Wide Sargasso Sea Vs. Jane Eyre | Writing Back to Classic Literature

[@rrrrango23]

I was just watching this for a school assignment but I love how you talk about these stories and how it's very clear that you're passionate about what you say. Subscribed!

[@booksbyleynes]

Thank you so much! :) Good luck with your assignment!

[@artbyandia]

Thank you for the recommendation. I remember reading "Jane Eyre" years ago and liking it a lot, but I never liked Rochester and I have never seen it as a romance. More like a dark twisted story. I don't know how I would feel about it now. This version of Bertha's story seems really intesting and I was always interested in knowing more about her since we don't get her side of events and can only judge the terrible treatment she receives from her horrible "husband". I think I remember enough of Jane Eyre to still get possible references in this book without needing to reread it.

[@booksbyleynes]

I don't think you need to reread Jane Eyre to properly appreciate Wide Sargasso Sea, as most of its action takes place before Jane Eyre... and since there aren't that many hints on how "Bertha" and Rochester met, Jean Rhys was quite free to come up with her own realistic side of the story. I think it's very important to look at "Bertha"'s perspective as well because even in Jane Eyre it is quite clear that she could not have been this worse off in the beginning, otherwise Rochester would've never married her ... so her mental state and overall well-being must have really suffered after the marriage and I love how Jean Rhys explores that.

[@HighwayStarRevisited]

I LOVED your review. I'm majoring on English Language and Literature and currently writing a paper on this gorgeous book. When I read Jane Eyre, I felt so unsatisfied with its anticlimactic ending and the dreadful treatment of Bertha---even if I loved the novel. I hated Mr. Rochester and his stereotypical misogynistic shit, so it was refreshing to experience Jean Rhys and her vindication of the infamous voiceless woman in the attic. I gotta say, I never thought I'd cry with a book, but Wild Sargasso Sea got me in tears at the end; I'll hold Antoinette in my heart forever.

[@booksbyleynes]

Omg! Yay for majoring in English and YAY for selecting this book for your paper. Wishing you the best of fun for the writing process. :)

[@poojasrivastava1304]

I love you. Period. At last someone who has the same feelings for Jane Eyre as i do . Just now completed Wide Sargasso sea and i agree with every word you said in this video. Thanks for this video 💜

[@booksbyleynes]

Aww. Happy to hear you enjoyed Wide Sargasso Sea as much as I did. Justice for Antoinette!!

[@joreneereads]

Oh my god I LOVE marlon and james read dead people, I need like 100 more episodes. Wide Sargasso Sea is a book that I continue to appreciate more and more as time goes on, I think about it so often. I completely agree btw, at first I did NOT want Rochester's perspective, but it does really shed light on what ends up happening.

[@booksbyleynes]

OMG SAME! That podcast is everything. Wide Sargasso Sea has immediately become one of my favorite books, hands down. I'm sure it'll become a book that I regularly reread. It has such a special place in my heart.

[@maryjohnson6296]

Jane Eyre was a book that I read for High School English class that I liked but hardly remember. I first heard about Wide Sargasso Sea last year and was planning to read it after rereading Jane Eyre. I'm glad you mentioned knowledge of Jane a Eyre is not needed to enjoy Wide Sargasso Sea.

[@booksbyleynes]

Yep. Like I said, my mom didn't even know that it was based off of Jane Eyre and Wide Sargasso Sea is still her favorite novel. :D

[@Danis09793]

Very interesting! I love Jane Eyre for so many reasons haha, but so true that Antoinette needed her own story told. I can’t wait to read this book! 👏

[@booksbyleynes]

Hope you enjoy it. :)

[@mariem.7498]

Such a great video!! The madwoman in the attic is such an important symbol for Feminism and I totally agree with the need to be more intersectional in our feminist reading and writing. Thank you for this conversation, as always :)

[@booksbyleynes]

Yes, totally, because not only the fact that "Bertha" was a woman plays a role in her confinement and mistreatment but also the fact that Rochester didn't see her as "racially pure" (...which tells us a lot about Rochester who claims in the novel that Bertha's family only wanted them to marry because he was "of good race").

[@mariem.7498]

@@booksbyleynes it also shows how we treated (and still do tbh) people with mental illness. I never picked up on the dehumanizing descriptions of Bertha when I read Jane Eyre but hearing them again in your video I was really shocked!

[@booksbyleynes]

Yeah, I agree. The way Rochester treats Bertha is very telling ... and it's pretty clear that her mental state worsened due to his horrid treatment of her.

[@Elif-pc8lx]

Never heard of Wide Sargasso Sea before. Now I need to read it. Thank you!

[@booksbyleynes]

It's so good! You need to read it! :D

[@ririschannelx]

Read him for filth 👏 this was educational af

[@booksbyleynes]

haha if Rochester and I will never meet ... I will literally throw these hands ;)

[@thetbrdiaries]

Although I did still like Jane Eyre, it is definitely full of problems and I’ve been meaning to read Wide Sargasso Sea for some time. I always enjoy your reviews and this was as thoughtful as ever!

[@booksbyleynes]

Thank you. :) Wide Sargasso Sea is so brilliant. I hope you pick it up!

[@pyukumuku-6645]

FUCK YES BERTHA DESERVED BETTER I remember finishing Jane Eyre and being like: Yes, happy endings.... b-but Bertha? She was cheated in life just as much as Mr. Rochester. Where is her justice?!

[@booksbyleynes]

EXACTLY!!!!

[@jaimeehingerton2397]

I read Jane Eyre then immediately picked up Wide Sargasso Sea in February. I loved Wide Sargasso Sea! It was creepy how controlling both Rochester and Rivers were in Jane Erye.

[@booksbyleynes]

So true!

[@scallydandlingaboutthebook2711]

Brilliant video. Alas I don't speak German so glad yours is in English. Much as I love Jane Eyre as a novel, Rochester always came over as a dreadful man and the treatment of Bertha monstrous. It was mystifying why Jane returned to him. Obviously I didn't fully get the racial element as a white teenager reading Jane Eyre back in the 1970s but even then it showed up how Charlotte Bronte had unacceptable early 19th century attitudes about mental health issues. Reading Wide Sargasso Sea about ten years later was a revelation.

[@booksbyleynes]

Oh yes, Wide Sargasso Sea was such a revelation. I'm still envious that Jean Rhys managed to pull that off in under 150 pages. That's such a feat! And I'm somehow happy to hear that many people felt iffy about Rochester from the get go - unfortunately, I see way too many readers who "fall" for him and see him as this ultimate romantic figure.

[@scallydandlingaboutthebook2711]

@@booksbyleynes in other respects Jane Eyre was a ground breaking novel by a woman so it is perhaps not surprising if readers are carried along by the book as a whole and don't stop to think "hang on, he did what??!!"

[@booksbyleynes]

Yeah, I can see that. However, for me, the novel didn't work in other regards as well, so it ultimately fell flat for me. I loved Emily's novel though. So I guess I just had to find the right Bronte for me. ;)

[@dionnelouisegoodman2756]

I love hearing you DESTROY Rochester, I would throw hands if I saw him!

[@booksbyleynes]

Good to know I can count on you!

[@dionnelouisegoodman2756]

@@booksbyleynes always! by the way, I love the stuff you produce!!!

[@booksbyleynes]

thank you so much :)

[@manuelafischer305]

Great video as always! I read Wide Sargasso Sea a couple of years ago, so maybe I need to reread it, but from what I remember I really loved the whole background story of Bertha. I think it does a great job at criticising the problems with Jane Eyre and decolonilizing the story of Bertha. My problem is that after a while it focuses on Rochester, and why?? We have Jane Eyre for that! I just feel that I, Tituba went further than Wide Sargasso Sea. And yes, I don't get why people love Jane Eyre, all of the characters are problematic. Also, Marlon James has a podcast?? What a dream!

[@booksbyleynes]

I agree that "Moi, Tituba Sorcière ..." went further, however, I think that Jean Rhys simply chose a different approach ... for me, having the second part being told from Rochester's perspective was very clever (if not necessary) because Jean Rhys needed to convince readers who were formerly in love with him in _Jane Eyre_ that he is in fact a horrible person with horrible thoughts. I feel like in her chapters focusing on Rochester she was truly able to demask him and show him for the hypocritical and violent man that he was etc. I agree, that it's rather unfortunate that she thus shifted the focus away from Antoinette. However, not just the character of "Bertha" needed to be re-written, also the character of Rochester needed re-writing, because his characterisation in _Jane Eyre_ wasn't plausible either. And yes, Marlon's podcast is FANTASTIC!!! YOU NEED TO LISTEN TO IT!

[@manuelafischer305]

@@booksbyleynes that's a very interesting point about Rochester's part being necessary, I'll definetly keep that in mind on a reread!

[@elledeq]

I just finished Wide Sargasso Sea and felt my understanding of it is probably much better if I get some background on it, thank you for your video, also the video of Ato QUAYSON was so interesting, like on the figure of Christophine and the historical background. I've listened to Jane Eyre on the WDR podcast and it was quite good to fall asleep with, which is a quality, otherwise all this 19th century stories of respectability stuff, I don't get the charme.

[@booksbyleynes]

Will watch the video on Christophine, thanks for pointing that out! And yes, Wide Sargasso Sea is such a rich story, knowing its context definitely helps!

[@KittyAndTheBooks]

I read Jane Eyre years ago and loved it. But I immediately put Wide Sargasso Sea on my wishlist. I think now I would not love Jane Eyre anymore, or not in the same way. Also I never thought the relationship with Rochester was romantic at all. I actually loved that Jane left him.

[@booksbyleynes]

I hope you end up enjoying Wide Sargasso Sea. I thought it was brilliant. However, what I didn't understand about _Jane Eyre_ is why Jane went back to him. I mean, I love that she left him ... but ultimately, he was a horrible man and she chose to marry him and care for him for the rest of his life? I CANNOT RELATE. This man is literally a monster who locked up his wife for 15 years ... how do you go to that wedding???

[@KittyAndTheBooks]

@@booksbyleynes Absolutely agree. :D

[@MargaretPinard]

So exciting! Congrats on the team effort and being part of such a great movement :D

[@booksbyleynes]

Thank you! :)

[@kastiyana]

I've just read Jane Eyre and I'm 35 pages into "Wide Sargasso sea" , I'm excited to keep reading and analyzing

[@booksbyleynes]

Happy reading! :)

[@ricardarighetti]

Vielen Dank dir für die Vorstellung dieses Buchs. Ich bin normalerweise kein Fan von Sequels/Prequels, in denen Autor*innen Figuren/Geschichten von Kolleg*innen aufnehmen, aber wie du sagst, diese spezielle Herangehensweise ist total wichtig und spannend, um unterrepräsentierte Menschen in den Fokus zu richten. Der Roman kommt sofort auf die Liste, zumal die Biografie von Jean Rhys mir auch sehr spannend zu sein scheint. Allerdings: Auch wenn der Blick auf Bertha in "Jane Eyre" sehr einseitig und natürlich sehr kolonialistisch ist, möchte ich das Charlotte Brontë nicht wirklich vorwerfen. Psychisch kranke Menschen galten zu ihrer Zeit leider als weniger menschlich und die Therapien in Kliniken waren mehr als gruselig. Ist das nicht auch ein Grund weshalb Rochester sie bei sich behält, weil er es trotz allem nicht über sich bringt, sie in eine Anstalt zu geben? Ich möchte ihn damit nicht verteidigen, sein egozentrisches Gejammer hat mich beim Lesen auch genervt, aber gerade diese unsympathischen, ambivalenten Seiten mag ich an dem Buch. Dass er eben nicht der perfekte Prince Charming ist, sondern eigentlich ein ziemlicher egoistischer Starrkopf, der Fehler macht. Und irgendwie auch ein Kind seiner Zeit ist. Natürlich ist es sein Blick - ein weißer männlicher - , der über die Jahre dominiert hat und dass es dazu Gegenstimmen gibt, ist wichtig und wunderbar. Aber im historisch-gesellschaftlichen Kontext betrachtet ist Rochester eine hoch interessante literarische Figur wie ich finde, die Beziehung zwischen ihm und Jane ebenfalls. Man darf ihn eben nur nicht auf einen Sockel der Perfektion stellen. Danke für dieses spannende Video!

[@booksbyleynes]

Ja, ich mache auf jeden Fall auch einen Unterschied zwischen “fanfiction” und ernst zu nehmenden postkolonialen Werken, die sich eingehend mit dem Ausgangswerk befasst haben und dementsprechend auch als alleinstehende Werke funktionieren. Wie gesagt, “Wide Sargasso Sea” kann man auch lesen ohne “Jane Eyre” zu kennen und die Botschaft bleibt genauso kraftvoll. Ähnliches habe ich mir auch bei “Meursault. Eine Gegendarstellung” von Kamel Daoud gedacht, obwohl das Buch sogar recht offen Bezug zu “L’Étranger” von Camus nimmt. Mir geht es tatsächlich auch gar nicht darum, Charlotte Bronte irgendwas vorzuwerfen. Sie selbst wurde rassistisch und, wie du auch richtig angemerkt hast, ableistisch sozialisiert, dass sie Rassismus und Ableismus in ihrem Werk reproduziert, wundert mich dementsprechend nicht. Trotzdem ist für mich in diesen Kontexten die Perspektive der Unterdrückten immer wichtiger und relevanter, weil sie 1) immer zu kurz kam bzw. kommt und 2) eben auch echte Menschen unter diesen “Fehlern” gelitten haben. Und da ist für mich auch der springende Punkt, was “Jane Eyre” angeht: die Frage, die Jean Rhys aufwirft und versucht zu beantworten, ist ja eben gerade wie es dazu kommen konnte. “Bertha” kann gar nicht in einem so desolaten Zustand von Anfang an gewesen sein, wie wir sie in “Jane Eyre” dann letztlich vorfinden. Diese Frau, die angeblich nicht mal sprechen kann, sondern nur fauchen, knurren und kriechen kann, kann niemals die junge Frau gewesen sein, die Rochester auf Jamaica geheiratet hat. Sonst hätte er sich ja auch nicht auf den “Deal” eingelassen. Und Jean Rhys kauft Charlotte Bronte eben nicht diese Geschichte ab, dass Bertha einfach “irre” war und der arme Rochester ja quasi gar keine andere Wahl hatte, als sie einzusperren (so wie er denkt auch noch “zu ihrem besten Wohl”). Und da stimme ich Jean Rhys einfach zu, so wie Charlotte Bronte Bertha inszeniert, ist es einfach nicht plausibel, denn es ist mehr als wahrscheinlich, dass sich ihr Zustand durch Rochesters Verhalten so sehr verschlimmert hat und da sie als seine Frau auf allen Ebenen von ihm abhängig ist und zudem durch ihn auch entwurzelt wurde (und somit in England gar keine Vertrauten/ Verbündeten hat) ist sie ihm halt auch allen Ebenen ausgeliefert - und somit liegt ihr “Wahrsinn” letztlich in seiner Verantwortung. Denn sind wir mal ganz ehrlich, wer würde nach 15 Jahren Dachboden nicht auch vollkommen durchdrehen? “Hoch interessant” finde ich Rochester übrigens nicht, denn wie du schon schriebst, er war halt einfach ein typischer weißer Mann des 19. Jahrhunderts. Ain’t nothing special about him. ;)

[@ricardarighetti]

@@booksbyleynes Da gebe ich dir recht, Bronte hat Bertha nur als das Gruselobjekt inszeniert und ihr weder ein Profil noch eine Geschichte gegeben und es ist schön, dass sich Jean Rhys dem angenommen hat. Und ja, Rochester ist ein typischer weißer Mann des 19. Jahrhunderts, aber mit seinen Ecken und Kanten trotzdem spannend für mich. Ich mag Figuren gerne, die mich auch mal abstoßen und die ich hinterfragen darf und muss. Die bringen mich als Leserin weiter als aalglatte Figuren.

[@chhavichauhan1189]

"She's doing lord's work and somehow she's not getting any credit for it" 😂😂❤❤❤

[@booksbyleynes]

IT‘S THE TRUTH AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH 💅🏾

[@MargaretPinard]

I am just listening to the Marlon James and Jake Morrissey podcast: "WHY IS HEATHCLIFF IN THIS MOVIE?" Hilarious ☠️

[@booksbyleynes]

haha the two of them are just the best, I hope they continue for a second season of their podcast!

[@mommy_is_reading7235]

I still like the story of Jane eyre (sentimental me) but I really loved your perspective and analysis and will definitely pick up jean Rhys book!! So interesting!

[@booksbyleynes]

Happy to hear you want to read Wide Sargasso Sea now. :) I think it's perfectly fine to still like and appreciate Jane Eyre. The novel definitely has its merit (...even though it wasn't my cup of tea at all, and not just because of Bertha ;)). Like you said, it's more about considering things from a new perspective to broaden our understanding of the novel and its characters.

[@d.f.3374]

Yes yes yes to everything. Amazing analysis of a great book

[@booksbyleynes]

Thank you. :)

[@elderberrynovels3864]

I am just reading Jane Eyre now... this video idea sounds so spectacular. And *Wide Sargasso Sea* itself sounds awesome. I think I will finish watching it after I read Jane Eyre to understand the references and not get spoilered. 😂

[@booksbyleynes]

OMG YES! I hope you end up reading Wide Sargasso Sea. It's truly a revelation, especially after finishing Jane Eyre.

[@elderberrynovels3864]

@@booksbyleynes yes! I will definitelly ask for it for christmas this year!

[@BookShook]

I really enjoyed your comparison. Thanks

[@booksbyleynes]

You‘re welcome.

[@BookShook]

@@booksbyleynes I've just done a review of the first half if you're interested. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nnvdiomFrcSlqs0 I'd love to know what you think of it? Maybe I can add your thoughts to my next vid????

[@matteo5399]

I think you'd find 'Fires in the Mirror' by Anna Deavere Smith super interesting :) ; it's an example of verbatim theatre, where Smith compiles a tonne of interviews surrounding a car accident that kills a young black boy in Crown Heights in 1991. It's such an enlightening read and takes a very nuanced approach to examining race, scapegoating, tensions between minority ethnic groups, violence etc...

[@booksbyleynes]

Sounds perfect! Will def check it out!

[@theaelizabet]

Well done! Thanks so much for this!

[@booksbyleynes]

You're welcome. :)

[@JustFun-po4uv]

This analysis was so good. Thank you 💗

[@booksbyleynes]

You're welcome! :)

[@phrensies]

Can you please do a podcast??? I’m living for your literary rants!

[@booksbyleynes]

Haha unfortunately, I don't have the time for that even though I love podcasts myself. :D My favorite literary podcast is the one mentioned in the video (Marlon and Jake Read Dead People). I would highly recommend it! :D

[@Literaturlaerm]

Freut moch, dass du wieder bei der ja mehr oder weniger deutschen Klassikerwoche mitmachst! c: Deine Meinung zu "Jane Eyre" hattest du ja schon mehrmals genannt und das hatte mich vor ein paar Jahren auch dazu gebracht, den Roman nochmal zu überdenken. "White Sargasso Sea" fand ich dann auch eine interessante, notwendige Aufarbeitung. Ich kenne gar nicht so viele Neuerzählungen in diese Richtung - wo dann eine koloniale Perspektive umgedreht wird...

[@Literaturlaerm]

*freut MICH (Bin am Tablet und kann den Kommentar hier irgendwie nicht bearbeiten... ˆˆ')

[@booksbyleynes]

Wenn Sophie fragt, bin ich natürlich immer sofort zur Stelle. :D [Finde deinen zweiten Tippfehler übrigens sehr amüsant: WHITE, statt WIDE Sargasso Sea. Passt ja auch irgendwie. ;)] Ich glaube, dass es da tatsächlich sehr viele Bücher in die Richtung gibt, vieles aber vielleicht literarisch nicht ganz so hochwertig ist wie "Wide Sargasso Sea", vor allem bei Shakespeare habe ich das Gefühl, dass es da 1000 Werke gibt (vor allem natürlich zu "Othello" und "The Tempest", weil sie für postkoloniale Theorien am relevantesten sind), z.B. "Une Tempête" von Aimé Césaire, "Indigo" von Marina Warner, "Water with Berries" von George Lamming, "Desdemona" von Toni Morrison. Und andere Werke, die sich jetzt nicht auf Shakespeare beziehen, sind bspw. J.M. Coetzees "Foe" (Bezug zu "Robinson Crusoe"), Peter Careys "Jack Maggs" (Bezug zu "Great Expectations") oder die Werke, die ich auf dem Kanal schon besprach: "Meursault. Eine Gegendarstellung" von Kamel Daoud oder "La Migration des Coeurs" von Maryse Condé. Also es gibt schon einiges in die Richtung. ;)

[@amazingkris]

I only ever interpreted Rochester to be a piece of garbage for discarding and denying his first wife. I had not fallen under that spell, despite his charisma and his predicament. But I am new to literature in my middle age, and came up as a monogamist in second wave feminism. I almost feel stupid for NOT reading him as a romantic figure.

[@booksbyleynes]

Interesting. There are definitely many ways to read Rochester, personally I don't think it's useful to read/interpret his character without taking Bertha (his first wife) into account. What he did to her (and why) is crucial for understanding his character in my opinion.

[@amazingkris]

There are several protagonists even in modern culture that I struggle to find "heroic" in the slightest. They override values to reach their end goals and everyone in the audience seems okay with it. Main protagonists in James Cameron's movies for the past thirty years (or perhaps even longer) have been great examples of red flag people. Jake in Avatar, Rose in Titanic, even the Connors in Terminator 2 lack certain principles that outside of their situations would make them unacceptable company. I often think it's me that is strange, and then I think "oh, no" because I'm fearful to address my concerns. "It's just a movie" isn't a proper argument if they can't just say "yeah, I see what you mean," ha ha.

[@cminmd0041]

@@amazingkris Yes! The conventional view is to think of Rochester as dark and broody romantic hero but he is from start to finish a selfish, self-pitying liar! But we are so conditioned to see women as props or obstacles that we accept the total dehumanization of Antoinette and that Jane "wins" by getting to marry Rochester!

[@Aleociez]

rohestor just broke our trust 😂💔 can someone inform this to jane btw

[@booksbyleynes]

lmao someone should’ve warned her 😭

[@BetweenLinesAndLife]

I've been meaning to get to Wide Sargasso Sea but I just can't be bothered to read Jane Eyre first xD

[@booksbyleynes]

The good thing is ... you don’t have to read Jane Eyre at all. Wide Sargasso Sea can 100% stand on his own. It’s my mom’s favorite and she hadn’t even heard of Jane Eyre before. ;) Just take the plunge! :D

[@BetweenLinesAndLife]

@@booksbyleynes Uh! Love that! We'll do that then!!

[@dionnelouisegoodman2756]

I started reading Jane Eyre and I got so bored, I got half way through it and decided to skip straight to wide Sargasso Sea. trust me, you do not need to read Jane Eyre at all 😊 I would recommend to read WSS to atleast have the basic understanding of how “Bertha” is treated in Jane Eyre and what happens at the end of the novel. Which luckily this great video gives you 😊

[@Skrapes]

Thanks for this amazing analysis!

[@booksbyleynes]

You're welcome. :)

[@jillmcclelland1059]

Perfect! Thank you

[@booksbyleynes]

You're welcome. :)

[@VERStand]

Irgendwie sehe ich Wide Sargasso Sea ständig in Videos von English Lit Students, aber es spricht nie jemand darüber, worum es eigentlich geht. Der Titel waberte also völlig wahllos, ohne Verbindung durch mein Hirn (ja danke), deshalb... danke für deine Education hier. Ich hätte es wohl noch 20 weitere Jahre mit vielen Fragezeichen herumgetragen. ;) Ich bin kein Fan der Brontë-Schwestern und bin sogar recht froh, dass keins der Werke mehr in meinen Bücherregalen steht. Einfach sehr überhyped. Weder bei "Wuthering Heights", noch bei "Jane Eyre" verstehe ich die Menschen, die so hart auf die Love Storys abfahren. Whyyy? Spannend, dass das Buch aus den 60ern ist. Mir kommt es noch gar nicht "so alt" vor, aber vermutlich weil es auch erst spät ins deutschsprachige übertragen wurde, aber lange nicht so viel Wirkung hatte wie im englisch-internationalen Raum, oder? Jean Rhys' Geschichte ist ja auch nochmal spannend. Sieht man wieder, was man alles nicht weiß über die Kolonialzeit. Ich glaube, wir müssen mal wieder durch den English Bookshop flanieren!

[@booksbyleynes]

Haha. Kann mir auch gut vorstellen, dass English Lit-Studierende nicht immer ihrem reading load gerecht werden. ;) Aber es freut mich, dass ich da etwas Licht ins Dunkel bringen konnte. "Wide Sargasso Sea" ist wirklich ganz großartig, vor allem für Menschen, die "Jane Eyre" eher wenig abgewinnen konnten, weil Jean Rhys' Sicht auf die Welt doch eher (er)nüchtern(d) ist. :D Ich muss sagen, dass ich "Wuthering Heights" tatsächlich total mochte, da ich es nicht als Liebesgeschichte verstanden habe, sondern eher als eine Geschichte von Rache ... und krankhafter Obsession. Da fand ich dieses "over the top" eigentlich ganz gelungen, da die Charaktere ja nicht sympathisch sein sollten, sondern einfach crazy as fuck. ;) Aber "Jane Eyre" war einfach nur schlimm und Kitsch pur... Und flanieren klingt gut ... English Bookshop natürlich noch besser. ;) Ich denke, dass kriegen wir im November schon irgendwie unter.

[@flipping35]

dude, this is amazing. can you please write my assignment for me?

[@booksbyleynes]

lmao sure got nothing better to do in my spare time ;))

[@alliaayman]

Interesting that you make a comparison between these two. I have read Jean Rhys's Voyage in the Dark www.goodreads.com/review/show/1581211960 but I've also read and really enjoyed works by Maryse Condé, Simone Schwartz Bart and Jamaica Kincaid, whose storytelling comes from a different perspective and culture of storytelling, not to mention, a different side of the colonial fence and I feel something of a resistance to the voice of Jean Rhys due to the space her works occupy in comparison to her Caribbean sisters, whose works are equally great. I read Jane Eyre years ago and due to it being cited as a classic I've thought about reading Wide Sargasso Sea, but then when I stop thinking about other people's lists and perceptions of classics, I find that actually I would rather read and share Marye Condé's lesser known Windward Heights, a retelling of Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights.

[@booksbyleynes]

Maryse Condé is one of my favorite writers and Windward Heights is on my TBR for this month. :) I agree that it is important to uplift Carribean writers of color but in this video I explicitly wanted to look at a novel that wrote back to Jane Eyre because I found the character of Bertha very interesting and apart from Rhys, there hasn't been a huge effort to remove her from the margins and give her her own story. Last year, I read a lot of literature that wrote back to the canon (The Meursault Investigation by Kamel Daoud, Desdemona by Toni Morrison, I, Tituba by Maryse Condé) and so Rhys was a welcome choice for me as well. I also found it interesting to get this very particularly perspective of a white creole woman because thus far, whilst I have read from Carribean writers of color before (Condé, Césaire, Fanon...) I actually hadn't read from a white creole writer before, and I found it interesting to see how this particular racial category was flexible and changed in regards to the context (Carribean versus the UK).

[@jacky4946]

I always thought about Mr. Ronchester's mad wife, why she is locked out, and why he acts like she is a ghost... and then I realize he is trash.. he has a mistress and was going around trying to get married to another wealthy naive woman.. ! so yeah, I concur with you .. this bich has lived far too long in infamy .... he is the worst and poor jane eyre.. as soon he doest need her he will also cruel to her.

[@booksbyleynes]

Rochester is the worst!

[@rehankhan-re3rv]

Can you just connect with re-reading and re-writing

[@booksbyleynes]

Of course.

[@emilyhart8847]

But I love the comments!!!

[@booksbyleynes]

happy to hear that

[@camilaaguilera1798]

It's really interesting to note that Antoinette herself comes from a family of oppressors too. Maybe there will come a book written by someone who comes from a family of slaves of people like Antoinette, creating a dialogue with Wide Sargasso Sea. Either way, I liked both books at an analytical level. For some reason I cannot like even one character D:

[@booksbyleynes]

Yep. Agreed. Even though Jean Rhys gives voice to the formerly oppressed and enslaved people that were forced to work for Antoinette's family, so her privilege is definitely called out and questioned through Rhys.

[@oyaami1874]

He married her for her money, then despised her for her antecedent. He drove her mad. Both Jane and Rochester hold racist attitudes. Look at their attitude towards the French who are also white.

[@booksbyleynes]

YUPPP. You get it!!!

[@yousseffjactthar]

Its so sad how the Free Britney movement echoes all this injustice that men have put women through up to these days

[@booksbyleynes]

Very true! Hoping Britney finally gets free! Her situation is horrifying!

[@Dixicosplay]

I really like the video and I get your point. But I think it's a bit out of context, since at those times mad people were not treated but closed in a room to literally die. Like Bertha. Nobody could or even knew how to deal with such conditions.

[@booksbyleynes]

Hmm. Not sure if I agree with that take bc the way Jean Rhys tells it (and that's the version that makes more sense to me) is that Bertha wasn't mad initially but Rochester's treatment and uprooting of her is what made her lash out, which is more plausible. Even Charlotte Bronte admitted that her treatment of Bertha (how she portrayed her in the novel) wasn't fair or authentic. She basically wrote her as a wild beast incapable of human speech, that makes no sense for her, given how she was brought up etc.

[@cminmd0041]

Rochester is the worst!

[@booksbyleynes]

word!

[@shakespeareandspice]

PUBLIC FUNERAL

[@booksbyleynes]

YOU KNOW WHAT'S UP!

[@k.e.7016]

Interesting topic but you swear so f*ing much that I can’t bare to listen to the end.😊

[@booksbyleynes]

Your loss. 😘

[@petitgarcon9675]

Moi aussi. Pourquoi pas f* * en français s'il vous plait😂

[@emilyhart8847]

Just wish you didn’t swear so much

[@booksbyleynes]

issa tough world