An Enhanced Reading of Jean Rhys' "Wide Sargasso Sea". Considering Source Texts Other than "Jane Eyre"

Essay , 2012 , 9 Seiten , Note: Distinction

Anglistik - Komparatistik

This essay interrogates the way in which Jean Rhys utilises a backdrop of potent gothic mechanisms and echoes the stricken anarchy of post emancipation colonial rule in 'Wide Sargasso Sea' to enhance the audience’s reading and to enable her protagonist to hold a slanted mirror to the world of 'Jane Eyre'.

Rhys utilises a backdrop of potent gothic mechanisms and echoes the stricken anarchy of post emancipation colonial rule in her writing to enhance the audience’s reading and to enable her protagonist to hold a slanted mirror to the world of 'Jane Eyre'.

At first, it seems incongruous that the vibrant, post colonialist backdrop of 'Wide Sargasso Sea', soaked by the ‘brazen sun’ (1) should be so richly entangled with the shadowy landscapes of the European gothic. 'Jane Eyre' is punctuated by claustrophobic English imagery to add an atmospheric sense of terror, particularly noticeable in Brontë’s description of the violent Thornfield countryside, where the landscape seems animated by some nameless, feral horror; the beck is ‘a torrent, turbid and curbless: it tore asunder the wood, and sent a raving sound through the air, often thickened with wild rain or whirling sleet; and for the forest on its banks, that showed only ranks of skeleton.’ (p.64)

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• To What Extent is a Reading of Rhys' Novel Enhanced by Considering Source Texts Other Than Jane Eyre?
• The Gothic and Postcolonial: A Double Threat
• Antoinette/ Bertha: The Gothic Woman
• The Alienation of the Double
• The Postcolonial Landscape

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This essay explores the ways in which Jean Rhys's novel, *Wide Sargasso Sea*, is enhanced by considering source texts beyond Jane Eyre. It examines the interplay of gothic and postcolonial themes, the portrayal of Antoinette/ Bertha as a gothic woman, and the role of the double in representing alienation and cultural displacement.

• The intersection of gothic and postcolonial themes in *Wide Sargasso Sea*
• The portrayal of Antoinette/Bertha as a gothic figure, including her descent into madness and her role as the "female monster"
• The significance of the double in representing Antoinette/Bertha's fractured identity and alienation
• The influence of postcolonial landscapes and social anxieties on the novel's narrative
• The use of source texts beyond Jane Eyre, such as works of Yiddish literature and Lafcadio Hearn's *Two Years in the French West Indies*, to illuminate the novel's themes and characterizations

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

The first section explores the ways in which Rhys utilizes gothic mechanisms, such as the interplay of light and shadow, to create a sense of unease and danger. It highlights the similarities between *Wide Sargasso Sea* and other gothic texts, including *Jane Eyre* and *Wuthering Heights*.

The second section focuses on the portrayal of Antoinette/Bertha as a gothic woman, examining her descent into madness and her role as the "female monster" within the narrative. It explores the influence of her past, including her neglectful mother and the loss of her brother, on her mental state.

The third section delves into the significance of the double in representing Antoinette/Bertha's fractured identity and alienation. It analyzes the recurring motif of doubling throughout the novel, including the presence of Tia as a ghostly figure and the comparison to other literary figures like the dybukk in Isaac Bashevis Singer's works.

The final section examines the influence of the postcolonial landscape and social anxieties on the novel's narrative. It analyzes how Rhys uses the Caribbean setting and the tensions between English and Jamaican cultures to create a sense of instability and cultural displacement.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

The essay explores the intersection of gothic and postcolonial themes, focusing on the representation of the female protagonist, Antoinette/ Bertha, as a gothic figure and the role of the double in representing alienation and cultural displacement. Key concepts include: gothic literature, postcolonialism, identity, madness, the double, and source texts.

• Hochschule: The Open University
• Veranstaltung: M.A. English
• Note: Distinction
• Autor: Sophia Sharpe (Autor:in)
• Erscheinungsjahr: 2012
• Seiten: 9
• Katalognummer: V319877
• ISBN (eBook): 9783668193680
• ISBN (Buch): 9783668193697
• Sprache: Englisch
• Schlagworte: reading, jean, rhys, wide, sargasso, considering, source, texts, other, jane, eyre