ContrapuntalReadingofJaneEyreandWildSargassoSea

童鵬

【Abstract】Through the contrapuntal reading of Jane Eyre and Wild Sargasso Sea， the thesis aims to explore the character Mrs. Rochester and the reasons for the contrasting descriptions about her.

【Key words】Contrapuntal Reading； Wild Sargasso Sea

Most readers are impressed with the romantic love between Jane and Edward Rochester， but the premise of their successful love is based on the death of Mrs. Rochester， Bertha Mason， an insane woman locked in the attic. She comes from West India， and this character has no right of discourse， and little is known about her except from her sneer and scream and the explanations of Mr. Rochester to Jane. At that time， there is still little knowledge of West India in England. And the image of the mad woman in the attic leaves readers a general impression of the women from West India， which is taken for granted and assimilated into the cognitive system of most readers.

This unconscious uglification of Caribbean women does not draw much attention until more than one hundred years later. A Caribbean Writer named Jean Rhys rewrites Jane Eyre with her novel Wild Sargasso Sea. Here the appellation of the mad women changes from Bertha Mason to Antoinette. This novel describes Antoinette takes on an arranged marriage to Mr. Rochester （never named）. But her husband does not love her and resents the fact that he married her forced by his father. Gradually Antoinette retreats into herself and is labeled mad by her husband. Therefore， she is brought back to England and walled up in Rochesters house. Here she eventually sets the house on fire， which also causes her death.

In Jane Eyre， the mad woman has no discourse， and her shadowy presence is indirectly apperceived through the words of Jane. In Wild Sargasso Sea， the insane woman Antoinette has the agency of speaking and observing while the previous heroine Jane is absent. The reader can realize Antoinettes bitter experiences and know another fact covered by the dominant discourse.

In fact， most English writers have a tradition of degrading other countries so as to elevate the status of England. This seemingly innocent novel tries to make covert the fact of oppressing and being oppressed by ways of marginalizing the Other. Therefore， this kind of revisit has a more significant meaning. It does not mean another close reading， but the enlargement of the space concerning the interpretation of classic works.

References：

[1]程錫麟.美國文學經典的修正與重讀問題[J].當代外國文學，2008（4）.