar ways. Chris and Cathy try to break the cycle, but Cathy still lashes out at Chris and her sons in abusive ways when under stress, and the trauma stretches into yet another generation with Corinne's and Amos' manipulation of Bart. It is implied, however, that by the time Chris and Cathy die, their three children are finally happy, their grandchildren are being raised by loving parents, and the chain is finally broken.

* ChainofHarm: In reference to the AbusiveParents above. The series winds up covering multiple generations of the same family over nearly a century (including the prequel), allowing the reader to see how each generation of parents (starting with Garland Foxworth) abused and damaged their spouses and children, leading to the spouses lashing out and the children growing up to abuse their own spouses and children in similar ways. Chris and Cathy try to break the cycle, but Cathy still lashes out at Chris and her sons in abusive ways when under stress, and the trauma stretches into yet another generation with Corinne's and Amos' manipulation of Bart. It is implied, however, that by the time Chris and Cathy die, their three children are finally happy, their grandchildren are being raised by loving parents, and the chain is finally broken.

* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Cathy's mother's name is consistently spelled ''Corrine'' in the books that V.C. Andrews wrote. The ghostwriter fucks it up and spells it ''Corinne''.

* TangledFamilyTree: Incest + multiple marriages + {{Relationship Reveal}}s + shifting surnames + adoptions + affairs = you need [[https://ibb.co/5WFVMgV a chart]] to keep track of how all the Foxworths are related.

!!! By ghostwriter Andrew Neiderman

** It's basically textual that Christopher is sexually attracted to--or at least very confused by--his mother Corrine. Corrine plays into it a bit, what with her spinning around in negligees and constantly cradling him to her breast, and one very memorable moment when she kisses him full on the lips. From Corrine's end, is this just more of her general need for male attention? Is she trying to keep him wrapped around her little finger? Is there some actual attraction there because her son looks so much like her late husband?
** This is cut short by Chris Sr.'s death, but him and his daughter Cathy have undertones to their relationship. Cathy often has a sense of competing with her mother for her father's attention, and never shuts up about how hot he is.

** As a young girl, Cathy--who disliked her surname on the basis that it was horrible to spell--decided to use Catherine Doll as her stage name when she became a dancer. Beginning in the attic, she and Christopher used that name amongst themselves, using the surname Doll for Christopher as well. In that context, it was one part [[AffectionateNickname pet name]], one part a way of signifying them as a family unto themselves, one that did ''not'' include their mother.

** ''Garden Of Shadows'': We get roses again, though these ones are thornless. Since this is a prequel, we get a clue of what the lack of thorns suggest. [[spoiler: Much of the novel takes place before trouble (or the worst of it) befalls the Foxworth-Dollengangers]].

** ''Petals On the Wind'': The British version of the cover has the image of a wilting flower, which seems to foreshadow [[spoiler: Carrie's death]].

* FloralMotifs:
** ''Flowers In the Attic'': In general, the kids make fake flowers to compensate for the real ones they can't see. While the precise flower isn't known, the film adaptation says the kids modeled their faux flowers after yellow ones, suggesting a motif for joy.
** ''Petals On the Wind'': The British version of the cover has the image of a wilting flower, which seems to foreshadow [[spoiler: Carrie's death]].
** If There Be Thorns'': The botanical motif is a rose with thorns. [[spoiler: The tragedy of Dollenganger-Foxworths returns, as Corrine is still alive and she manages to entice her grandson]].
** ''Seeds of Yesterday'': Muscari, which have an association of mystery. [[spoiler: The Dollenganger mystery dies with Cathy at the end]].
** ''Garden Of Shadows'': We get roses again, though these ones are thornless. Since this is a prequel, we get a clue of what the lack of thorns suggest. [[spoiler: Much of the novel takes place before trouble (or the worst of it) befalls the Foxworth-Dollengangers]].

--->'''Corrine''': Your father used to say that you were like his mother, and he loved his mother.

* TangledFamilyTree: Incest + multiple marriages + {{Relationship Reveal}}s + shifting surnames + adoptions + affairs = you need [[https://ibb.co/album/h17HZm a chart]] to keep track of how all the Foxworths are related.

* DaintyLittleBalletDancers: SubvertedTrope. When the story opens, Cathy's interest in ballet seems like that of a little girl: it's feminine, it's whimsical, it relates to fairy tales. In the attic, though, dancing becomes her escape: it's a creative outlet and it's physically exhausting, both of which help her cope. She emerges from the attic with her childhood dreams of being a prima ballerina stronger than ever. She pursues this seriously for many years and--while the books don't cover the ''full'' RealLife extent of it--Cathy speaks frankly about how grueling and all-consuming ballet is. It's demanding and strenuous, and injuries--up to and including CareerEndingInjury--are all too common. It's emotionally demanding too: it becomes the center of your world, closely tied to your identity, making CareerEndingInjury all the more traumatic. The interpersonal politics in the small and (metaphorically) incestuous ballet world are also touched upon.

* TangledFamilyTree: Incest + multiple marriages + {{Relationship Reveal}}s + shifting surnames + adoptions + affairs = you need [[http://foreveryoungadult.com/_uploads/images2/flowersintheattic_flowchart.jpg a chart]] to keep track of how all the Foxworths are related.

** Cathy and Chris really try to BreakingTheCycleOfBadParenting with her own children. They could've done better with Bart, but on the whole they don't do too bad.

** [[spoiler:The series begins with Chris Sr. dying in a car crash, and ends with Chris Jr. dying in a car crash. Both were in commuter marriages, and returning home to their families.]]

* TheGenerationGap: Even apart from the abuse, Cathy grows up in a far more liberated time than her mother did, and consistently expects to have a career and be able to support herself and any children she has if needed -- in fact, for part of ''Petals'', she ''is'' a widowed single mom supporting herself and Jory. Whereas Corrine would have been socialized to be a "decorative but not functional" high-society wife, it seems to always be assumed -- including while living with Dr. Sheffield -- that both Cathy and Carrie will have ''some'' amount of education and job skills -- though there is less focus on Carrie in this regard due to her young age and poor health.
** There again in the later books, particularly ''Seeds'', between Chris and Cathy and their children, particularly on the topic of sexuality. While Cathy wants both Bart and Cindy to sleep around less for their own happiness and safety, she also struggles with contemporary hook-up culture in general, and struggles to understand her children's more casual views towards sex. When she was their age she had torrid affairs, but at least they ''meant'' something.

* MatureWorkChildProtagonists: The novel sees the two main protagonists, Chris and Cathy, engaging in BrotherSisterIncest after being locked up in the attic by their mother.

--->'''Corrine''': I'm going to tell you something now, Cathy, that I've never told you before. You look very much as I did at your age, but you are not like me in your personality. You are much more aggressive, and much more determined. Your father used to say that you were like his mother, and he loved his mother.

* TangledFamilyTree: Incest plus multiple marriages plus [[RelationshipReveal Relationship Reveals]] plus shifting surnames plus adoptions plus affairs means you need [[http://foreveryoungadult.com/_uploads/images2/flowersintheattic_flowchart.jpg a chart]] to keep track of how all the Foxworths are related.

** There again in the later books, particularly ''Seeds'', between Chris and Cathy and their children, particularly on the topic of sexuality. While Cathy wants both Bart and Cindy to sleep around less for their own happiness and safety, she also struggles with contemporary hook-up culture in general, and struggles to understand her children's more casual views towards sex.

* BastardBoyfriend:
** Julian Marquet is a JerkAss {{Domestic Abuse}}r with few redeeming qualities.
** Bart Winslow Sr. has no problems cheating on his wife with her oldest daughter yet still remains dependent on her for the sake of her fortune. He's also quite a JerkAss and shows shades of a domestic abuser by being forceful toward Cathy.

-->''"Yes, Mother. I wish you Godspeed and good luck."\\

* TheGenerationGap: Even apart from the abuse, Cathy grows up in a far more liberated time than her mother did, and consistently expects to have a career and be able to support herself and any children she has if needed - in fact, for part of ''Petals'', she ''is'' a widowed single mom supporting herself and Jory. Whereas Corrine would have been socialized to be a "decorative but not functional" high-society wife, it seems to always be assumed - including while living with Dr. Sheffield - that both Cathy and Carrie will have ''some'' amount of education and job skills - though there is less focus on Carrie in this regard due to her young age and poor health.

---->'''Cathy:''' Was it so terrible what our mother did, to marry her half-uncle when he was only three years older than she? No woman with a heart could have resisted him. I know I couldn't have.
*** Corrine and her father Malcolm certainly give off this impression (which is impressive considering we never really see them interact on-page). Their relationship--prior to Corrine's exile--was both possessive and adoring.
---->'''Corrine:''' My father adored me when I was young. He wanted to keep me always for himself. He never wanted me to marry anyone. I recall when I was only twelve, he said he'd leave me his entire estate if I stayed with him until he died of old age.

* IncestIsRelative: Hands down the first thing most people will think of when they think of the series. This falls into two main categories: The canonical relationships, and the subtextual attractions.
** BrotherSisterIncest: Cathy and Chris become attracted to each other after being stuck in the attic for so long, and later [[spoiler:live as a couple under an assumed name]].
*** In ''Garden of Shadows'', [[spoiler:Corrine and Christopher Sr. are not only half niece and uncle, but half siblings as a result of Malcolm raping Alicia]].
** IncestSubtext: Most [[ParentalIncest parent-child]] relationships in this family have some undertones.
*** It's basically textual that Christopher is sexually attracted to--or at least very confused by--his mother Corrine. Corrine plays into it a bit, what with her spinning around in negligees and constantly cradling him to her breast, and one very memorable moment when she kisses him full on the lips. From Corrine's end, is this just more of her general need for male attention? Is she trying to keep him wrapped around her little finger? Is there some actual attraction there because her son looks so much like her late husband?
*** This is cut short by Chris Sr.'s death, but him and his daughter Cathy have undertones to their relationship. Cathy often has a sense of competing with her mother for her father's attention, and never shuts up about how hot he is.

* DeliberateValuesDissonance: Particularly in the first two books, set in the American South in the 1950s-1960s (pre-Second Wave Feminism). While the Foxworth clan is particularly extreme in their views, Corrine's sense that she must be financially dependent on a man (father or husband), and the generally misogynistic sexual standards Cathy internalizes, were very much products of the time. Cathy going on to have a successful dancing and instructing career, and her and Chris raising their children with far more relaxed views about sex, were partially specific efforts to BreakTheCycleOfAbuse, but also partially times changing, Cathy and Chris moving to a different part of the country, and those old cultural standards falling by the wayside.