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FIC RHY
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Publication
W. W. Norton & Company (1992), Edition: Reissue, 176 pages
Description
Beautiful and wealthy Antoinette Cosway's passionate love for an English aristocrat threatens to destroy her idyllic West Indian island existence and her very life.
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User reviews
LibraryThing member Smiler69
This novel was conceived as a prequel to Jane Eyre; it fleshes out and gives voice to Rochester's first wife—here known as Antoinette Cosway—describing her earlier years, and shows us how she ended being the madwoman in the attic. The story begins in the Jamaica of the post-emancipation act,
The second part of the book is told by Antoinette's new husband, the un-named Mr Rochester. Their honeymoon starts off with great passion, but Rochester describes his contempt for the island, it's people and for his wife from the beginning. He retreats from her abruptly, even refusing to call her by her own name (he calls her Bertha instead) and Antoinette falls into despair. Rhys's Rochester is despicable man; clearly stating he's married the young woman for her money, he's quick to believe malicious gossip about her and then write her off as mad when she is distraught by his attitude. This is a short but very rich novel which brims with passion, exoticism, and despair of course, since we know all too well the terrible fate that awaits this sensitive young woman. The perfect follow-up to a reading of Jane Eyre, yet at the same time holds up very well as a great little novel in it's own right.
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with young Antoinette describing the difficulties her mother, brother and herself experience as poor white Creoles. Antoinette's father, a former slave owner and skirt-chasing alcoholic, has passed away, leaving his beautiful young second wife the Colibri estate, which is slowly falling to pieces. Shunned by the rich white population and despised by the blacks who call them "white niggers" and "white cockroaches" the threat from their neighbours is very real, and Antoinette has every reason to feel her safety compromised as tensions are mounting. The estate's only horse has recently been poisoned and her mother retreats into mental breakdown, all but ignoring her daughter. Things briefly seem like they might improve when the rich Mr Mason marries her mother, but he ignores his wife's pleas to leave the island, believing her to exaggerate the danger of their situation, until the family is violently driven from Colibri by an angry mob. The second part of the book is told by Antoinette's new husband, the un-named Mr Rochester. Their honeymoon starts off with great passion, but Rochester describes his contempt for the island, it's people and for his wife from the beginning. He retreats from her abruptly, even refusing to call her by her own name (he calls her Bertha instead) and Antoinette falls into despair. Rhys's Rochester is despicable man; clearly stating he's married the young woman for her money, he's quick to believe malicious gossip about her and then write her off as mad when she is distraught by his attitude. This is a short but very rich novel which brims with passion, exoticism, and despair of course, since we know all too well the terrible fate that awaits this sensitive young woman. The perfect follow-up to a reading of Jane Eyre, yet at the same time holds up very well as a great little novel in it's own right.
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LibraryThing member SandDune
75. Wide Sargasso Sea Jean Rhys ***1/2
A prequel (of sorts) to Jane Eyre giving the story of the first Mrs Rochester. A very brief novel this one, more a novella really, which is very evocative of the tropical Caribbean setting, and is beautifully written.
On the island of Jamaica shortly after the
Jump forward several years and Antoinette Crosby Mason marries the man that her family have arranged for her. Never named, this is the Mr Rochester of Jane Eyre fame and from the beginning of their marriage he starts to hear rumours about infidelity and madness. But can the rumours be trusted? With the story told from the perspective of both Antoinette and her husband in turn it is possible to understand and sympathise to a certain extent with the feelings of both parties. But as Antoinette must become the quintessential 'madwoman in the attic' of Jane Eyre, the tragic outcome is never in doubt, and the actions of both parties take them along the road that leads to its inevitable conclusion.
I would have enjoyed this much more had I not read it so soon after reading Jane Eyre. Rather than being a straightforward prequel, in Wide Sargasso Sea Jean Rhys takes the characters from Jane Eyre and works them into a very different sort of book, and I had the details of Jane Eyre far too firmly ensconced in my head to allow me to appreciate it as much as I should. Probably best read as a stand-alone novel with a memory of Jane Eyre read ten or twenty years ago in the background. I may well read it again in a year or two's time and may well give it a higher rating when I do. But a word of warning: if Mr Rochester is your favourite ever romantic hero, probably best to give it a miss!
A prequel (of sorts) to Jane Eyre giving the story of the first Mrs Rochester. A very brief novel this one, more a novella really, which is very evocative of the tropical Caribbean setting, and is beautifully written.
On the island of Jamaica shortly after the
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abolition of slavery, the young Antoinette Cosway lives on the almost derelict but beautiful Coulibri Estate, with her widowed mother Annette and a physically and mentally disabled younger brother. As a Creole from the French island of Martinique Annette Cosway is an outsider in Jamaican society, and with her husband having drunk himself to death leaving nothing but debts, the family is virtually destitute. Annette's marriage to the rich Mr Mason from England means that financial worries are resolved but it is an uneasy compromise. Tensions between black and white run high but hewill not listen to her warnings that as the widow of a former slave-owner it is dangerous for her to stay at Coulibri, and in a period of unrest the house is burnt forcing the inhabitants to flee. When Antoinette's younger brother receives injuries that lead to his death her mother loses her mind, and blaming her husband for her son's death, tries to kill him. Jump forward several years and Antoinette Crosby Mason marries the man that her family have arranged for her. Never named, this is the Mr Rochester of Jane Eyre fame and from the beginning of their marriage he starts to hear rumours about infidelity and madness. But can the rumours be trusted? With the story told from the perspective of both Antoinette and her husband in turn it is possible to understand and sympathise to a certain extent with the feelings of both parties. But as Antoinette must become the quintessential 'madwoman in the attic' of Jane Eyre, the tragic outcome is never in doubt, and the actions of both parties take them along the road that leads to its inevitable conclusion.
I would have enjoyed this much more had I not read it so soon after reading Jane Eyre. Rather than being a straightforward prequel, in Wide Sargasso Sea Jean Rhys takes the characters from Jane Eyre and works them into a very different sort of book, and I had the details of Jane Eyre far too firmly ensconced in my head to allow me to appreciate it as much as I should. Probably best read as a stand-alone novel with a memory of Jane Eyre read ten or twenty years ago in the background. I may well read it again in a year or two's time and may well give it a higher rating when I do. But a word of warning: if Mr Rochester is your favourite ever romantic hero, probably best to give it a miss!
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LibraryThing member DebbieMcCauley
Jean Rhys (1890-1979), was born Ella Gwendolyn Rees Williams in Roseau, on the Island of Dominica. Her mother, Minna Williams (née Lockhart), was a third generation Dominican Creole of Scottish ancestry. Her father, William Rees Williams, was a Welsh-born doctor. When she was sixteen Rhys was sent
Antoinette’s isolation and loneliness are painfully apparent as she narrates Part 1 of Wide Sargasso Sea. Her widowed but distant mother, Annette, is not a satisfactory role model as having been ostracised by society she is lonely and remote, only reviving when a new dress and social life present themselves. Annette’s descent into madness starts when her horse, a symbol of her independence, is poisoned, ‘now we are marooned’ (Rhys, 192, p. 16), and culminates when Antoinette’s mentally retarded brother, Pierre, dies when Coulibri is burnt to the ground during a former slave uprising.
Antoinette finds her main support from black servant Christophine who, whilst she is a strong independent woman, also fits the stereotypical black female ‘mammy’ role. She turns to Christophine when Rochester betrays her with servant Amélie. In her surrogate mother and protector role, Christophine suggests she leave him, ‘A man don’t treat you good, pick up your skirt and walk out’ (Rhys, 1992, p. 100). Aunt Cora is another significant female role model. She opposes Antoinette’s marriage; ‘you are handing over everything the child owns to a perfect stranger’ (Rhys, 1992, p. 104) but as a white female in a Victorian patriarchal society wields little influence.
Prostitution is an undercurrent that has a profound effect on the female characters. Brontë, in casting Bertha as promiscuous, insane and violent, reinforces polite society’s repugnance for the prostitute stereotype, ‘Bertha Mason, the true daughter of an infamous mother, dragged me through all the hideous and degrading agonies which must attend a man bound to a wife at once intemperate and unchaste’ (Brontë, 2006, p. 403).
In Part 2 of ‘Wide Sargasso Sea’, Antoinette’s husband narrates the story. As a Victorian male, Rochester show signs of emotionally manipulating behaviour , but in a much more predatory way. He is a non-inheriting second son, has a difficult relationship with his father and has been exiled to Jamaica where fever has sapped his mental and physical abilities, ‘I was married a month after I arrived in Jamaica and for nearly three weeks of that time I was in bed with fever’ (Rhys, 1992. P. 61).
Antoinette has been chosen as a bride for him because of her inheritance. As he says, ‘I have sold my soul or you have sold it, and after all is it such a bad bargain?’ (Rhys, 1992, p. 64). Treating her like a chattel; stepbrother Richard Mason offered £30,000 for Rochester to marry Antoinette. Desperate for money and with little option he agrees to his father and Mason’s scheme, ‘It was all very brightly coloured, very strange, but it meant nothing to me. Nor did she, the girl I was to marry’ (Rhys, 1992, p. 69).
A Spanish Town wedding ceremony is followed by a honeymoon at Granbois, an estate that once belonged to Antoinette’s mother. Rochester’s character becomes tormented by Antoinette, ‘above all I hated her. For she belonged to the magic and the loveliness. She had left me thirsty and all my life would be thirst and longing for what I had lost before I had found it’ (Rhys, 1992, p. 156).
Shortly after their marriage rumours begin with a letter from Daniel Cosway who claims he is Antoinette’s illegitimate half brother and warns of the insanity in the family which prompts Rochester to actively look for signs of this in Antoinette. His misgivings about the marriage, hitherto kept under the surface, start to emerge. This culminates in his sleeping with the servant Amélie within Antoinette’s hearing. Soon afterwards both his father and elder brother die and he returns to England with Antoinette to claim his inheritance.
The text explores the female viewpoint in a society dominated by men where women are both ruled by men and dependent upon them. On marriage, under English law, a woman’s property used to pass straight to her husband. Womanhood was used as a commodity and as such could be traded, for example Antoinette’s marriage which resulted in financial security for Rochester. Antoinette, once she has married him, forfeits any legal right to her substantial inheritance, becoming a disenfranchised woman at the mercy of her husband.
This is different to the penniless and orphaned Jane Eyre who became an independent woman, earning her living first as a teacher and then a governess. The sheltered Antoinette has come from a protected convent school environment, ‘this convent was my refuge’ (Rhys, 1992, p. 51). Eliza’s independence is, however, somewhat overwhelmed when she becomes a rich man’s experiment. The turning point in the play comes in Act 4 though, when Eliza takes off the ring that Higgins has given her, thereby freeing herself metaphorically from his domination.
Like Higgins, Rochester tries to mould Antoinette to his expectations, especially when he starts calling her Bertha, which is not her given name, and serves to further dispossess her by stripping her sense of identity. She began as Antoinette Cosway, her mother remarried and so she became Antoinette Mason, on marriage she was Antoinette Rochester and then her husband begins calling her Bertha for no apparent reason, ‘Bertha is not my name. You are trying to make me into someone else, calling me by another name’ (Rhys, 1992, p. 133). This treatment has parallels to the capture of slaves, sale, renaming, transportation and imprisonment. Rochester affirms his Victorian patriarchal heritage when Christophine suggests that he and Antoinette separate. He quickly asserts his ownership over his wife and all her belongings.
Antoinette narrates Part 3 of Wide Sargasso Sea where she is imprisoned both physically and by marriage. Whilst locked in the attic she exists in a dreamlike state in the care of Grace Poole. Her stepbrother Richard Mason visits her there and she vents her confusion and hopelessness by stabbing him with a knife. The tragedy of Antoinette’s mad episode of pyromania and resulting suicide is the spectre that haunts the audience who is already familiar with Jane Eyre, serving as a tension filled undercurrent permeating the novel.
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for schooling in England, returning only once, in 1936. Antoinette’s isolation and loneliness are painfully apparent as she narrates Part 1 of Wide Sargasso Sea. Her widowed but distant mother, Annette, is not a satisfactory role model as having been ostracised by society she is lonely and remote, only reviving when a new dress and social life present themselves. Annette’s descent into madness starts when her horse, a symbol of her independence, is poisoned, ‘now we are marooned’ (Rhys, 192, p. 16), and culminates when Antoinette’s mentally retarded brother, Pierre, dies when Coulibri is burnt to the ground during a former slave uprising.
Antoinette finds her main support from black servant Christophine who, whilst she is a strong independent woman, also fits the stereotypical black female ‘mammy’ role. She turns to Christophine when Rochester betrays her with servant Amélie. In her surrogate mother and protector role, Christophine suggests she leave him, ‘A man don’t treat you good, pick up your skirt and walk out’ (Rhys, 1992, p. 100). Aunt Cora is another significant female role model. She opposes Antoinette’s marriage; ‘you are handing over everything the child owns to a perfect stranger’ (Rhys, 1992, p. 104) but as a white female in a Victorian patriarchal society wields little influence.
Prostitution is an undercurrent that has a profound effect on the female characters. Brontë, in casting Bertha as promiscuous, insane and violent, reinforces polite society’s repugnance for the prostitute stereotype, ‘Bertha Mason, the true daughter of an infamous mother, dragged me through all the hideous and degrading agonies which must attend a man bound to a wife at once intemperate and unchaste’ (Brontë, 2006, p. 403).
In Part 2 of ‘Wide Sargasso Sea’, Antoinette’s husband narrates the story. As a Victorian male, Rochester show signs of emotionally manipulating behaviour , but in a much more predatory way. He is a non-inheriting second son, has a difficult relationship with his father and has been exiled to Jamaica where fever has sapped his mental and physical abilities, ‘I was married a month after I arrived in Jamaica and for nearly three weeks of that time I was in bed with fever’ (Rhys, 1992. P. 61).
Antoinette has been chosen as a bride for him because of her inheritance. As he says, ‘I have sold my soul or you have sold it, and after all is it such a bad bargain?’ (Rhys, 1992, p. 64). Treating her like a chattel; stepbrother Richard Mason offered £30,000 for Rochester to marry Antoinette. Desperate for money and with little option he agrees to his father and Mason’s scheme, ‘It was all very brightly coloured, very strange, but it meant nothing to me. Nor did she, the girl I was to marry’ (Rhys, 1992, p. 69).
A Spanish Town wedding ceremony is followed by a honeymoon at Granbois, an estate that once belonged to Antoinette’s mother. Rochester’s character becomes tormented by Antoinette, ‘above all I hated her. For she belonged to the magic and the loveliness. She had left me thirsty and all my life would be thirst and longing for what I had lost before I had found it’ (Rhys, 1992, p. 156).
Shortly after their marriage rumours begin with a letter from Daniel Cosway who claims he is Antoinette’s illegitimate half brother and warns of the insanity in the family which prompts Rochester to actively look for signs of this in Antoinette. His misgivings about the marriage, hitherto kept under the surface, start to emerge. This culminates in his sleeping with the servant Amélie within Antoinette’s hearing. Soon afterwards both his father and elder brother die and he returns to England with Antoinette to claim his inheritance.
The text explores the female viewpoint in a society dominated by men where women are both ruled by men and dependent upon them. On marriage, under English law, a woman’s property used to pass straight to her husband. Womanhood was used as a commodity and as such could be traded, for example Antoinette’s marriage which resulted in financial security for Rochester. Antoinette, once she has married him, forfeits any legal right to her substantial inheritance, becoming a disenfranchised woman at the mercy of her husband.
This is different to the penniless and orphaned Jane Eyre who became an independent woman, earning her living first as a teacher and then a governess. The sheltered Antoinette has come from a protected convent school environment, ‘this convent was my refuge’ (Rhys, 1992, p. 51). Eliza’s independence is, however, somewhat overwhelmed when she becomes a rich man’s experiment. The turning point in the play comes in Act 4 though, when Eliza takes off the ring that Higgins has given her, thereby freeing herself metaphorically from his domination.
Like Higgins, Rochester tries to mould Antoinette to his expectations, especially when he starts calling her Bertha, which is not her given name, and serves to further dispossess her by stripping her sense of identity. She began as Antoinette Cosway, her mother remarried and so she became Antoinette Mason, on marriage she was Antoinette Rochester and then her husband begins calling her Bertha for no apparent reason, ‘Bertha is not my name. You are trying to make me into someone else, calling me by another name’ (Rhys, 1992, p. 133). This treatment has parallels to the capture of slaves, sale, renaming, transportation and imprisonment. Rochester affirms his Victorian patriarchal heritage when Christophine suggests that he and Antoinette separate. He quickly asserts his ownership over his wife and all her belongings.
Antoinette narrates Part 3 of Wide Sargasso Sea where she is imprisoned both physically and by marriage. Whilst locked in the attic she exists in a dreamlike state in the care of Grace Poole. Her stepbrother Richard Mason visits her there and she vents her confusion and hopelessness by stabbing him with a knife. The tragedy of Antoinette’s mad episode of pyromania and resulting suicide is the spectre that haunts the audience who is already familiar with Jane Eyre, serving as a tension filled undercurrent permeating the novel.
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LibraryThing member turtlesleap
Rhys' descriptions are lyrical, very evocative of place, time and mood. Hers is an interesting voice, especially given that the she was writing in the 1930's when much more florid styles were usual. In particular, she conveys a strong sense of emotionalism in every line. That said, I found the book
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unsatisfying. So much of the progression of the story was lost in a haze of madness and alcohol that I found mysef frequently checking to see whether I had somehow skipped pages. Too, the unbroken orgy of emotional excess simply became tiresome after awhile. The book is quite short and probably worth the hour or two it takes to read, particularly if you are a Jane Eyre fan. In truth, however, it adds no special insight or worthwhile commentary to that book. Show Less
LibraryThing member fieldnotes
It is always a risky thing to create a narrative voice far below your own intelligence level. I find that authors less skillful than, say, Faulkner, end up producing poor quality, simple prose without managing to evoke youthfulness or naivety. The first portion of "Wide Sargasso Sea", suffers from
The second part of the book is stronger and almost convinced me to forgive the first part of the novel (which had altogether lost my sympathy) on the basis of the strong contrast set up between them. We are all prepared to notice the shortcomings of Mr. Rochester's perspective. Rhys does not have to be terribly overt about his jealousy, his pride, his fear and his ignorance; these are clear to the reader because of how Mr. Rochester narrates and what he chooses to focus on. The second part is strong and entertaining and the show-down between Christophine (the book's most memorable character) and Mr. Rochester is very well done. While the Iago-like, lurking half-brother of Antoinette with his obnoxious letters, bribery and intrigue was a bit tedious and overdone, the second part of "Wide Sargasso Sea" still commands and rewards attention.
For better or for worse, I have not read "Jane Eyre"; so, the interplay between "Wide Sargasso Sea" and Bronte's novel is completely lost on me. As a result, I have no reason to forgive or accept the disappointing and forced third and final "part" of the novel. To make a novel so dependent on its relationship to another novel is also, somewhat of a risky decision. If I ever get around to "Jane Eyre", I may come back and give this review a second look. But, for now, I wouldn't recommend this particular take on wealthy-white-person-undone-by-tropics to anyone who is not a junky of this particular sub-genre.
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the young teenage voice of Antoinette. I find it easy to scoff at passages like, "I woke next morning knowing that nothing would be the same. It would change and go on changing" or "I prayed for a long time to be dead. Then remembered that this was a sin. It's presumption or despair, I forget which, but a mortal sin. So I prayed for a long time about that too, but the thought came, so many things are sins, why? Another sin, to think that." What's wrong with those passages (aside from their over-convenient simplifications)? They are sandwiched between passages like, "if we were never envious, they never seemed vain. Helene and Germain, a little disdainful, aloof perhaps, but Louise, not even that." and "This remark is made in a casual and perfunctory voice and she slides on to order and chastity, that flawless crystal that, once broken, can never be mended." It's unreasonable to expect readers to receive these four utterances as if they all occurred naturally to the same teenage girl. Narrative consistency matters.The second part of the book is stronger and almost convinced me to forgive the first part of the novel (which had altogether lost my sympathy) on the basis of the strong contrast set up between them. We are all prepared to notice the shortcomings of Mr. Rochester's perspective. Rhys does not have to be terribly overt about his jealousy, his pride, his fear and his ignorance; these are clear to the reader because of how Mr. Rochester narrates and what he chooses to focus on. The second part is strong and entertaining and the show-down between Christophine (the book's most memorable character) and Mr. Rochester is very well done. While the Iago-like, lurking half-brother of Antoinette with his obnoxious letters, bribery and intrigue was a bit tedious and overdone, the second part of "Wide Sargasso Sea" still commands and rewards attention.
For better or for worse, I have not read "Jane Eyre"; so, the interplay between "Wide Sargasso Sea" and Bronte's novel is completely lost on me. As a result, I have no reason to forgive or accept the disappointing and forced third and final "part" of the novel. To make a novel so dependent on its relationship to another novel is also, somewhat of a risky decision. If I ever get around to "Jane Eyre", I may come back and give this review a second look. But, for now, I wouldn't recommend this particular take on wealthy-white-person-undone-by-tropics to anyone who is not a junky of this particular sub-genre.
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LibraryThing member LisaMaria_C
Published in 1966 by a native of the West Indies, this is a a prequel of a kind to Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, telling the story of Rochester's first wife Bertha Mason, the madwoman in the attic: in other words, this is fan fiction. In fact, it's practically the ur-text, the book everyone
The prose style is exquisite, the telling atmospheric and the narrative hooked me at once. It passed almost too quickly. (The text is only 113 pages in the edition I read.) Rhys sets it just after emancipation came to Jamaica around 1839, and the description especially in Part One, narrated by the young Antoinette, depicting the poisoned relationship between the plantation owners and their former slaves is going to stay with me. So is the beauty of the landscape which despite the dark material Rhys doesn't stint on.
I don't necessarily accept Rhys' reinterpretation of Bronte's madwoman--nor of Rochester. Although Rochester (never named, and I think even that is significant) is more fairly and sympathetically presented than I expected given what I heard of the book, and I found his narrative voice in Part Two fascinating. This book can stand alone, though, it doesn't need to succeed as the "untold story" behind Jane Eyre. It's very much its own book. Forget all the ponderous and political agendas overlaid by critics on Wide Sargasso Sea: this is a powerful story.
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mentions in defense of derivative works. It's also according to its introduction the "touchstone text of... modernism, feminism, and post-colonial theory." Not surprising really, because at the core of fan fiction--or good ones, and that's not an oxymoron--is subversion, allowing voices to which the privileged text does not give voice. And you can see that theme played out here in everything from who gets the point of view to how Rhys handles issues of identity, even names. For "Bertha Mason" of Jane Eyre here becomes "Antoinette Cosway" and in the journey from one identity to the other hangs much of the tale.The prose style is exquisite, the telling atmospheric and the narrative hooked me at once. It passed almost too quickly. (The text is only 113 pages in the edition I read.) Rhys sets it just after emancipation came to Jamaica around 1839, and the description especially in Part One, narrated by the young Antoinette, depicting the poisoned relationship between the plantation owners and their former slaves is going to stay with me. So is the beauty of the landscape which despite the dark material Rhys doesn't stint on.
I don't necessarily accept Rhys' reinterpretation of Bronte's madwoman--nor of Rochester. Although Rochester (never named, and I think even that is significant) is more fairly and sympathetically presented than I expected given what I heard of the book, and I found his narrative voice in Part Two fascinating. This book can stand alone, though, it doesn't need to succeed as the "untold story" behind Jane Eyre. It's very much its own book. Forget all the ponderous and political agendas overlaid by critics on Wide Sargasso Sea: this is a powerful story.
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LibraryThing member MeditationesMartini
This book came with a lot of hype for me, and I can see how its not complete success in living up to said hype is in ways a function of its historical moment and mine. Like, the Empire has been writing back for forty years, and the counterhegemonic shock of a subaltern challenge to Jane Eyre in
And Antionette gets her voice, even if she still burns for it.
Poco aside, this is of course an important postmodern novel in at least one other respect, the inverting of the canonical story. In that sense, again, I imagine the impact just had to be more in the sixties, when we hadn't been running every story we've got through the grinder since forever. And here, again, Rhys's light touch was probably the right touch (as opposed to, say, having a vicious harridan named Miss Eyre drive Antoinette off the battlements in the last scene). As I said once in another context, iconoclasts can't be visionaries--this is confusing steps one and two of the creation of new art--but visionaries, of whom Rhys is certainly one, also can't really be Apollonians (shall we call them?)--the postmodern reworlding of prepostmodern texts will of course step up to a whole new level of spohistication, but Wide Sargasso Sea is the radical breakthrough of getting it on the page.
And there is something humanely modernist about the book, as befits the aged ex-flapper who wrote it. In Antoinette and Edward and Grace Pool and even Christophine and Baptiste, we see sympathetic characters, powerfully alienated, with ugly, impossible demons, taking sides and looking out for themselves in a crumbling world (and the historical world of the crumbled slaver aristocracy in the Indies is one I haven't so much thought about in any serious way before). We see them hurt each other irremediably out of fear and spite, but also disorientation and fatigue and the feeling that none of this is really real. We like them, even when they're bad (and Rochester, let me be clear, is much worse than Antoinette ever ever is, and this is also a resolutely feminist text), and wonder how things could have been different. And that's writing. And Antoinette gets her voice, even if she still has to burn for it.
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1966, when we were just getting into Enoch Powell and "send our coloured cousins home" territory, can't really be reduplicated in 2010. And in the sense that this is less insistent and more lovely than Things Fall Apart, or Fanon or whoever, it almost belongs to a later era of postcolonial literature--not the empire writing back a rebuke so much as a couple of confused kids, Antoinette Cosway and Edward Rochester, trying to figure out where they are and why they're implicated in one another and what it all means. There's your postcolonial situation, and Rochester's disorientation in luscious, fragrant Jamaica is as vivid and not less sympathetic (if certainly less terrible) than Antoinette's bewilderment in the "cardboard house" at Thornfield, unsure if she's reached England or not.And Antionette gets her voice, even if she still burns for it.
Poco aside, this is of course an important postmodern novel in at least one other respect, the inverting of the canonical story. In that sense, again, I imagine the impact just had to be more in the sixties, when we hadn't been running every story we've got through the grinder since forever. And here, again, Rhys's light touch was probably the right touch (as opposed to, say, having a vicious harridan named Miss Eyre drive Antoinette off the battlements in the last scene). As I said once in another context, iconoclasts can't be visionaries--this is confusing steps one and two of the creation of new art--but visionaries, of whom Rhys is certainly one, also can't really be Apollonians (shall we call them?)--the postmodern reworlding of prepostmodern texts will of course step up to a whole new level of spohistication, but Wide Sargasso Sea is the radical breakthrough of getting it on the page.
And there is something humanely modernist about the book, as befits the aged ex-flapper who wrote it. In Antoinette and Edward and Grace Pool and even Christophine and Baptiste, we see sympathetic characters, powerfully alienated, with ugly, impossible demons, taking sides and looking out for themselves in a crumbling world (and the historical world of the crumbled slaver aristocracy in the Indies is one I haven't so much thought about in any serious way before). We see them hurt each other irremediably out of fear and spite, but also disorientation and fatigue and the feeling that none of this is really real. We like them, even when they're bad (and Rochester, let me be clear, is much worse than Antoinette ever ever is, and this is also a resolutely feminist text), and wonder how things could have been different. And that's writing. And Antoinette gets her voice, even if she still has to burn for it.
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LibraryThing member rainpebble
The Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys; (4*)
I think that Jean Rhys did an excellent job of creating an interesting storyline as well as boggling our minds with the beauty of Colubri. Her images were so strong that I didn't have to try to imagine the characters or settings. I could see, smell & feel
This brilliant novel primarily deals with contradictions and ambiguity. Written as a prelude to Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, Jean Rhys creates an identity for the otherwise shadowy figure of Bertha Mason, Rochester's mad creole wife, through Antoinette a beautiful lonely Creole woman. Wide Sargasso Sea deals with contradictions and not just with feminist "rag issues" as other reviewers suggest, rather tending to deal with gender reversal. Christophine, the freed black slave from another Caribbean Island, is a strong female character who displays masculine traits standing up to the bullying unnamed Englishman (Rochester) who tries to use oppressive colonialist tactics to control the inhabitants of an exotic Island which cannot be controlled. Both are wild and unruly compared to his staid English persona and as such, something which he cannot relate to. Antoinette is the weak female figure who is finally destroyed by the Enlgishman, driven to madness through a combination of his desire for her and his distaste and hate for everything that she represents. An intriguing tale full of ambiguity Wide Sargasso Sea is a sad tale of dispossession and dislocation.
But please do not attempt to compare The Wide Sargasso Sea to Jane Eyre. To do that is to do yourself & Jean Rhys a great disservice.
I think that Jean Rhys did an excellent job of creating an interesting storyline as well as boggling our minds with the beauty of Colubri. Her images were so strong that I didn't have to try to imagine the characters or settings. I could see, smell & feel
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them.This brilliant novel primarily deals with contradictions and ambiguity. Written as a prelude to Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, Jean Rhys creates an identity for the otherwise shadowy figure of Bertha Mason, Rochester's mad creole wife, through Antoinette a beautiful lonely Creole woman. Wide Sargasso Sea deals with contradictions and not just with feminist "rag issues" as other reviewers suggest, rather tending to deal with gender reversal. Christophine, the freed black slave from another Caribbean Island, is a strong female character who displays masculine traits standing up to the bullying unnamed Englishman (Rochester) who tries to use oppressive colonialist tactics to control the inhabitants of an exotic Island which cannot be controlled. Both are wild and unruly compared to his staid English persona and as such, something which he cannot relate to. Antoinette is the weak female figure who is finally destroyed by the Enlgishman, driven to madness through a combination of his desire for her and his distaste and hate for everything that she represents. An intriguing tale full of ambiguity Wide Sargasso Sea is a sad tale of dispossession and dislocation.
But please do not attempt to compare The Wide Sargasso Sea to Jane Eyre. To do that is to do yourself & Jean Rhys a great disservice.
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LibraryThing member SweetbriarPoet
Many of my peers dislike this book because of their devotion to Jane Eyre. However, I find that it does more than analyze Jane Eyre, does more than extract basic themes.
This book has style: something I am always searching for in my reading. This book has a way about it that is hidden, almost a
I love this book because it is an outsider.
I love this book because it muddies Jane Eyre and becomes its own masterpiece.
This book has style: something I am always searching for in my reading. This book has a way about it that is hidden, almost a
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hidden agenda. I love the fact that not everything can possibly be caught (for example, the commmon themes in both books including fire, looking-glasses, self-reflection, and of course, despair in love). I love this book because it is an outsider.
I love this book because it muddies Jane Eyre and becomes its own masterpiece.
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LibraryThing member Dunsh01
I read Jane Eyre during my early primary school years (aged 9 to be exact. Much to my mothers frustration my reading comprehensive age was about 13 years older than I was. I say frustration because I wanted to read books probably too old for me psychologically - I did NOT want to read Dick and Dora
I LOVED it. Of all the classics it is in my top 3.
So it's surprising that it took me another 33 years to read Wide Sargasso Sea. And I kind of understand why it took Jean Rhys so long to write it. It just didn't quite gel as a prequel. I think fans of Jane Eyre fall in love with the premise - who was the madwoman in the attic and how did she get to that point in her life. It's a story we want to hear.
While the itself book was well written it is hard to view it in isolation from the original Jane Eyre story - especially where existing characters such as Rochester come in. Undoubtedly it would be difficult to write another's character when they are of such fame and well known and Rhys makes a fair effort - but for the most part he does not ring true. Of course, people (or characters) change over time - but the job of the author is to make that change feel authentic.
I felt that Antoinette's descent into madness seemed a little too quick - though in fact it did happen over years, the short narrative made it seem much quicker. But likewise I would not have wanted to book to drag out any longer.
Over all - it I liked the story well enough but I didn't LOVE it. It is on many "books to read before you die" lists and it's the type of book you read for school as opposed to pure enjoyment.
It hit the halfway mark for me - 2.5 stars but out of love and respect for my beloved Jane Eyre, I shall round up to 3.
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and was not interested in seeing Spot run!).I LOVED it. Of all the classics it is in my top 3.
So it's surprising that it took me another 33 years to read Wide Sargasso Sea. And I kind of understand why it took Jean Rhys so long to write it. It just didn't quite gel as a prequel. I think fans of Jane Eyre fall in love with the premise - who was the madwoman in the attic and how did she get to that point in her life. It's a story we want to hear.
While the itself book was well written it is hard to view it in isolation from the original Jane Eyre story - especially where existing characters such as Rochester come in. Undoubtedly it would be difficult to write another's character when they are of such fame and well known and Rhys makes a fair effort - but for the most part he does not ring true. Of course, people (or characters) change over time - but the job of the author is to make that change feel authentic.
I felt that Antoinette's descent into madness seemed a little too quick - though in fact it did happen over years, the short narrative made it seem much quicker. But likewise I would not have wanted to book to drag out any longer.
Over all - it I liked the story well enough but I didn't LOVE it. It is on many "books to read before you die" lists and it's the type of book you read for school as opposed to pure enjoyment.
It hit the halfway mark for me - 2.5 stars but out of love and respect for my beloved Jane Eyre, I shall round up to 3.
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LibraryThing member Nandakishore_Varma
Every once in a while, I stop to think about the neglected characters in various novels who exist only as plot devices. What are their stories? If you saw the novel through their eyes, what would it be like?
Therefore, ever since I heard the premise of Jean Rhys's novel, I was eager to read it.
The language is beautifully evocative. I could see the West Indies, even though I have never been there. I could see, hear and smell the tropical countryside (very much like my homeland), at once breathtakingly beautiful, compellingly seductive and strangely frightening-like Antoinette. Especially to the eyes of an Englishman whose green meadows and rolling fields hold no secrets.
Yes, the countryside is beautiful... but dangerous, since you can get lost in it. It may suddenly cloud over and start to rain, and you may find yourself in the burnt-out ruins of a country house populated only by ghosts of dead slaves and murdered slave-owners.
The characterisation is perfect. Rhys draws each character, including the minor ones, with a few deft brush strokes. Rochester, for all his faults, comes across as sympathetic, a victim of his times and society: the "evils" he does are part of his social makeup. And Antoinette is a masterpiece-inseparable from the landscape she inhabits. As we progress through the novel and she slips more and more into madness, the narrative also matches her mental state. In fact, the third part is downright creepy.
However, I am still plagued by a niggling doubt... would this novel be effective for someone totally ignorant of Jane Eyre?
Oh well...maybe the question is irrelevant.
Therefore, ever since I heard the premise of Jean Rhys's novel, I was eager to read it.
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Bertha, Mr. Rochester's first wife, must have had a life other than as the "madwoman in the attic". I do not know if Charlotte Bronte ever thought about it, but Ms. Rhys obviously did, and this compellingly readable novel is the product.The language is beautifully evocative. I could see the West Indies, even though I have never been there. I could see, hear and smell the tropical countryside (very much like my homeland), at once breathtakingly beautiful, compellingly seductive and strangely frightening-like Antoinette. Especially to the eyes of an Englishman whose green meadows and rolling fields hold no secrets.
Yes, the countryside is beautiful... but dangerous, since you can get lost in it. It may suddenly cloud over and start to rain, and you may find yourself in the burnt-out ruins of a country house populated only by ghosts of dead slaves and murdered slave-owners.
The characterisation is perfect. Rhys draws each character, including the minor ones, with a few deft brush strokes. Rochester, for all his faults, comes across as sympathetic, a victim of his times and society: the "evils" he does are part of his social makeup. And Antoinette is a masterpiece-inseparable from the landscape she inhabits. As we progress through the novel and she slips more and more into madness, the narrative also matches her mental state. In fact, the third part is downright creepy.
However, I am still plagued by a niggling doubt... would this novel be effective for someone totally ignorant of Jane Eyre?
Oh well...maybe the question is irrelevant.
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LibraryThing member nycbookgirl
I had no idea that this novel had anything to do with Jane Eyre. **If you've never read Jane Eyre and are planning to, you might want to stop reading here. **I happened to see it the other day at the library and picked it up. So here we go.
Wide Sargasso Sea imagines the background of "Bertha" the
And I say "supposed" because it didn't really clear up anything to me. At the end of the book, I still feel that "Bertha" a.k.a. Antoinette Cosway, the wealthy Creole girl from the Caribbean, is still such a mystery.
Let's be honest. I didn't really like this book. Classic literature it may be but here's why I had problems with it.
1) Rochester doesn't really seem like the Rochester from Jane Eyre. That said, if he's supposed to come off as an evil man who enslaves her in his attic....it kind of failed. You could see where he seemed just as stuck in having to marry her as she was to him. And there was no logical reason for him to start calling her "Bertha", it was out of character, and it just bugged me. (A large portion in the middle of the book is written from Rochester's perspective. I DID like that.)
2) The book jacket made it seem as if she had no choice in marrying him. As if against her will she was forced. But I didn't really see that in the book either. I couldn't really see WHY she had to marry him or why she did.
3) She remains a complete mystery. If she's supposed to be strong-willed, I don't see it. If she was supposed to be an innocent who was manipulated, I don't see it. I'm just not sure where the author was wanting to take this character.
4) The characters were confusing, the writing was confusing...I'll just leave it at that.
What I did like about this book:
1) The very beginning is very vivid. It's the part where Antoinette is a child, growing up as a Creole without a father, and the social changes that happen on the island where she lives. I'd tag this as "classic" just from that small section. Then the book just goes down-hill from there.
2) In a weird way, I could never get a picture of what Antoinette looked like. Maybe it was purposeful since Antoinette was caught between worlds, not fitting into either one. I thought that was a really powerful writing tool she used.
3) I did like the parallel between Jane's upbringing and Antoinette's. Lots of similarities.
4) Jean Rhys. I am kind of fascinated about the author herself. I'd love to read a book just on her.
Wide Sargasso Sea imagines the background of "Bertha" the
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first wife of Rochester from Jane Eyre. It's supposed to clear up the mystery of why she ending up being the crazy lady in the attic.And I say "supposed" because it didn't really clear up anything to me. At the end of the book, I still feel that "Bertha" a.k.a. Antoinette Cosway, the wealthy Creole girl from the Caribbean, is still such a mystery.
Let's be honest. I didn't really like this book. Classic literature it may be but here's why I had problems with it.
1) Rochester doesn't really seem like the Rochester from Jane Eyre. That said, if he's supposed to come off as an evil man who enslaves her in his attic....it kind of failed. You could see where he seemed just as stuck in having to marry her as she was to him. And there was no logical reason for him to start calling her "Bertha", it was out of character, and it just bugged me. (A large portion in the middle of the book is written from Rochester's perspective. I DID like that.)
2) The book jacket made it seem as if she had no choice in marrying him. As if against her will she was forced. But I didn't really see that in the book either. I couldn't really see WHY she had to marry him or why she did.
3) She remains a complete mystery. If she's supposed to be strong-willed, I don't see it. If she was supposed to be an innocent who was manipulated, I don't see it. I'm just not sure where the author was wanting to take this character.
4) The characters were confusing, the writing was confusing...I'll just leave it at that.
What I did like about this book:
1) The very beginning is very vivid. It's the part where Antoinette is a child, growing up as a Creole without a father, and the social changes that happen on the island where she lives. I'd tag this as "classic" just from that small section. Then the book just goes down-hill from there.
2) In a weird way, I could never get a picture of what Antoinette looked like. Maybe it was purposeful since Antoinette was caught between worlds, not fitting into either one. I thought that was a really powerful writing tool she used.
3) I did like the parallel between Jane's upbringing and Antoinette's. Lots of similarities.
4) Jean Rhys. I am kind of fascinated about the author herself. I'd love to read a book just on her.
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LibraryThing member miriamparker
Blech. This is the most hackneyed idea. And something about this book just really, really bothers me. It makes me angry. I hate, hate, hate literary "revisitings." They make me want to vomit. Think up your own idea for god's sake.
LibraryThing member fraxi
Sorry, I know it is a classic, but I just could not engage with it at all. It left me almost feeling that I had wasted good reading time with it.
LibraryThing member the_awesome_opossum
How many of us, when reading Jane Eyre, actually paid much mind to Bertha Rochester, nee Mason? Her role in the book is perfunctory, standing more as an obstacle to be overcome than a person in her own right. But Wide Sargasso Sea reclaims her identity; she is not Bertha (which Rochester
It's a story that's also a sharp criticism of colonialism and men's perceptions of women's roles in their lives. Antoinette's character and love for her island get crushed in her traditional Western marriage to Rochester. Soon into the marriage he begins to avoid her, on account of secondhand rumors that madness runs in her family - rumors that could have been explained with a discussion, but no, he trusts the word of men over his wife. Thus his fear of Antoinette's madness becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, as her feelings of oppression and domination by men literally drive her insane, at least in a "socially unacceptable" manner of speaking. Rochester speaks of Antoinette scornfully, likening her to a marionette, but he doesn't acknowledge that that's what he was hoping for in the relationship from the start.
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re-christens her as without her input, simply because he likes the name better) but Antoinette, a spirited Creole girl whom Rochester marries on a vacation to the West Indies.It's a story that's also a sharp criticism of colonialism and men's perceptions of women's roles in their lives. Antoinette's character and love for her island get crushed in her traditional Western marriage to Rochester. Soon into the marriage he begins to avoid her, on account of secondhand rumors that madness runs in her family - rumors that could have been explained with a discussion, but no, he trusts the word of men over his wife. Thus his fear of Antoinette's madness becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, as her feelings of oppression and domination by men literally drive her insane, at least in a "socially unacceptable" manner of speaking. Rochester speaks of Antoinette scornfully, likening her to a marionette, but he doesn't acknowledge that that's what he was hoping for in the relationship from the start.
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LibraryThing member songfish
Felt like an exercise rather than a novel. Much to analyse, but not much to enjoy.
LibraryThing member sarah_rachael89
I loved this book but I would not have appreciated it as I did had I not previously read Jane Eyre. This book is a great read in itself but it certainly sparked more interest in me to find the is companionable with Jane Eyre. It gives a history to Rochester's estranged wife, Bertha, which is very
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interesting. Show Less
LibraryThing member citygirl
Rhys' Jamaica is lush and hypnotic, in stark contrast to Jane's bleak English countryside. Her young woman is sensual, beautiful and dreamy, far from Jane's pragmatic orphan. This is a beautiful novel, the descriptions of Jamaica and its denizens after slave emancipation are fascinating and would
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be a bit familiar to Americans from the South. Rhys had the freedom to portray Rochester's sexuality more clearly than Bronte, adding a new dimension to the man. This adds to the story. It is a worthy companion to Jane Eyre. Show Less
LibraryThing member 1morechapter
The Wide Sargasso Sea is listed in the top 100 novels by the Modern Library. I wouldn't go that far, but I did enjoy it. A warning though--some fans of Jane Eyre may hate it. Most members of my face to face book group felt like it ruined their idea of Mr. Rochester's character. I felt the same way
However, in this book, we learn how Mr. Rochester became the dark, brooding figure in Jane Eyre. We not only feel sorry for him, though, we also feel sorry for Bertha as well. At least I did. We learn how and why she had a mental breakdown. We learn that both she and Mr. Rochester are victims. While I won't go so far as to integrate this story into my feelings about and fondness for Jane Eyre, I am able to take this as a separate story altogether and appreciate it.
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when I read March by Geraldine Brooks earlier this year. Little Women is a favorite book of mine, and I didn't like how Mr. and Mrs. March were portrayed in Brooks' story at all.However, in this book, we learn how Mr. Rochester became the dark, brooding figure in Jane Eyre. We not only feel sorry for him, though, we also feel sorry for Bertha as well. At least I did. We learn how and why she had a mental breakdown. We learn that both she and Mr. Rochester are victims. While I won't go so far as to integrate this story into my feelings about and fondness for Jane Eyre, I am able to take this as a separate story altogether and appreciate it.
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LibraryThing member ocgreg34
I enjoy being able to walk around a library and just browse, not having to decide if I want to purchase something. I get a chance to be adventurous, selecting an author I've never heard of before or pulling a random title from the shelf to take home. A week ago, I found one such book: "Wide
Antoinette Cosway grows up on the slowly dilapidating Coulibri Estate in Jamaica. She spends much of her time as far from the house as possible, trying to keep to herself but also longing to be accepted by the newly-freed former slaves who see her as lower than they ever were. Her step-father stays away from the estate, much to the disappointment of her mother, and along with his absences and the distrust of the locals, she slowly goes mad. Antoinette's life changes -- for the better and the worse -- when Coulibri is burned to the ground forcing her into a convent while her mother is institutionalized.
Many years later, Antoinette's step-father returns to arrange a marriage for her to a young Englishman. The Englishman, however, wants only a match to bring him wealth and halfheartedly tries to love Antoinette. Instead, he loathes the island, the inhabitants, the house he now owns; he mistreats Antoinette, slowly drives her to madness. Eventually, he packs her up and together they head for his ancestral home in England where he locks her in the attic under the semi-watchful eye of Grace Poole. She manages to steal the door key while Mrs. Poole sleeps, sneaking around the upper floor hallways in the dead of night like a ghost for the rest of her days, sending a rumor through the little girls who live in the house that the place is haunted.
As it turns out, Antoinette is a character from Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre: the mad woman locked in the attic of Rochester's house. I enjoyed this possible history for a secondary character in a well-known novel. Why not give her a back story, a glimpse into what may have driven her to live in the attic? Having never read Jane Eyre, I feel more inclined to now, just to see how Antoinette fits with the story. Who knows: Antoinette may turn out to be more interesting than Jane.
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Sargasso Sea" by Jean Rhys. The title caught my attention because I'd heard of it, but as a movie not a book. I slid the novel from the shelf, read the spiel on the back, and held onto it for the remainder of the hour that I walked up and down the rows. And yes, I did check it out and began reading that night.Antoinette Cosway grows up on the slowly dilapidating Coulibri Estate in Jamaica. She spends much of her time as far from the house as possible, trying to keep to herself but also longing to be accepted by the newly-freed former slaves who see her as lower than they ever were. Her step-father stays away from the estate, much to the disappointment of her mother, and along with his absences and the distrust of the locals, she slowly goes mad. Antoinette's life changes -- for the better and the worse -- when Coulibri is burned to the ground forcing her into a convent while her mother is institutionalized.
Many years later, Antoinette's step-father returns to arrange a marriage for her to a young Englishman. The Englishman, however, wants only a match to bring him wealth and halfheartedly tries to love Antoinette. Instead, he loathes the island, the inhabitants, the house he now owns; he mistreats Antoinette, slowly drives her to madness. Eventually, he packs her up and together they head for his ancestral home in England where he locks her in the attic under the semi-watchful eye of Grace Poole. She manages to steal the door key while Mrs. Poole sleeps, sneaking around the upper floor hallways in the dead of night like a ghost for the rest of her days, sending a rumor through the little girls who live in the house that the place is haunted.
As it turns out, Antoinette is a character from Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre: the mad woman locked in the attic of Rochester's house. I enjoyed this possible history for a secondary character in a well-known novel. Why not give her a back story, a glimpse into what may have driven her to live in the attic? Having never read Jane Eyre, I feel more inclined to now, just to see how Antoinette fits with the story. Who knows: Antoinette may turn out to be more interesting than Jane.
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LibraryThing member Niecierpek
It took me the longest time to finish this book. It kept going back to the library, and I kept taking it out, starting it and giving it back again.
I don’t know why, but it probably proves the fact that each book needs an appropriate mood to read it in.
Anyway, the story offers a background and
I don’t know why, but it probably proves the fact that each book needs an appropriate mood to read it in.
Anyway, the story offers a background and
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an explanation to Mr. Rochester’s first wife’s madness in Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, and as such is quite interesting. It touches on issues of British colonialism, female autonomy, the power of prejudice and racism. It is written in a quite nice lyrical style. Well, I guess its only fault is that it did not grab me. On the other hand, I guess, I did not feel any sympathy for either of the narrators: Antoinette, (a.k.a. Bertha) who turned out to be weak and unresourceful, and Mr. Rochester (never named in the novel) who was a stupid hypocrite. The only full- bodied, sympathy inducing character was a West Indies native, a voodoo woman and Antoinette’s caretaker and mother figure, wise Christophine. Show Less
LibraryThing member barnaby
A lush and rich "prequel" to Charlotte Bronte's classic Jane Eyre. This book tells the story of the mad woman in the attic. She is married to a handsom young man (Rochester) but something is spreading unease. A very well written short novel, almost a novella, but definitely not to be ignored.
LibraryThing member Ambrosia4
Overall this was a very interesting idea for a novel: take one of the most mysterious characters from classical literature and expand upon her backstory. And Rhys does not disappoint, she brings such a rich and detailed viewpoint of Antoinette (later dubbed "Bertha", as she is called in Jane Eyre)
In particular, her identity crisis due to racial ambiguity spoke to me as a biracial woman. Using this as the basis of her illness at a time when race was deemed vitally important to a person's standing was a great take off point for her insanity. While racial differences have become more accepted, the relatively subtle (compared to more obvious displays in other novels) superiority complex of full-blooded whites to coloured and black people in this novel is still very much present in today's culture, despite the obliviousness of many.
Antoinette's insanity is very understandable as well. She is literally pushed to the brink and finally cannot bring herself back. No one offers her help and instead of being an evil woman who broke up Jane and Mr. Rochester, tried to kill her husband, and set his house ablaze, she becomes a sad woman who just needed a hug and some therapy. She was just genuinely a product of the times and her environment. Rhys draws this portrait of a woman harmed by society and her surroundings well and develops the Caribbean influences (drawn from her own background) pitch perfect.
This was not an easy read with a shifting point-of-view that is often hard to get used to or even identify. As Antoinette slips further into insanity her perspective in particular becomes unstable and difficult to comprehend. There are many motifs and some symbolism that is not obvious, but needs to be understood to get the full impact of Rhys' story.
In conclusion though, I definitely recommend it. It's a short book that on the surface can be easily comprehended.
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that one cannot help but sympathize with the girl who becomes the crazy woman in Thornfield Hall's attic room.In particular, her identity crisis due to racial ambiguity spoke to me as a biracial woman. Using this as the basis of her illness at a time when race was deemed vitally important to a person's standing was a great take off point for her insanity. While racial differences have become more accepted, the relatively subtle (compared to more obvious displays in other novels) superiority complex of full-blooded whites to coloured and black people in this novel is still very much present in today's culture, despite the obliviousness of many.
Antoinette's insanity is very understandable as well. She is literally pushed to the brink and finally cannot bring herself back. No one offers her help and instead of being an evil woman who broke up Jane and Mr. Rochester, tried to kill her husband, and set his house ablaze, she becomes a sad woman who just needed a hug and some therapy. She was just genuinely a product of the times and her environment. Rhys draws this portrait of a woman harmed by society and her surroundings well and develops the Caribbean influences (drawn from her own background) pitch perfect.
This was not an easy read with a shifting point-of-view that is often hard to get used to or even identify. As Antoinette slips further into insanity her perspective in particular becomes unstable and difficult to comprehend. There are many motifs and some symbolism that is not obvious, but needs to be understood to get the full impact of Rhys' story.
In conclusion though, I definitely recommend it. It's a short book that on the surface can be easily comprehended.
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LibraryThing member greeniezona
This book had been on my shelves for years before I finally picked it up for the Read Caribbean challenge. I expected it to be heartbreaking, part of why I kept putting it off, but I didn't know the half of it. I am not sure if I can ever read Jane Eyre again. When I finished this I sat there
So glad I finally picked this up. An amazing read.
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feeling like my heart had been ripped from my chest, so it was difficult to have the distance to think more critically about it. Given a little more distance, I remain impressed by the richness of the writing -- the atmosphere, the commentary on the class and race structures of colonialism.So glad I finally picked this up. An amazing read.
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LibraryThing member mephit
Fantastic response to 'Jane Eyre' with the fleshing out and full realisation of the figure embodying fear and insanity, the literal madwoman in the attic, of that novel. It also is a turn-around of colonial attitudes. Atmospheric, you can almost feel the humid heat roiling out of the pages.
Bertha
Rochester's cruelty to Antoinette seems born out of resentment about having been pressured into marrying for money by his own family and social expectations. Discovering an apparent history of mental illness in his new wife's family seems to suggest to him the path of ridding himself of his unwanted wife by deciding she is also mad.
It's a fascinating take on the first Mrs Rochester. Good stuff.
Bertha
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Mason/Rochester is revealed as Antoinette Cosway. One of the primary themes of the novel is loss of identity and this is basically what happens to the main character, slowly everything that makes her who she is, removed piece by piece. In this Mr Rochester is the main offender and might be said to represent the Empire. He succeeds in symbolically erasing her by denying her name and replacing it with Bertha, just as original place names and slaves' names would have been anglicised or re-named. She puts this into words, telling him he is trying to make her into another person, but he has no pity for her: his own powerlessness in having to marry an heiress and her very happiness & self- assurance in their honeymoon surroundings make him jealous & ruthless.Rochester's cruelty to Antoinette seems born out of resentment about having been pressured into marrying for money by his own family and social expectations. Discovering an apparent history of mental illness in his new wife's family seems to suggest to him the path of ridding himself of his unwanted wife by deciding she is also mad.
It's a fascinating take on the first Mrs Rochester. Good stuff.
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Awards
WH Smith Literary Award (Winner — 1967)
Heinemann Award (1966)
Newsweek's Top 100 Books: The Meta-List (45 — 2009)
Uncovered Classics (1966)
The Big Jubilee Read (1966 — 1962-1971)
Pages
176
ISBN
0393308804 / 9780393308808