Wide Sargasso Sea (original 1966; edition 1966)

Wide Sargasso Sea, published over 200 years after Jane Eyre is a prequel to the classic. It is the life of Antoinette Mason - the mad Mrs. Rochester who is hidden in the attic in Jane Eyre. Told through the eyes of both Antoinette and Mr. Rochester, it covers Antoinette's youth through her captivity in Thornfied Hall. What I enjoyed about this book is how it explains how Mrs. Rochester became the deranged woman in Jane Eyre. And even more, when told through Antoinette's point of view, the reader can't really tell who is mad. I also enjoyed seeing Mr. Rochester in a different light. In Jane Eyre, Mr. Rochester is gruff, conceited and full of hubris. But he is our hero, the man who is destined to be with Jane Eyre - and so we forgive him for his minor misdemeanors. Little things like omitting the fact that he is already married when he tries to marry Jane. Or that he locks his 'mad' wife up in the attic and hides her from everyone. Or that he has affairs with other women, resulting in fathering a child that he raises, but never really acknowledges as his own. By any definition, he is a cad, but he is cast as the love interest of Jane, so we excuse his behavior because when he was young, he was tricked into marrying a mad woman. Such an interesting perspective to see this story from another point of view. Great accompaniment to Jane Eyre! ( )

A rather disappointing read. The plot is contrived and thin. The character names are confusing. Just didn't do much for me. ( )

I love Jane Eyre, but I was always keenly aware of the untold story behind the mad wife in the attic, and the distinct unfairness of the way Rochester treated them both. You can submerge the unease at that, and read for the romance between Rochester and Jane -- I certainly have done so -- but there is a dark side to Rochester, and a bright side to Bertha, and this explores that, and how the story of Jane Eyre really comes to be.

The majority of the story is set in a world Jean Rhys knew well: Jamaica and the West Indies. She explores this world, and also her chosen historical context, just after the emancipation of slaves. Not only does she give a voice to Bertha, but to the people and the time which is so glossed over in Jane Eyre.

Very, very interesting to read, and satisfying too, to turn over Jane Eyre and see the dark underside. I doubt I can go back and read Jane Eyre again without holding this in my mind, side by side with it. ( )

A beautiful parallel fiction that tells the story of Rochester's "madwoman in the attic" from Jane Eyre. It is so rich and deep that both books are the better for it. The first chapter is told from the perspective of the woman, Antoinette Cosway, mostly narrated when she was a girl growing up in Jamaica. It is far from a tropical paradise, instead she grows up in a poor white family that becomes even worse off after emancipation, dealing with traumas like their house being burned down, being assaulted with a rock, her mother's remarriage, etc.

The second chapter begins with Mr. Rochester, who has spent only about a month on the island, taking his new bride to their new home. As the chapter unfolds you learn he married her for money, is unfaithful to her, but is also tormented by the contradictory stories he hears about the madness in her family.

The final chapter is again from Antoinette's perspective, this time told from the attic in Mr. Rochester's house--with a brief glimpse of Jane Eyre and an imaginary fire.

All of it leaves you deeply moved by a fully developed and articulated character that in the original novel was only a plot point--albeit a critical one. In this one you get a deep feeling for the horrors of slavery, the problems of colonialism, violence against women--and all of the ways these distort a society, make it impossible to tell who is telling the truth and who is lying, and ultimately lead to more madness. ( )

Jane Eyre is one of my all time favorites. I remember so much about the first time I held the book in my hands and fell completely head over heels in love with Victorian literature:the time, the feel of the period and Bronte's writing.

Wide Sargasso Sea is ambitious; I can't imagine wanting to take a famous book and writing the prequel.It takes a lot of guts to take this on.

In WSS, we uncover the story of the "mad" woman in the attic of Thornfield Hall where Jane comes to live. Discovering who Antoinette, Mr. Rochester's wife, is or was is quite scary. Scary in that this era of history dictated who or what you would be for the most part. Mental illness was not understood and a woman's role in the world was determined from birth and family circumstance. Once branded as
'mad' there was little hope for a recovery. The treatment of those experiencing mental breakdowns was appalling and most likely contributed to a worsening condition. ie. King George the Third.

Antoinette (or Bertha as she is later called by Rochester) is really quite ordinary at first and a victim of her surroundings and family. The experiences she is exposed to as a young child, I am sure traumatized her for life. Her relationship with Rochester and his treatment of her, are triggers for future behavior that could have been avoided in my opinion.

My impression was that her madness was not a given until others decided that it would be her destiny. She is quite normal and wonderful even though at an early age, her mother descends into a severe depression. I ended up despising Rochester, despite his ignorance, for being influenced so strongly by others and his belief that she was born to be mad.

It will be interesting for me to see how this novel colors my next reading of Jane Eyre. A great companion to one of my favorite novels. ( )