Wide Sargasso Sea

Yes, I know that this post is a tad on the late side, but I've been very busy, amongst other things, and have either not had the time to post, or have been distracted to the point of forgetting that I needed to make this post.

Anyhow, this post is to reflect on the novel Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys. According to the information presented on the rear cover of the novel, this book is meant to explore both the dark past of a certain Mr. Rochester, and the fabled "Lady in the Attic" who are both characters in the famous Jane Eyre. I cannot, however, delve too deeply into the connections between the two novels, as I have never read Jane Eyre and therefore cannot definitively attest to anything in regard to it. However, I was not drawn to the book as a result of any connection to Jane Eyre, in fact, I was not even aware of the connection until after I purchased the book. What drew me to begin with was the title. I have always had a love for and a longing to see the tropics, the Caribbean in particular, so the book's title drew me in with a promise of a tale told in a far off paradisaical isle. Alongside my love for the tropics, I also hold a love of deeply emotional, even heart wrenching stories of passionate and tumultuous love. Drawn in by its title, after reading the synopsis, I knew that Wide Sargasso Sea was, without a doubt, the novel I would select for this, my final AP English paper.

Though I believe this post was intended for reflection on one's initial feelings upon beginning to read one's novel, at this late a date I have already finished reading, and so I am reflecting on the novel in its entirety. The positives of the novel, in my opinion, include the use of the dreamlike settings of 19th-century Jamaica and Martinique, the depth of character that even the most seemingly insignificant characters are given, the alternation of narrators (by which such a depth of character can be portrayed), and the beautiful, yet still very dreamlike, tragic ending of a novel that could not have concluded in any other way. As for negatives, I can really only say that the dreamlike quality of the novel as a whole became so pronounced at some points in the work that, at times, it became somewhat difficult for me as the reader to comprehend what was occurring, or what a certain character was thinking.

As a whole, I greatly enjoyed the novel and am excited to explore some of these topics further in my essay.