WIDE SARGASSO SEA

Part 1.

When I read Wide Sargasso Sea for the first time, I found it hard to understand the general plot, and found the lack of emotion with which the author wrote frustrating, and made the novel less interesting. I think that the way in which she wrote was not in a way that was trying to entertain us necessarily, but to get a story told in the most unbiased way as possible- which would explain the lack of emotion. However, having read it again I can understand why she chose to write in this way, and that it can be quite effective.
One extract I found particularly clever was when she said, "I was certain that hidden in the room...there was a dead man's dried hand, white chicken feathers, a cock with his throat cut dying slowly, slowly." She doesn't elaborate on the point but uses the power of the description alone to make her point, which makes it more shocking because we are described it as vividly as the girl sees it in her imagination, with no skirting around the point.
Another thing I have noticed about the way in which Jean Rhys writes is that she often highlights certain words by putting them in a sentence of their own or by repeating them, "Persistently. Angrily." "slowly, slowly," and "Better. Better, better than people." This makes the text a lot more dramatic, but can easily be overused so it loses it's effect- and I'm not sure if this is the case in part one. It's a modern way of writing, and is probably very rare in Jane Eyre if it appears in it at all, which shows a contrast between the atmosphere of the two novels; Wide Sargasso Sea is more sharp, fast moving and dramatic, whereas Jane Eyre is more descriptive and follows a more ordered way of writing events. Wide Sargasso Sea is a very different style to Jane Eyre, but there are very strong connections between the childhood of Jane and the childhood of Antoinette- and having read Jane Eyre first it does feel like she is stealing ideas sometimes.

Ch. 38

Happily ever after.

• "Reader, I married him." Finality to this sentence. It's a conscious decision by Jane, a relatively strongwilled woman, to be part of a marriage, meaning she is happy to lower herself to be his equal, or below Rochester. She is her own mistress.

• Happy ending to a sorrowful life. Perhaps a bit cliched when Rochester regains his sight.

Ch. 37

Jane and Mr Rochester are reunited.

• Role reversal with Jane being the more independant strong person of the two.

• Jane teases Mr Rochester about marrying St John- like Mr Rochester did; emphasises the idea of Jane being the more dominant of the couple.

Ch. 36

Jane discovers Thornfield is burned.

• Is there hope for Jane? It seems that even though Rochester is crippled Jane is still happy because Bertha is dead.

• Reader gets a clue of the happy ending that might occur.

Ch. 35

St John persists with asking her to marry him.

• Jane also hears Rochester cry out for her 'supernaturally'. Could be the answer to her prayer "Show me the path!" (P.414)

Ch. 34

St John asks Jane to go to India with him as his wife.

• Jane will only marry for love- refuses St John because of this or because she still holds out for Rochester?

• "Perhaps you think I had forgotten Mr Rochester, reader, not for a moment...I sought my bedroom to brood over it." (p.394).

Ch. 33

Jane discovers she is rich.

• St John has found out who Jane is- Jane has her past reopened again- realises how much she misses it, "just tell me this, said I...- what of Mr Rochester?" (p.376)

Can't let go of her sufferings, will always be tied to them in some way (in this case St John is her link to bad pasts).

Ch. 32

Jane talks to St John about Rosamond.

• "To live amongst general regard, though it be but the regard of working people, is like 'sitting in sunshine, calm and sweet." (p.362). Hierachy is touched upon because Jane has got used to living in 'high' society at Thornfield. She's never had regard from anyone else.

• St John sees Jane as a trustworthy confidante- shows something of Janes character.

Ch. 31

Jane starts school and meets Rosamond Oliver.

• St John loves her- but doesn't think he should. He does not love Jane.

• As a reader I begin to wonder whether the story of Rochester has been forgotten.

Ch. 30

St John gives Jane a school.

• Jane is becoming more settled, and perhaps beginning to think of Rochester less frequently because her life seems to be going better. A new life.

Ch. 29

Jane recovers at the Rivers household.

• Jane talks to the Rivers- learn more about the three new characters

• St John- cold and seemingly emotionless which is a sharp contrast to Jane. "he did not speak to me one word, nor even direct me one glance," (p.341)

• Sisters are very happy, friendly people. What Jane could never have and is like a dream come true for her.

Ch. 28

Jane wanders through the wilderness and ends up at the River's household.

• Jane experiences complete poverty and rejection- reverting back to her childhood emotions because of this.

• "What a golden desert this spreading moor" - sees this stage of her life as an exotic adventure.

Ch. 27

Rochester tries to persuade Jane not to leave.

• Narrative style means we learn of Rochester's character and past in the sam order as Jane- so author trying to make us feel the same as Jane. Some would not agree with her opinions though.

• Jane is sure the right thing is to run away- strong morals if they come before her love for Rochester.

Ch. 26

The wedding that never happened.

• This is also the ch. when Jane discovers Rochester is already married, and to a mad woman she thought was Grace Poole in the attic. So another instance when Jane has a bad ending to a happy beginning.

• The reader finally gets some answers on who set the fire on Rochester's bed, and who attacked Mr Mason.

• We leave Jane as depressed as she has ever been. We are completely clueless as to whether or not there will ever be a happy ending.

Ch. 25

Night before the wedding.

• Jane has bad dreams night before, which would mean something bad is about to happen again if you go by all the other times she has had bad premonitions. Bronte is preparing us for something bad again, when really we want something good to happen at least once in Jane's life.

Ch. 24

The engagement period.

• Long engagement because Jane doesn't want to rush into it like Rochester does. Doesn't want wedding to seem like a rash move- shows she can sometimes be more ruled by her head than her heart.

• Jane says, "I like rudeness a great deal better than flattery" (p.261) It's what she has always been used to, and is probably why she was so drawn to Rochester- something familiar.

• Mr Rochester says, "I feigned courtship of Miss Ingram, because I wished to render you as madly in love with me as I was with you, and I knew jealousy would be the best ally." (p.261) Is this a cover up or is it the truth?

Ch. 23

The proposal

• Beginning description very elaborate (p.246), like the description of when Jane was reading happily as a child. Again a signal to reader of the nature of the event that is to come.

• Rochester proposes very strangely, pretending he is to marry Miss Ingram. It would seem he still has doubts about whether Jane loves him. You'd have thought he'd have realised by now.

Ch. 22

Jane returns to Thornfield.

• Jane and everyone at the house are happy to be reunited. Shows Jane now sees her home at Thornfield, and that within it are some of the only people who have accepted her in her life.

• Rochester still loves her- his love is then perhaps true and definitely not some cruel joke or whim.

Ch. 21

Jane goes to Mrs Reed's deathbed.

• Here she also finds out that she does actually have a living relative- Mrs Reed was worse than she thought. Jane accepts this though- she no longer needs the love of Mrs Reed like she did when she was a child. Similarly, Jane is no longer intimidated by Eliza and Georgiana.

• A supernatural theme is played upon at beginning of chapter, with Jane having unlucky dreams. An omen of bad things to come for the reader. Mr Rochester also sees Jane as a supernatural figure throughout the book- a bad omen for him too?

Ch. 20

Bertha attacks Mr Mason

• Jane nurses Mr Mason for the night, thinking that Grace Poole attacked him.

• Rochester suggests he will marry Miss Ingram in a conversation with Jane. Seems to have mood swings, which could show him as a man who is confused maybe because;

-he doesn't want to get another marriage wrong,

-perhaps because he is trying to deny the fact that he loves Jane because she is a governness,

-and maybe because he's battling with his conscience because he's already married.

Ch. 19

Rochester is a gypsy

• He goes to an elaborate length to find out how Jane feels about him- perhaps he's insecure, and obviously loves her if he will go to so much trouble.

Ch. 18

Mr Mason and the gypsy

• "I have learnt to love Mr Rochester"- accepted that she loves Rochester

• "Miss Ingram was a mark beneath jealousy, she was too inferior..." (p.185). Miss Ingram has higher status, but Jane perhaps has a higher mind and intelligence.

• Mystery; we are kept engaged by new action, who are the two new characters?

Ch. 17

An evening with Rochester and his friends

• She is asked by Rochester to be present for evening entertainment- shows he likes her more than a master should like his governess.

• She's never been in the company of such high status, so we see it from outside. A more critical opinion.