Monday, November 9, 2015

First Thoughts On Wide Sargasso Sea


We’ve been reading Wide Sargasso Sea for a while now and in the beginning I kept getting an almost déjà vu sensation that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. I have since come to realize that Wide Sargasso Sea was reminding me of Mrs. Dalloway. The way Jean Rhys has huge jumps of time in her narrative and switches narrators reminds me of Virgina Woolf’s free indirect discourse. Now that I’ve recognized the similarity between Rhys and Woolf’s writing style, I’m wondering if their novels share any other characteristics. I’ve noticed that they both do that thing where they introduce minor characters for one scene or chapter and then never mention them again. As I continue reading Wide Sargasso Sea, I am now on the lookout for flashbacks and more narrator changes. On the whole, I am enjoying Wide Sargasso Sea, although I find it very confusing. I don’t always know how old Antoinette is or the names of all the people she is surrounded by. The children who tease her, the nuns in the convent, even Tia, now seem inconsequential. Other then giving us a glimpse into how Antoinette’s life, they don’t always move the plot along.

8 comments:

  1. Your comparison between "Mrs. Dalloway" and "Wide Sargasso Sea" is very interesting. Although they do share some similarities, I see Woolf's writing style as a bit more jumpy than Rhy's. One similarity that has struck me is the way both books can portray the concept of not everything beeing as it seems. Clarissa is a seemingly totally different character on the inside than she is on the outside. This is the same with Antoinette. In the first part, I sympathized with Antoinette because I was in the perspective of her character and I could see the pain she's gone through her whole life. But, in the second part, I find myself disliking Antoinette because of how she can come off to others. I have a feeling that if we were given Richard's or Peter's perspective in "Mrs. Dalloway" I wouldn't like Clarissa as much as I did.

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  2. Comparing Mrs. Dalloway and Wide Sargasso sea is an interesting concept. I hadnt seen the connection untill I read this post. That being said I can somewhat see the connection particularly how they do both introduce characters that may have a major significance in the story never to be seen again. Also, in both books the main characters seem to have very complex pasts that everyone around them does not seem to understand, and we as readers have to piece together the puzzle step by step.

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  3. I think the two are very similar especially with the constant change in point of view. They switch characters without warning and expect you to realize who is talking. Similarly, they both tend to put a lot of emphasis on the symbolism behind certain objects or the actions of other characters (e.g. Miss Kilman and Tia). These similarities may possibly explain why I have a hard time understanding Wide Sargasso Sea. When I read Mrs. Dalloway, I struggled with understanding what she was trying to say and as a result, I grew to dislike the book. Unfortunately, I'm finding that I'm having a similar experience with Wide Sargasso Sea. Hopefully, I will be able to get past the writing style and enjoy the story but it may take some more time.

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  4. I believe that your comparison of Mrs. Dalloway and Wide Sargasso Sea is an interesting one, especially in the context of perspective shifts. I too noticed the seamless transitions between Antoinette and Rochester in the second half. I actually just published a blog post about the changing perspectives in this novel, but sadly I neglected to make this comparison.

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  5. I can see some of the similarities between Woolf and Rhys, but I think most of Woolf's jumping time was on flashbacks, whereas with Rhys, the character is growing up, and that is why the time is confusing

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  6. We can observe a lot of the differences between the two books as well. While the both do switch perspectives fairly often, the manner in which they switch adds different effects to the book. In Mrs. Dalloway, Woolf constantly switches between a multitude of characters, even those who are inconsequential bystanders that don't affect the plot. In Wide Sargasso Sea however, Rhys switches between only 2 characters. Switching between the two main characters, rather than a number of random ones, adds to the tension between Antoinette and Rochester and further complicates the relationship. We extensively get to listen in on the thoughts of both characters, the question becomes which one we lean towards.

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  7. I definitely see these relationships too, but I feel that there are also some differences that stem from the time frame of each book. Because Mrs. Dalloway was set in just one day as opposed to the long time frame of Wide Sargasso Sea, the way the book flows is changed.

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  8. I'm of the view that there isn't a wasted word in this novel--every detail serves a role, and like Woolf, it's maybe not always easy to see that role on a first reading. In terms of traditional plot, part 1 is pretty fragmentary, and you're right that Rhys doesn't develop or pursue Antoinette's friendship with Tia at any length, for example. But within the context of the whole novel, this conflict, as well as the strong sense of identification Antoinette feels for Tia, and the way she understands her mother is "ashamed" of her when she comes home wearing Tia's dirty dress, all work together to establish key aspects of Antoinette's particular kind of alienation. When Tia reappears at the very end, in Antoinette's "dream," it's clear how important her role is, even if she only appears on 2 or 3 pages.

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