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Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide
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Unlock the more straightforward side of Wide Sargasso Sea with this concise and insightful summary and analysis!
This engaging summary presents an analysis of Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys, which was inspired by Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre and tells the story of the most frequently overlooked character in that novel: Bertha Mason, the infamous “madwoman in the attic”. Rhys’s novel takes the reader back to Bertha’s childhood in the Caribbean, when she was known by the name Antoinette Cosway, and explores how her status as an outcast, her unhappy marriage and the pernicious influence of rumour and slander eventually transform her from a quiet child into the deranged character from Brontë’s novel. Wide Sargasso Sea was the last novel published by Jean Rhys prior to her death in 1979, and is generally considered her masterpiece. It was also partially influenced by Rhys’s own childhood in the Caribbean.
Find out everything you need to know about Wide Sargasso Sea in a fraction of the time!
This in-depth and informative reading guide brings you:
•A complete plot summary
•Character studies
•Key themes and symbols
•Questions for further reflection
Why choose BrightSummaries.com?
Available in print and digital format, our publications are designed to accompany you on your reading journey. The clear and concise style makes for easy understanding, providing the perfect opportunity to improve your literary knowledge in no time.
See the very best of literature in a whole new light with BrightSummaries.com!
This engaging summary presents an analysis of Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys, which was inspired by Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre and tells the story of the most frequently overlooked character in that novel: Bertha Mason, the infamous “madwoman in the attic”. Rhys’s novel takes the reader back to Bertha’s childhood in the Caribbean, when she was known by the name Antoinette Cosway, and explores how her status as an outcast, her unhappy marriage and the pernicious influence of rumour and slander eventually transform her from a quiet child into the deranged character from Brontë’s novel. Wide Sargasso Sea was the last novel published by Jean Rhys prior to her death in 1979, and is generally considered her masterpiece. It was also partially influenced by Rhys’s own childhood in the Caribbean.
Find out everything you need to know about Wide Sargasso Sea in a fraction of the time!
This in-depth and informative reading guide brings you:
•A complete plot summary
•Character studies
•Key themes and symbols
•Questions for further reflection
Why choose BrightSummaries.com?
Available in print and digital format, our publications are designed to accompany you on your reading journey. The clear and concise style makes for easy understanding, providing the perfect opportunity to improve your literary knowledge in no time.
See the very best of literature in a whole new light with BrightSummaries.com!
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Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys (Book Analysis) - Bright Summaries
DOMINICAN NOVELIST AND SHORT STORY WRITER
Born in Roseau (Dominica) in 1890.
Died in Exeter (United Kingdom) in 1979.
Notable works:
Voyage in the Dark (1934), novel
Good Morning, Midnight (1939), novel
Sleep It Off Lady (1976), short story collection
Born to a Welsh doctor and his white Creole wife in Dominica, British West Indies, Jean Rhys spent her childhood in a world defined by change as colonial and race relations shifted and intensified around her. Following her father’s death, Rhys moved to England to attend an all-girls school. She had trouble fitting in with her British peers, however, and soon left to become a chorus girl and dancer. Married three times, Rhys’s adult life was defined by heartache and instability. She turned her hand to writing early but did not publish any of her work until she met the English writer Ford Maddox Ford (1873-1939) while her first husband, Jean Lenglet, was in prison. She then published four short novels and a collection of stories in the 1920s and 1930s before experiencing a
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