Wide Sargasso Sea
Written as a prequel to Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, Wide Sargasso Sea is now a classic in its own right. It tells the story of Antoinette Cosway, a white Creole woman from Jamaica, who will eventually become the attic-bound Mrs. Rochester.
In rich and evocative prose, Rhys details Antoinette's childhood at Coulibri, a grand but crumbling estate, and her volatile marriage to a wealthy Englishman. In under 200 pages, Wide Sargasso Sea examines issues of race, colonialism, mental illness, and constricting gender roles.
Quote:
“I hated the mountains and the hills, the rivers and the rain. I hated the sunsets of whatever colour, I hated its beauty and its magic and the secret I would never know. I hated its indifference and the cruelty which was part of its loveliness. Above all I hated her. For she belonged to the magic and the loveliness. She had left me thirsty and all my life would be thirst and longing for what I had lost before I found it.”
Author:
Jean Rhys (1890-1979) was born in Dominica and, at the age of 16, was sent to England, where she lived for most of her life. Her books include Quartet; Voyage in the Dark; Good Morning, Midnight; and Wide Sargasso Sea.
Published: 1966
Length: 176 pages
Primary Settings: Jamaica; Dominica
Secondary Setting: England