tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5114395886235179043.post4969374853963691784..comments2024-03-24T08:30:43.258+01:00Comments on FLY HIGH!: JEAN RHYS, WIDE SARGASSO SEA - A REVIEWMaria Graziahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08876779286144473782noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5114395886235179043.post-20756021927492779592016-01-14T21:06:52.489+01:002016-01-14T21:06:52.489+01:00I would have found it hard to accept Rhys' ver...I would have found it hard to accept Rhys' version of Rochester, if it had not recalled his attempt to drag Jane into a bigamist marriage and later, make her his mistress.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5114395886235179043.post-7667417833539239452011-02-06T22:24:24.767+01:002011-02-06T22:24:24.767+01:00I also found this tale deeply disturbing..for the ...I also found this tale deeply disturbing..for the same reasons that this was NOT my Mr Rochester. He seemed money-driven and pragmatic about the importance of the chastity of a woman, to a degree that it made him seem narrow-minded, which does not come across in Jane Eyre. He was a young man who seemed to need control in a hostile and unfamiliar environment, and this led to increasing paranoia...or was it just simply that he only believed what he wanted to believe, in order to escape a loveless marriage and a place he hated? Why go to all the trouble of taking his wife to England, lock up this poor woman who wasn't necessarily mad, and take away her identity by renaming her? All sense of rationale and reason seemed to be lacking in this young Rochester and I felt uncomfortable with that. I cannot seem to recognise any of Brontes Rochester in Jean Rhys' Rochester at all, and I hated it...I hated HIM. I feel that reading this story has spoilt Jane Eyre for me, because the horrible thought is that it is NOT inconceivable that Rochester COULD have behaved like this and for all the wrong reasons...money and control. Perhaps the fact that he felt "hampered and burdened" in Jane Eyre, was not as much due to the keeping of his wife, but the guilt of knowing he was wrong, and that a woman who needed understanding was instead imprisoned for being intemperate. Bertha may not have been "mad" to begin with, but after years of institutionalisation, she doubtlessly became mad. The young Rochesters paranoid behaviour and fragmented speech in Wide Sargasso Sea has actually led me to question which of the two were actually mad....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5114395886235179043.post-12396566482091703302010-08-07T00:54:13.501+02:002010-08-07T00:54:13.501+02:00Five years have passed since her father, Mr. Coswa...<i>Five years have passed since her father, Mr. Cosway, reportedly drunk himself to death, his finances in ruins after the passage of the Emancipation Act of 1833, which freed black slaves and led to the demise of many white slave owners.</i><br /><br /><br />Mr.Cosway and other slave owners throughout the British Empire would have been financially compensated by the government for the loss of their slaves.RosiePhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11217705824689269830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5114395886235179043.post-17167780544069144342010-07-07T12:30:11.535+02:002010-07-07T12:30:11.535+02:00A good story well written. I just don't happen...A good story well written. I just don't happen to agree with the characters, and would have preferred it if she didn't use the names of Brontë's characters. If you're going to write something that's a prequel or a sequel of a well-known book, MAKE SURE YOU GET YOUR FACTS FROM THE ORIGINAL RIGHT. And Rhys didn't. While I enjoyed the scents and flavours of the Caribbean, like you MG, I felt emotionally detached from the story, and the inaccuracies compared with what the original says just made me grumpy. At least it's a quick read...Traxyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13249884092846934427noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5114395886235179043.post-30910599183742100742010-07-03T20:55:16.969+02:002010-07-03T20:55:16.969+02:00It's a long time since I read this book, but I...It's a long time since I read this book, but I really admired it although, as a 'Jane Eyre' obsessive, I find it a bit hard to see Mr Rochester behaving like this - still I do think it is a great idea to take the madwoman in the attic and put her centre stage. I also find it fascinating when one writer spins off from another in this way. I did see the BBC adaptation with Rebecca Hall and think I liked it but don't remember it very well.Judyhttp://costumedramas.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5114395886235179043.post-14998575390721236722010-07-01T22:42:55.468+02:002010-07-01T22:42:55.468+02:00You know, I read this book for grad school, and re...You know, I read this book for grad school, and really loved it. When it came time to watch the movie though, I HATED it. I think that I just enjoyed the discussions and comparisons that came from reading the book with a class filled with other grad students. The movie though, just seemed like a gratuitous departure, and disheartened me a little. It's interesting to read these take offs of the original though, especially when they are so well received!Beckyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13615570638950821876noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5114395886235179043.post-38310886167283161752010-07-01T12:59:32.467+02:002010-07-01T12:59:32.467+02:00I was pretty disappointed reading this book. I did...I was pretty disappointed reading this book. I didn't like it at all, because that's not my Mr Rochester, no way! I also found a bit unusual the way it's written, as language style, and I didn't like it too. Thanks for your review, MG, accurate as usual.<br /><br />CiaoClaudiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03392025518428560808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5114395886235179043.post-54668920689944260302010-06-30T17:44:42.020+02:002010-06-30T17:44:42.020+02:00Thank you for sharing this review which is so hone...Thank you for sharing this review which is so honest and interesting. I love WSS almost because it is so challenging.Hannah Stonehamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11139146341592918233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5114395886235179043.post-63417349929773193092010-06-30T02:48:16.058+02:002010-06-30T02:48:16.058+02:00I've actually looked forward to reading this s...I've actually looked forward to reading this someday. I enjoyed the 1993 film version with Nathaniel Parker and Karina Lombard, and have loved other parallel novels like 'March' by Geraldine Brooks.<br /><br />Really insightful review - thanks!Julia Phillips Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15392455413201190775noreply@blogger.com