I remember discovering Jean Rhys in college via Wide Sargasso Sea and feeling like a door had been blown open about what stories could really mean and other ways of telling them. You can’t unsee Bertha’s, Antoinette, story once you read Rhys‘s version. And that’s the point. It made me wonder why did I accept it the first time around, maybe because a woman wrote it? Because I wanted Jane and Rochester to end up together? Afterwards, I read as much of Jeanne as I could find which wasn’t that much in the late 90s before online shopping. But after reading your various articles about her, I think it’s time for a revisit.
Thanks Kate, what a fascinating article. I loved Wide Sargasso Sea and am very interested in minor characters becoming central to a narrative of their own. There's so much potential. I too was lucky enough to recently read Rose Tremain's The Housekeeper and thought it was wonderfully compelling.
Always a treat! Fascinating premise - about the now-familiar idea of the minor character brought centre-stage. I’ve just clicked that WSS appeared in the same year as Rosencrantz and G are Dead, admittedly they couldn’t be more tonally different…
Yes! I actually meant to include that 😅 I remember reading the play for A level English lit and thinking, wow, this is such an original idea! (Of course, needless to say, Rhys wasn't on the syllabus...)
Such an important exploration, Kate. Spivak, I find, is always a good source of inquiry and wisdom. These kind of “othered” perspectives are also great practices to do yourself or have your students do.
Thank you for this wonderful piece! Regarding this genre, I just discovered the book "March" by Geraldine Brooks. Published in 2005, it tells the story of the absent father from Little Women "Mr. March" who was off fighting in the Civil War. I'm not sure his should be considered a "marginalized" voice, but interesting nonetheless. Won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
Thank you for this wonderful reminder of a brilliant book, Kate. I’ve been on a strange journey with Jane Eyre and WSS. Jane was so formative for me growing up because I’d never read a book about someone who seemed as much an outsider as I felt myself to be and that was hugely important. But as an adult WSS struck me with enormous force because I saw for the first time how Jane’s self-actualisation depended on the othering of someone deemed even more of an outsider than she was. I feel as if I’ve been processing how this applies to my own life ever since. Truly a work of genius, as you so beautifully and succinctly describe here.
Thank you, Jo! I think a lot of people who read Jane Eyre as young women feel similar to yourself. It is still an important book, I think, but Rhys's book does force you to look at the prejudice contained in it. As always with great literature (and 'great' writers) of the past, we have to examine both the problematic elements along with the genius of their writing.
A very enjoyable essay. I agree that it is fascinating to write about the 'unheard voice' in classic work (or indeed, fairy tales and folk tales). Wide Sargasso Sea is one of my favourite books.
I love Wide Sargasso Sea. Thank you for highlighting it! I understand that it can be read as a standalone, without the context of Jane Eyre, but being so familiar with the latter, it wasn't possible for me to do so. So last time I re-read both of them concurrently and it was quite an amazing experience, which I highly recommend doing.
This is a great piece, thank you. Surprising really with all the agonising over slavery / plantations that WSS hasn't been discussed more widely. Love Rose Tremain too, so that is straight onto my list
Hmm, might be worth dropping Rebecca Yorke, the Haworth Museum director, an email to see what she has to say about that. Other institutions - Penrhyn Castle, for example, or anywhere in Bristol and Glasgow - are falling over themselves to take the opportunity to 'apologise'. Rochester makes out he was made to marry Bertha. The usual narrative was a better one where having got involved with an indentured woman, the plantation owner or family member might have opted to give them some life chances. Children of such liaisons were sometimes brought to England or Scotland to be educated. I read quite a bit about this around Scottish involvement with slavery. What made CB put Bertha into her story? Where did she get her information from? I don't recall anything said about this in Mrs Gaskell's Life of CB or in Harriet Martineau's Autobiography. Here is a family letter describing the circumstances when Harriet Martineau met 'Currer Bell'. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3044359?seq=1 HM surely would have talked with CB about Bertha having ferociously and publicly condemned slavery at a risk to her own life in Mississippi. The reference to her trumpet in the letter is to HM's gramophone size ear trumpet as she was completely deaf since a young girl.
I remember discovering Jean Rhys in college via Wide Sargasso Sea and feeling like a door had been blown open about what stories could really mean and other ways of telling them. You can’t unsee Bertha’s, Antoinette, story once you read Rhys‘s version. And that’s the point. It made me wonder why did I accept it the first time around, maybe because a woman wrote it? Because I wanted Jane and Rochester to end up together? Afterwards, I read as much of Jeanne as I could find which wasn’t that much in the late 90s before online shopping. But after reading your various articles about her, I think it’s time for a revisit.
I was the same, Dana! Something always felt uncomfortable about Bertha, but I also wanted a happy ending as a young reader.
Thanks Kate, what a fascinating article. I loved Wide Sargasso Sea and am very interested in minor characters becoming central to a narrative of their own. There's so much potential. I too was lucky enough to recently read Rose Tremain's The Housekeeper and thought it was wonderfully compelling.
Thank you for reading, Lee! Yes, such a rich vein for an author, I think.
This is wonderful! Thanks Kate - incredibly interesting.
Thank you, Laura 💙 (You know we can't resist a Rhys revisit 😉).
Always a treat! Fascinating premise - about the now-familiar idea of the minor character brought centre-stage. I’ve just clicked that WSS appeared in the same year as Rosencrantz and G are Dead, admittedly they couldn’t be more tonally different…
Yes! I actually meant to include that 😅 I remember reading the play for A level English lit and thinking, wow, this is such an original idea! (Of course, needless to say, Rhys wasn't on the syllabus...)
Ha, of course not…
And of course Jean came up with the idea more than 20 yrs earlier… as I should have added.
Oh yes! I read it too - I think in my early twenties and couldn’t read Jane Eyre again..
I think once you come to examine the story, you realise just how problematic it is.
Maybe I should…
Such an important exploration, Kate. Spivak, I find, is always a good source of inquiry and wisdom. These kind of “othered” perspectives are also great practices to do yourself or have your students do.
Spivak is great! What a great idea for students!
Thank you for this wonderful piece! Regarding this genre, I just discovered the book "March" by Geraldine Brooks. Published in 2005, it tells the story of the absent father from Little Women "Mr. March" who was off fighting in the Civil War. I'm not sure his should be considered a "marginalized" voice, but interesting nonetheless. Won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
Thank you, Joshua! Ah yes, I heard about that book but haven't read it. I'm a big Louisa Alcott fan so it would be interesting to read. Thanks!
Thank you for this wonderful reminder of a brilliant book, Kate. I’ve been on a strange journey with Jane Eyre and WSS. Jane was so formative for me growing up because I’d never read a book about someone who seemed as much an outsider as I felt myself to be and that was hugely important. But as an adult WSS struck me with enormous force because I saw for the first time how Jane’s self-actualisation depended on the othering of someone deemed even more of an outsider than she was. I feel as if I’ve been processing how this applies to my own life ever since. Truly a work of genius, as you so beautifully and succinctly describe here.
Thank you, Jo! I think a lot of people who read Jane Eyre as young women feel similar to yourself. It is still an important book, I think, but Rhys's book does force you to look at the prejudice contained in it. As always with great literature (and 'great' writers) of the past, we have to examine both the problematic elements along with the genius of their writing.
A very enjoyable essay. I agree that it is fascinating to write about the 'unheard voice' in classic work (or indeed, fairy tales and folk tales). Wide Sargasso Sea is one of my favourite books.
Thank you! Yes, it would be interesting for anyone writing fiction to find those ‘missing’ voices and bring them to life :)
I always like the idea of a different view from characters in a book.
Me too! :)
What an illuminating article, Kate. It's years since I read Jane Eyre, and had forgotten how hideous the depiction of Bertha is.
Thank you, Christine! I must admit, I had also forgotten how awful the language was until I researched the essay…shocking.
I love Wide Sargasso Sea. Thank you for highlighting it! I understand that it can be read as a standalone, without the context of Jane Eyre, but being so familiar with the latter, it wasn't possible for me to do so. So last time I re-read both of them concurrently and it was quite an amazing experience, which I highly recommend doing.
Thank you, Nava! This is something I am planning, as it's been a while since I read Jane Eyre.
This is a great piece, thank you. Surprising really with all the agonising over slavery / plantations that WSS hasn't been discussed more widely. Love Rose Tremain too, so that is straight onto my list
Thank you, Mandi! Yes, I was disappointed to find that a recent exhibition at the Bronte Parsonage on colonialism didn't even mention Rhys's novel!
Hmm, might be worth dropping Rebecca Yorke, the Haworth Museum director, an email to see what she has to say about that. Other institutions - Penrhyn Castle, for example, or anywhere in Bristol and Glasgow - are falling over themselves to take the opportunity to 'apologise'. Rochester makes out he was made to marry Bertha. The usual narrative was a better one where having got involved with an indentured woman, the plantation owner or family member might have opted to give them some life chances. Children of such liaisons were sometimes brought to England or Scotland to be educated. I read quite a bit about this around Scottish involvement with slavery. What made CB put Bertha into her story? Where did she get her information from? I don't recall anything said about this in Mrs Gaskell's Life of CB or in Harriet Martineau's Autobiography. Here is a family letter describing the circumstances when Harriet Martineau met 'Currer Bell'. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3044359?seq=1 HM surely would have talked with CB about Bertha having ferociously and publicly condemned slavery at a risk to her own life in Mississippi. The reference to her trumpet in the letter is to HM's gramophone size ear trumpet as she was completely deaf since a young girl.
Thank you for this valuable information, Mandi! I was thinking of contacting Haworth so this is useful.
Hope you can report what they have to say
Great article Kate. I loved James too. Such a clever book.
Thanks, Lucy! I haven't read James but it sounds fascinating!
Oh I really recommend it Kate.
Me too