Wide Sargasso Sea - Jean Rhys

Wide Sargasso Sea is Jane Rhys' response to Charlotte Bronte's "madwoman in the attic" character, depicted in Jane Eyre as Bertha Mason. In Bronte's novel, Bertha only represents an obstacle between Rochester and Jane, and his source of unhappiness. She is briefly described as Creole, foreign, lunatic, and not belonging to the same world that Rochester and Jane belong to.

In Wide Sargasso Sea, Rhys (a Creole herself) writes a story for Bertha, and gives her a voice and a distinct identity, that of Antoinette Cosway, a white Creole heiress. The novel follows her life, from her childhood growing up in the West Indies to her arranged marriage to Mr. Rochester, through the deterioration of their marriage, her relocation to England, and her eventual complete mental breakdown. As a sample of post-colonial literature, the novel explores racial inequalities, colonization, assimilation, and the parallels and differences between colonists and the colonized.

I wasn't aware of the connection to Jane Eyre before starting the book. I had already read Jane Eyre a few months ago as part of this same reading list and the character of Bertha Mason didn't grab my attention beyond being the mystery behind the story and the one reason Rochester and Jane couldn't be together. Rhys' story fits so well with the narrative already presented in Jane Eyre, that it feels like a necessary prequel that makes the story complete. Bronte's character Bertha is merely a caricature; Rhys' Antoinette is alive and complex; also deeply disturbed, yes, but the backstory sets up the events that happen in Thornfield Hall perfectly.

So, why Bertha - Antoinette? The novel explores issues of identity and assimilation. Rochester, in his role as patriarchal English colonist, assigns Antoinette a new identity, and renames her as Bertha. In fact, Rochester is pretty much a jerk this entire book too. Like Antoinette, however, his backstory is also fleshed out further, for example his relationship with his father and brother. Antoinette's progression into madness plays out throughout the entire novel, getting increasingly worse until the last third of the book when she is living in England and has lost all sense of self.

I would recommend reading this after reading Jane Eyre. I can think of no other prequel that complements the original story so well (though, the book works as a standalone read as well due to the lush descriptions and heavy symbolism). Are there any other good prequels out there? Seriously, I'm asking...


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