Wide Sargasso Sea: The story of the madwoman in the attic

Wide Sargasso Sea is a postcolonial novel by Jean Rhys, published in 1966. It gives readers an alternative view of Charlotte Brönte’s Jane Eyre, written from the perspective of Bertha (or Antoinette, as she is known in this novel) – Rochester’s ‘mad’ wife who lives in the attic of Thornfield Hall. It can be seen as a prequel, as it depicts Antoinette’s upbringing in Jamaica as a white Creole heiress, her difficult relationship with Rochester, and the events that contribute to her decline.

What makes this novel so interesting is how far removed from Jane Eyre it is, while also bringing a poignant new dynamic to the text. Wide Sargasso Sea is set predominately in the Caribbean, which is far removed from the Yorkshire moors and attic in which Antoinette finds herself trapped. But it still provides an important commentary on class, male-female relations, and what it means to be a white English gentleman or woman – all of which Jane Eyre is also concerned with.

We feel far more sympathy for the confined woman, taken far from her home and everything she knows. It is no wonder that she begins to lose her grip on reality

In Jane Eyre, Bertha is not given a voice, but is instead declared mad by Rochester. We never learn much about her life before Thornfield Hall. Hearing her story in Rhys’ novel, however, we feel far more sympathy for the confined woman, taken far from her home and everything she knows. It is no wonder that she begins to lose her grip on reality. This sympathy colours the way you view Bertha in Jane Eyre, who otherwise is more symbolic of rampant female sexuality and madness than a fully fleshed-out character.

In Wide Sargasso Sea, Jane herself is barely mentioned, and Rochester is never explicitly named. However, the reader does also get to read the story from his point of view in addition to Antoinette’s. Rochester – a Byronic hero in Jane Eyre – is manipulative and unfaithful, yet unsure, conflicted and insecure in this novel.

Rochester – a Byronic hero in Jane Eyre – is manipulative and unfaithful, yet unsure, conflicted and insecure

As such, no character is wholly villainous or heroic, and the varying viewpoints help the reader get a sense of the complex social rules and expectations that frame the character interactions. We can therefore be both sympathetic and critical of each of the characters – and this extends to the classic text too.

While reading Wide Sargasso Sea problematises Rochester, and thus Jane and Rochester’s relationship, it doesn’t spoil Jane Eyre as a work, or the characters presented in it. Wide Sargasso Sea merely gives the reader a nuanced view on what, in Jane Eyre, is presented by Rochester as a clean-cut situation – that Bertha is mad. Here, we get to decide for ourselves what to believe and I think the experience of reading Jane Eyre is richer for it.

Image Credits: Moyan Breen / Flickr (Header)