Wide Sargasso Sea is a 1966 novel by Jean Rhys, a British author of Caribbean descent. The novel is a prequel to Charlotte Brontë's 1847 novel Jane Eyre, and tells the story of Antoinette Cosway, a white Creole heiress living in Jamaica in the 1830s. Antoinette is the daughter of a wealthy plantation owner, and is raised in a world of privilege and luxury. However, her life is marred by tragedy and misfortune, as her family is ruined by a series of financial and personal disasters.
Antoinette is eventually married off to an Englishman, Mr. Rochester, who is visiting Jamaica on business. The marriage is a disaster, as Rochester is cold and distant, and Antoinette is unable to understand his English ways. The couple moves to England, where Antoinette is further alienated by the English society. She is also haunted by the ghost of her dead mother, who appears to her in visions and dreams.
Rochester eventually decides to commit Antoinette to an asylum, where she is renamed Bertha Mason. In the asylum, Antoinette is subjected to cruel treatment and is eventually driven to madness. She escapes from the asylum and sets fire to Rochester's house, but is eventually recaptured and returned to the asylum.
The novel is narrated from the perspectives of both Antoinette and Rochester, and explores themes of colonialism, racism, and gender roles. It also examines the power dynamics between men and women, and the ways in which women are often silenced and oppressed. The novel is a powerful exploration of identity, and the ways in which our identities are shaped by our experiences and the societies we live in.
Wide Sargasso Sea is a powerful and moving novel that has been widely praised for its exploration of identity and its critique of colonialism and racism. It is an important work of postcolonial literature, and has been adapted into a film and a stage play. The novel is a must-read for anyone interested in postcolonial literature, and is an essential part of the canon of English literature.