Traverse Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys with us! This imaginative prequel to Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre gives a history – a life – to the madwoman in the attic of that classic Victorian novel. It depicts the Caribbean past of Antoinette, who is called “Bertha” in Jane Eyre. Although this is a tale about what drives that woman mad, the vivid sensory language and clever shifts in perspective make it a delightful read. And Wide Sargasso Sea has been read the world over. This is a globally renowned Caribbean novel, and it has also changed the way that Jane Eyre is read. The wide-ranging impact of this slim book extends into postcolonialism, feminism, and Victorian studies.
We are privileged to hear more about this book and its impact from two expert guests. In an extended reflection, the Trinidadian poet and book blogger Shivanee Ramlochan talks about her own intimate history with Wide Sargasso Sea as a reader and a writer. Later we interview Elaine Savory, who is Associate Professor of Literature at The New School and has published extensively on Rhys. She explains the importance of reading Rhys as a Caribbean novelist.
This is an affiliate link for which we may receive a commission.
Sources
Athill, Diana. “For the Love of Jean.” Guardian, 15 Sept. 2000, https://www.theguardian.com/books/2000/sep/16/classics.
Athill, Diana. Stet: An Editor’s Life. Grove Press, 2000.
Piepenbring, Dan. “Jean Rhys Speaks.” The Paris Review, 24 Aug. 2016, https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2016/08/24/jean-rhys-speaks.
Ramlochan, Shivanee. Everyone Knows I am a Haunting. Peepal Tree Press, 2017.
Savory, Elaine. Jean Rhys. Cambridge University Press, 2007.
Savory, Elaine. The Cambridge Introduction to Jean Rhys. Cambridge University Press, 2009.
Savory, Elaine and Erica L. Johnson, editors. Wide Sargasso Sea at 50. Palgrave MacMillan, 2020.