Analysis Of Wide Sargasso Se The Co-Dependent Novel

The Co-Dependent Novel Imagine you are in a bookstore and it is overflowing with amazing literature. How many of these novels can stand on their own as a story to tell? Do some of these novels require prior text to understand certain aspects, such as a second book in a series? This brings forth the idea of intertextuality in which it is defined as reference of a text which is mirrored and reflected in another text (Eyvazi 155). Jean Rhys took it into her own hands to create a novel on Bertha Mason (Antoinette Cosway), a character originating from the novel Jane Eyre. The novel Wide Sargasso Sea’s understanding is very dependent on the original text Jane Eyre. Without it, situations in the novel seem hazy and unclear. The novel is split into three different parts. Part one as well as two are fairly original and require little to no prior knowledge of the characters or surroundings. Part three of the novel is very co-dependent of the original literature, Jane Eyre. In the beginning of part three of Wide Sargasso Sea, there is an italicized portion in which Grace Poole is speaking to Mrs. Eff. Their talk consists of how Grace Poole’s salary will be doubled if there is no more gossip and of Mr. Rochester’s greying hair and miserable …show more content…
Bertha’s husband never formally receives a name in Wide Sargasso Sea. “Critics usually refer to him by the name he bears in the pretext, i.e. his surname Rochester (which is sometimes put in inverted commas to differentiate the character from his counterpart in Jane Eyre)” (Muller 70). With a prior understanding of the original text Jane Eyre, you know that the male protagonist that Bertha marries is Edward Rochester. If you don’t have this prior understanding, you are more likely to be confused on why his character is acting as he is. This is a great example of intertextuality as it brings forth the use of both texts to come to a clear