Jean Rhys's Wide Sargasso Sea

1
Jean Rhys's Wide Sargasso Sea

• Creole Identities and Racial/Gender Relations
• Norton Critical Ediction. NY Norton, 1999.

2
WSS Settings

• Part I (Martinique), Jamaica Coulibri estate,
  near Spanish Town Part II Granbois, Dominica,
• Part III Great House England

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Sargasso Sea Jane Erye

• Why is the marriage between Rochester and Bertha
  unhappy?
• Why is Bertha mad? Beast, madness in the family,
  driven mad, or not really mad?
• 
  Man Women Man
• Women
• 
  Obeah woman

Race White Creole --Black
Gender Marriage Inheritance system
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Rhyss Self-Identity

• Do you consider yourself a West Indian?She
  shrugged. It was such a long time ago when I
  left.
• So you dont think of yourself as a West Indian
  writer?
• Again she shrugged, but said nothing.
• What about English? Do you consider yourself an
  English writer?
• No! Im not, Im not! Im not even English.

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Rhyss Self-Identity (2)

• What about a French writer? I asked.
• Again she shrugged and said nothing.
• You have no desire to go back to Dominca?
• Sometimes, she said.
• David Plante Jean Rhys A Remembrance. 275-76
  Qut in Gregg.p. 1

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Rhyss Self-Identity (3)

• I dont belong anywhere but I get very worked up
  about the West Indies. I still care. . . .
• After reading a critique of Wide Sargarso Sea. .
  ., Rhys complains. . . Again I am in danger of
  really becoming a recruit. . .I think being born
  in the West Indies is an influence very strong
  but . . . (Gregg 2 underline added)

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Wide Sargasso Sea Character Relationships
Spanish Town Whites p. 17
Father E. Rochester
Mr. Cosway,
The Masons Richard
Pierre Daniel
Godfry Sass Myra
Aunt Cora
p. 18, 68-69

• Antoinette

Annette
Christophine
Amelia
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Rhys on Jane Erye

• The creole in Charlotte Brontes novel is a lay
  figure -- repulsive which does not matter, and
  not once alive which does. . . . For me . . .
  she must be right on stage. She must be at least
  plausible with a past, the reason why Mr.
  Rochester treats her so abominably and feels
  justified, and the reason why he thinks she is
  mad and why of course she goes mad, even the
  reason why she tries to set everything on fire,
  and eventually succeeds. . . (Gregg 82)

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Rhys on Antoinettes historical background

• I. Shift of dates
• In Jane Eyre -- Bertha confined in the attic in
  the first decade of the 19th century.
• WSSs time frame shifted to 1830s onwards
• Emancipation Act 1833
• Antoinette -- a child in the 1840s, with two
  fathers, one (Mason) coming after the
  Emancipation.
• II. more than one Antoinette then.
• Annette and Antoinette as victims of Emancipation
  and the gender/racial relationships then.

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Racial Relations (1) the Whites and the Creole

• Backgrounds on Race I. white masters, New Old
• Old Masters death of Mr. Lutrell and Mr. Cosway
• New masters after the Emancipation of slaves p.
  15
• Mr. Mason 19, 21
• II. White against creole e.g. p. 9 Aunt Coras
  husband 18
• (III. Black against creole poor white
  cockcroaches)

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Race Relations (2) Views of the Blacks

• Post-Emancipation Problems
• Recompensation,
• Importation of contract laborers
• Annettes distrust of Chris., Godfry, and Sass
  leaving p. 12
• Riot The presentation of the black mob p. 23, 25

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Race Relations (3) Views of the Blacks

• Christophine helpful but fearful
• Her room p. 18 Combination of Catholicism and
  voodoo
• Antoinettes seeking for help p. 67, 68, 70
• Put in jail once and may still be. P. 86

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Gender/Race Relations Women

• (1) Marriage
• about Masons marriage p. 17
• Gender Rochesters Marriage and Inheritance p.
  41 69

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Race Relations Women

• (2) Madness// promiscuity
• Pre-Emancipation slave-owner exploitation and
  distain. e.g. Mr. Cosway calls Ds mother sly
  boots p. 74 halfway house p.57
• Annette and her need of a horse gay and good
  dancer, concern for Pierre, Desire to leave
• madness pp. 78 81

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Race Relations Women

• 2. Antoinette
• losing her mother isolated
• (relationship with Tia,)
• Her trip to the convent p. 29

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• Questions
• Antoinette
• How is she different from her mother?
• How does she survive?
• What do her dreams mean?

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Creole Identities and Race Relations inJean
Rhys's Wide Sargasso Sea

• Antoinette
• survival methods
• -- reaction to the death of the horse do and say
  nothing
• refuge in nature 13 solitude 16
• her dreams p. 15 27 pp. 35-36
• the second refuge in the convent p. 32 33 34
• death impulse p. 54

Her view of England 66-67
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What causes the problems between Antoinette
Rochester
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What causes the problems between Antoinette
Rochester

• 1. (Race) Cultural differences
• -- her limited understanding of the world --
• -- p. 42 Oh England, England,
• -- p. 47 her Paris Is it true,' she said,
  that England is like a dream?
• -- his illness and discomfort p. 40, 41, blanks
  in his mind 45 p. 55 insecure

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Part II Causes for the conflicts between
Rochester and Antoinette

• 2. (Race) Rochesters prejudice and racial
  superiority
• p. 39 p. 43
• 3. Gender Rochester's motivation for getting
  married
• Agreed to everything 39 not yet
• not love her perform and hide things p. 45, 61
• P. 55 watch her die many times
• 4. Race Gender the letter from Daniel
  
• Rochester's suspicion of Antoinettes
  madness

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Part II Causes for the conflicts between
Rochester and Antoinette (2)

• 5. Race Gender Antoinette's temperament--sense
  of doom and insecurity
• 6. Race Gender 7. Antoinettes seeking for help
  from Christophine

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The Turning Point

• Are Christophines suggestions practical? Pp. 65
  -
• Would their marriage have been saved without the
  voodoo?
• 1. Pack up and leave
• 2. Talk frankly
• 3. Not go to England, Go to Martinique

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• 7 Gender Rochester's self-centeredness and
  possessiveness
• Turning Antoinette into Bertha pp. 68, 81
• the priest's ruined house--Pere Lilievre--Pere
  Labat pp. 62-63 83