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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
tense
challenging
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I have been meaning to read this book since I heard a podcast on Jean Rhys, and though I knew it could be a standalone book too, I wanted to re-read Jane Eyre before diving into it. I have conflicting feelings about the book since I read it at two levels- as the backstory of a character who doesn't have a voice in the Bronte classic though she is critical to the plot, and as a work of literature.
The book succeeds in giving a voice to the "mad woman" locked in the attic of Thornfield Hall. In the Bronte classic, we are told that she brought a not inconsiderable fortune with her when she married Mr. Rochester, but instead of calling out the cruelty of locking a woman up, the book attempts to justify it by explaining how Mr. Rochester was tricked into the marriage by withholding the family history of "madness".
Jean Rhys, a white creole woman herself, doesn't let him off the hook so easily. Even if he was indeed "tricked" into the marriage, she offers Mr. Rochester the chance to make a dignified exit by fixing an allowance on the young woman and allowing her to live out her life in the Caribbean. He chooses not to do so, and instead decides to punish her by taking away all the things she loves. Rhys brings out the hypocrisy of an age where a woman is to be punished for desiring other men, by the very men who themselves use and abuse women. Mr. Rochester married for money- where then is the question of him feeling cheated? And why case deliberate harm to his wife, and seek every opportunity to belittle her. If Mr. Rochester came across as an overbearing character in Jane Eyre, he was downright abusive in this book. Was Bertha Mason (or Antoinette Cosway to use her real name) "mad" or was she pushed into "madness"? Clearly the latter, though there is enough in the backstory to explain why a sensitive young woman who was brought up in the absence of unconditional love could be pushed to the mental state she found herself in.
Personally, I haven't read much about the history of the Creoles (I even had to look up the term), so found the background interesting- called "white cockroaches" by the locals and "white niggers" by Englishmen, and hated by both for being slave owners, it couldn't have been easy for them despite their wealth. I would love to read more about them if I find an appropriate book.
As a work of literature, however, the book fell short. The narrative almost seemed fragmentary with often incoherent ramblings by a narrator who was not obviously apparent. There were parts where it was not clear if the narrator was Mr. Rochester, Antoinette or a third person entirely. There were far too many references to obeah, and it was hard to determine if the author approved of it or was condemning it.
Overall, an interesting concept, but the book itself didn't work for me.
The book succeeds in giving a voice to the "mad woman" locked in the attic of Thornfield Hall. In the Bronte classic, we are told that she brought a not inconsiderable fortune with her when she married Mr. Rochester, but instead of calling out the cruelty of locking a woman up, the book attempts to justify it by explaining how Mr. Rochester was tricked into the marriage by withholding the family history of "madness".
Jean Rhys, a white creole woman herself, doesn't let him off the hook so easily. Even if he was indeed "tricked" into the marriage, she offers Mr. Rochester the chance to make a dignified exit by fixing an allowance on the young woman and allowing her to live out her life in the Caribbean. He chooses not to do so, and instead decides to punish her by taking away all the things she loves. Rhys brings out the hypocrisy of an age where a woman is to be punished for desiring other men, by the very men who themselves use and abuse women. Mr. Rochester married for money- where then is the question of him feeling cheated? And why case deliberate harm to his wife, and seek every opportunity to belittle her. If Mr. Rochester came across as an overbearing character in Jane Eyre, he was downright abusive in this book. Was Bertha Mason (or Antoinette Cosway to use her real name) "mad" or was she pushed into "madness"? Clearly the latter, though there is enough in the backstory to explain why a sensitive young woman who was brought up in the absence of unconditional love could be pushed to the mental state she found herself in.
Personally, I haven't read much about the history of the Creoles (I even had to look up the term), so found the background interesting- called "white cockroaches" by the locals and "white niggers" by Englishmen, and hated by both for being slave owners, it couldn't have been easy for them despite their wealth. I would love to read more about them if I find an appropriate book.
As a work of literature, however, the book fell short. The narrative almost seemed fragmentary with often incoherent ramblings by a narrator who was not obviously apparent. There were parts where it was not clear if the narrator was Mr. Rochester, Antoinette or a third person entirely. There were far too many references to obeah, and it was hard to determine if the author approved of it or was condemning it.
Overall, an interesting concept, but the book itself didn't work for me.
emotional
tense
fast-paced
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Reader, why the hell did you marry him? Reader, I loved loved loved Wide Sargasso Sea. I devoured it in three days. It would've been two, but I needed to sit overnight with all the emotions at the end of the second part before I could read the 12 pages that comprise the third and final part. I already want to re-read this book.
Before reading this book, Jean Rhys had become one of my favorite authors through her four, incredible interwar novels (Quartet, After Leaving Mr MacKenzie, A Voyage in the Dark, Good Morning Midnight). I thought to myself "I'm glad she achieved fame with Wide Sargasso Sea lest her interwar novels would've been forgotten to history." Then I read Wide Sargasso Sea and thought to myself "if this was the only book the world was ever blessed with by Jean Rhys that would've been sufficient to enshrine her in literary halls of fame. But thank God we got more." Jean Rhys is the perfect author to write the perfect prequel to Jane Eyre, like a hand fitting a glove. But then the hand slowly turns the glove inside out to show you it’s highly problematic, perhaps rotten to the core.
For those who don't know the twist to Jane Eyre (which is the literature equivalent of not knowing the twist to The Sixth Sense), Mr Rochester has a white creole wife from Jamaica named Bertha whom he's locked in the attic of his Thornfield estate citing madness. She will eventually burn down Thornfield, taking her life and Rochester's eyesight with it. Jean Rhys, born and raised as a white creole in Dominicana, writes Wide Sargasso Sea to give Bertha a backstory and voice. And what a voice she gives Bertha. By shifting perspectives between Bertha (a name Mr Rochester gave to a girl really named Antoinette) and Mr Rochester, Rhys shows how Bertha's "descent into madness" may have been inescapable from her genetics but was largely caused, enabled, and accelerated by Rochester's treatment of her. It's a gorgeous but heavy book, exploring the vibrant colors of the Caribbean, social class and racial tensions after the abolishment of slavery in 1833, and the tragic story of Antoinette's upbringing. We see how Rochester enters the scene, using his position of power to force Antoinette to marry against her wishes. As early as the wedding night, he then chooses to look past her beauty at all her differences - differences that make her "other" and "different" to him - differences that he chooses to use as his reasons not to love her. Once he learns her backstory, his perspective of her immediately shifts, choosing to see signs of mental illness and dark obeah sorcery where they may not be. From there, Rochester's behavior towards his wife becomes progressively worse, including calling her by a name she hates as part of viewing her as a doll to be manipulated.
Jean Rhys' writing is packed with symbolism, including of course animal symbolism which runs through all her novels. Her writing is also extremely concise. At 170ish pages, she chooses the essential events that define Antoinette and shape her character arc. The lack of excess makes the story all the more powerful. As I said near the outset, I already want to re-read this book
Before reading this book, Jean Rhys had become one of my favorite authors through her four, incredible interwar novels (Quartet, After Leaving Mr MacKenzie, A Voyage in the Dark, Good Morning Midnight). I thought to myself "I'm glad she achieved fame with Wide Sargasso Sea lest her interwar novels would've been forgotten to history." Then I read Wide Sargasso Sea and thought to myself "if this was the only book the world was ever blessed with by Jean Rhys that would've been sufficient to enshrine her in literary halls of fame. But thank God we got more." Jean Rhys is the perfect author to write the perfect prequel to Jane Eyre, like a hand fitting a glove. But then the hand slowly turns the glove inside out to show you it’s highly problematic, perhaps rotten to the core.
For those who don't know the twist to Jane Eyre (which is the literature equivalent of not knowing the twist to The Sixth Sense), Mr Rochester has a white creole wife from Jamaica named Bertha whom he's locked in the attic of his Thornfield estate citing madness. She will eventually burn down Thornfield, taking her life and Rochester's eyesight with it. Jean Rhys, born and raised as a white creole in Dominicana, writes Wide Sargasso Sea to give Bertha a backstory and voice. And what a voice she gives Bertha. By shifting perspectives between Bertha (a name Mr Rochester gave to a girl really named Antoinette) and Mr Rochester, Rhys shows how Bertha's "descent into madness" may have been inescapable from her genetics but was largely caused, enabled, and accelerated by Rochester's treatment of her. It's a gorgeous but heavy book, exploring the vibrant colors of the Caribbean, social class and racial tensions after the abolishment of slavery in 1833, and the tragic story of Antoinette's upbringing. We see how Rochester enters the scene, using his position of power to force Antoinette to marry against her wishes. As early as the wedding night, he then chooses to look past her beauty at all her differences - differences that make her "other" and "different" to him - differences that he chooses to use as his reasons not to love her. Once he learns her backstory, his perspective of her immediately shifts, choosing to see signs of mental illness and dark obeah sorcery where they may not be. From there, Rochester's behavior towards his wife becomes progressively worse, including calling her by a name she hates as part of viewing her as a doll to be manipulated.
Jean Rhys' writing is packed with symbolism, including of course animal symbolism which runs through all her novels. Her writing is also extremely concise. At 170ish pages, she chooses the essential events that define Antoinette and shape her character arc. The lack of excess makes the story all the more powerful. As I said near the outset, I already want to re-read this book
the first fanfic to become a classic
really enjoyed that and i’ll now have re-read jane eyre
really enjoyed that and i’ll now have re-read jane eyre
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Riscrittura su un personaggio di Jane Eyre ma il taglio è completamente diverso. I temi sono il dilemma etnico e femminista. C’è una forte analogia fra l’impossessamento della terra e del corpo delle donne descritta con lucidità e originalità. Prepararsi a cambi di voce continui.
Il libricino è un piccolo gioiello, l’ho apprezzato molto. C’è tanto dentro e io che sono un tipo piuttosto sintetico nelle recensioni devo proprio fare mente locale per procedere con ordine.
. Antoinette è un pesce fuor d’acqua, sempre. La “blatta bianca” (così vengono chiamati i creoli bianchi dai neri giamaicani) non si sente nel ‘suo’ in nessun luogo. O meglio, prova un senso di inadeguatezza a casa sua ma l’unico appiglio di salvezza per lei è proprio la Giamaica e le donne giamaicane che la hanno veramente allevata. Lo strappo che le provoca il marito (per interesse suo - di lui- marito) portandola in Inghilterra è insanabile. Vediamo così spiegato, comprendendo bene solo all’ultimo, il mistero della precedente moglie del Rochester Austenieno. Antoiniette perde il suo nome per mano del bianco inglese, usurpatore e conquistatore coloniale, e diventa Bertha rivelatrice. E da ‘bianca negra’ in Inghilterra resta vittima della sua diversità, del suo credere in riti magici e superstizioni finendo col perdere irrimediabilmente la ragione.
Il dramma tutto femminile di questo isolamento viene così ben delineato perché racconta come questo essere corpo ma anche terra violata da un conquistatore bianco uomo e occidentale.
Il libricino è un piccolo gioiello, l’ho apprezzato molto. C’è tanto dentro e io che sono un tipo piuttosto sintetico nelle recensioni devo proprio fare mente locale per procedere con ordine.
. Antoinette è un pesce fuor d’acqua, sempre. La “blatta bianca” (così vengono chiamati i creoli bianchi dai neri giamaicani) non si sente nel ‘suo’ in nessun luogo. O meglio, prova un senso di inadeguatezza a casa sua ma l’unico appiglio di salvezza per lei è proprio la Giamaica e le donne giamaicane che la hanno veramente allevata. Lo strappo che le provoca il marito (per interesse suo - di lui- marito) portandola in Inghilterra è insanabile. Vediamo così spiegato, comprendendo bene solo all’ultimo, il mistero della precedente moglie del Rochester Austenieno. Antoiniette perde il suo nome per mano del bianco inglese, usurpatore e conquistatore coloniale, e diventa Bertha rivelatrice. E da ‘bianca negra’ in Inghilterra resta vittima della sua diversità, del suo credere in riti magici e superstizioni finendo col perdere irrimediabilmente la ragione.
Il dramma tutto femminile di questo isolamento viene così ben delineato perché racconta come questo essere corpo ma anche terra violata da un conquistatore bianco uomo e occidentale.
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Something about this book drew me in from the first few pages. Was it the lush descriptions of the tropical landscape, or the commentary on colorism and colonialism?
I was already rather skeptical of a man who keeps a woman Yellow Wallpaper-ed up in his house with like no explanation other than “she’s mad!” and after this I feel vindicated for writing off Mr. Rochester as the sus ass bitch he is.
A Wide Sargasso Sea feels like a missing piece of Jane Eyre, and this read easily solidified its place as a must-read classic.
I was already rather skeptical of a man who keeps a woman Yellow Wallpaper-ed up in his house with like no explanation other than “she’s mad!” and after this I feel vindicated for writing off Mr. Rochester as the sus ass bitch he is.
A Wide Sargasso Sea feels like a missing piece of Jane Eyre, and this read easily solidified its place as a must-read classic.