Wide Sargasso Sea

From the book cover:
Jean Rhys's late, literary masterpiece, Wide Sargasso Sea, was inspired by Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre, and is set in the lush, beguiling landscape of Jamaica in the 1830s.

Born into an oppressive, colonialist society, Creole heiress Antoinette Cosway meets a young Englishman who is drawn to her innocent sensuality and beauty. After their marriage the rumours begin, poisoning her husband against her. Caught between his demands and her own precarious sense of belonging, Antoinette is driven towards madness.
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 I read the edition with edits, an introduction and notes by Angela Smith.


Wide Sargasso Sea tells the story of the mad woman locked in the attic in Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre, while exploring the racial inequalities and injustices of the post-colonial world.

The novel is split into three parts.

Part one is set in Jamaica and narrated by Antoinette. We learn about her upbringing, her mother's marriage to Mr. Mason, the fire that killed her brother and her mother's resulting descent into madness, her education at a catholic convent and her arranged marriage, to a man assumed to be Mr.Rochester of Jane Eyre.

Part two is set in Granbois, Dominica. Antoinette is married and her husband takes over the narration. We learn how his mind and heart were poisoned against her and of the beginning of her descent into madness.

Part three is set in England. Antoinette, locked in the attic of the 'great house', resumes the narration. She is now completely mad and closely resembles the madwoman in the attic, as described in Jane Eyre.

I really enjoyed this novel. The fact that a large part is set in Jamaica, my homeland, was definitely part of the appeal. I left Jamaica when I was a young child, so all of my education is North American centered. I don't know a lot about the emancipation act and its affect on the West Indies and Jamaica, so this book offered me a glanced into the experience of the freed slaves and former slave owners.

If you're a regular reader of this blog you probably already know that I enjoy reading about women's issues and historical fiction, this novel is a blend of both of those genres. 

My only grievance is with some of the end notes Angela Smith provides. A lot of the notes seem unnecessary. Who needs a definition of shingles or a mango tree? I found the abundance of end notes distracting at times, as I'm not the type of reader who can ignore end notes. Even when I'm positive I know what the end note is going to say, I still flip to the back of the book. Despite this, I am really grateful for the introduction and notes on the emancipation act, Creole and obeah.

Before reading these notes I did not know about the compensation paid to slave owners (£19 per slave, slaves were valued at £35) or the proposed 7-year transition period. I also did not know about the history of the Creole people in the West Indies and Jamaica. I had always assumed that the slave owners where all of British or European descent. It was surreal reading about obeah. It's something I grew up hearing stories about but never took seriously, rolling my eyes when the grown folks would tell stories.

Wide Sargasso Sea is a powerful novel about a young girl caught up in a vicious cycle created by the patriarchal world surrounding her, in a time when the world is going through a metamorphosis. I recommend this book to those who enjoy reading about women's issues, historical fiction and race relations.

5

 Movie Trailer for the film adaptation of Jean Rhys's Wide Sargasso Sea.