Is this book worth reading without having read Jane Eyre?

12 likes · like
8 years ago
12 answers

To answer questions about Wide Sargasso Sea, please sign up.

Cafes and Books No, you should read Jane Eyre first. Even though you may enjoy this book without understanding the history of Jane Eyre, you will not grasp the depth of emotions expressed without understanding what happened in Jane Eyre.

flag

Paula No need to read Jane Eyre first. Wide Sargasso Sea is an incredible, superb book quite on its own.

flag

Tori Fehr It helps to know how Jane Eyre ends, but otherwise they're independent texts. This book did however ruined any chance I ever had of finishing Jane Eyre, because now I (author's emphasis ) ABSOLUTELY HATE Mr. Rochester, with a deep and searing passion. YMMV

flag

Kayla Mulloy We covered this book in my Lit class. While it is fine to read without having read Jane Eyre, Wide Sargasso is a response to Jane Eyre and a sort of prequel. It doesn't necessarily have to be read along with Jane Eyre though but it might help to have the knowledge of Jane Eyre as a back up

flag

Katherine Daley I would be interested to know what people who read Wide Sargasso Sea and then read Jane Eyre think. I never loved Jane Eyre because of the story of Bertha. Never trust a man who keeps his first wife in the attic, I thought. Now that I have Jane Rhys’s perspective, I think my instinct was right. I would also like to know what people who loved Jane Eyre when they read it think about it now that they have read Wide Sargasso Sea.

flag

Sarena I read and thoroughly enjoyed it without having read Jane Eyre, but that’s because I was already a Jean Rhys fan. (Love her themes of race, patriarchy, colonialism, and marginalization.) It can definitely stand on its own, but people who’ve read Jane Eyre will probably appreciate Wide Sargasso Sea a little more! I also second Helen on the Norton Critical Edition, it included footnotes, Jane Eyre excerpts, and academic articles that helped me fully understand the intricacies of Wide Sargasso Sea even though I haven’t read Jane Eyre.

flag

Jill Olswanger No need, but be aware that there are sentences taken right out of Jane Eyre, and some of the allusions from Jane Eyre were taken by Bronte from Shakespeare- so although not necessary it definitely enriches the experience of the book and helps to understand the construction.

flag

Inga I think it's totally readable even if You have not read Jayne Eyre

flag

Barbara Absolutely! I hadn’t read Jane Eyre when I read it and because it is written as a prequel Jane I felt I got more out of it than classmates who read them the other way ‘round.

flag

Lara Good question. I really enjoyed reading it, but my enjoyment was so connected to my love of Jane Eyre. I think it does stand on its own, however, because it is a very well-written and thought-provoking book. I imagine some readers go from loving Wide Sargasso Sea to reading Jane Eyre for the first time, which is also great!

flag

Helen Yes, it is. However, you will appreciate it a lot more, if you read Jane Eyre first, in order to make the comparison of the narrative structure and see how the Caribbean is presented through the voice of Rochester, in Jane Eyre, and through the voice of Antoinette, in Wide Sargasso Sea. The Norton Critical Edition has many academic articles to help you appreciate the novel profoundly. It is a magnificent book.

flag