Readers Note
This as a part of my GCSE coursework in English, this is about the comparison of the portrayal of the character Bertha/Antoinette Mason in the novels Jane Eyre and Wide Sargasso Sea. At the moment my teacher has not marked my work so I am unable to give the grade I achieved for this piece of work. I have altered this document before donating it to essaybank.com to help you understand what this is about. I wish good luck to anyone who has to do this task as coursework and I sincerely hope this work of mine will help them achieve a good grade.
Comparison of 'Jane Eyre' with 'Wide Sargasso Sea'
Task: Compare and contrast the presentation of Bertha/Antoinette Mason in the novel 'Wide Sargasso Sea' and in 'Jane Eyre'.
'Charlotte Bronte' was one of the three talented sisters in the Bronte family. All three were outstanding novelists. Charlotte Bronte wrote 'Jane Eyre.' During the nineteenth century the prejudice against women was such that they were forced to adapt pseudonyms for the initial publication of their novels, if they did not their books were unlikely to sell well or even get published. She only revealed her real identity once the book was first in the bestseller chart.
On the other hand, 'Wide Sargasso Sea' written by 'Ellen Gwendolen Rees' Williams was relatively recently published. The writer must have adopted the pseudonym 'Jean Rhys' for some reason.
The reason behind why she wrote 'Wide Sargasso Sea' is in 'Jane Eyre' the character 'Bertha/Antoinette' was minor, she was often depicted as the mad woman in the attic, she was negatively described and was dehumanised almost at all times when she was mentioned in the novel. 'Jean Rhys' wanted to correct this and justify her actions when she was locked up with Grace Pool in the Thornfield Hall. She wanted to portray her as a normal human being, rather then the image created of the same character in 'Jane Eyre' of a 'clothed hyena' and a 'wild mare'. She often defended her actions, and helped us sympathise with her.
In Jane Eyre she is described negatively from the start, when we learn that Mr Rochester was already married we feel sorry for Jane and Rochester both as Bertha is the one responsible for stopping their marriage and depriving Jane of happiness, Bertha shatters every dream Jane has and therefore this intensifies the hatred created for her. Even before Bertha was introduced fully, she was often described as a ghost or an evil spirit that lurked in the great mansion. We learn this when we read about her of wandering in the passages and the floorboards creaking, which frightens Jane. Also in the incident when Mr Rochester's bed was set alight, this terrifies Jane. She starts feeling insecure in the Thornfield Hall. In chapter twenty bloodcurdling cries awaken the household. Rochester assures the guests that all is well, and asks Jane to come to the attic. She finds Mr Mason badly wounded. Jane is again horrified by another attack; she describes the scream as 'savage', 'sharp' and 'paralysing'. This incident occurs just after the description of moonlight, this adds Gothic atmosphere. Mr mason describes Bertha as a "bloodsucking vampire", this contributes to the overall portrayal of Bertha and creates extreme dislike for that woman in the reader's mind.
This as a part of my GCSE coursework in English, this is about the comparison of the portrayal of the character Bertha/Antoinette Mason in the novels Jane Eyre and Wide Sargasso Sea. At the moment my teacher has not marked my work so I am unable to give the grade I achieved for this piece of work. I have altered this document before donating it to essaybank.com to help you understand what this is about. I wish good luck to anyone who has to do this task as coursework and I sincerely hope this work of mine will help them achieve a good grade.
Comparison of 'Jane Eyre' with 'Wide Sargasso Sea'
Task: Compare and contrast the presentation of Bertha/Antoinette Mason in the novel 'Wide Sargasso Sea' and in 'Jane Eyre'.
'Charlotte Bronte' was one of the three talented sisters in the Bronte family. All three were outstanding novelists. Charlotte Bronte wrote 'Jane Eyre.' During the nineteenth century the prejudice against women was such that they were forced to adapt pseudonyms for the initial publication of their novels, if they did not their books were unlikely to sell well or even get published. She only revealed her real identity once the book was first in the bestseller chart.
On the other hand, 'Wide Sargasso Sea' written by 'Ellen Gwendolen Rees' Williams was relatively recently published. The writer must have adopted the pseudonym 'Jean Rhys' for some reason.
The reason behind why she wrote 'Wide Sargasso Sea' is in 'Jane Eyre' the character 'Bertha/Antoinette' was minor, she was often depicted as the mad woman in the attic, she was negatively described and was dehumanised almost at all times when she was mentioned in the novel. 'Jean Rhys' wanted to correct this and justify her actions when she was locked up with Grace Pool in the Thornfield Hall. She wanted to portray her as a normal human being, rather then the image created of the same character in 'Jane Eyre' of a 'clothed hyena' and a 'wild mare'. She often defended her actions, and helped us sympathise with her.
In Jane Eyre she is described negatively from the start, when we learn that Mr Rochester was already married we feel sorry for Jane and Rochester both as Bertha is the one responsible for stopping their marriage and depriving Jane of happiness, Bertha shatters every dream Jane has and therefore this intensifies the hatred created for her. Even before Bertha was introduced fully, she was often described as a ghost or an evil spirit that lurked in the great mansion. We learn this when we read about her of wandering in the passages and the floorboards creaking, which frightens Jane. Also in the incident when Mr Rochester's bed was set alight, this terrifies Jane. She starts feeling insecure in the Thornfield Hall. In chapter twenty bloodcurdling cries awaken the household. Rochester assures the guests that all is well, and asks Jane to come to the attic. She finds Mr Mason badly wounded. Jane is again horrified by another attack; she describes the scream as 'savage', 'sharp' and 'paralysing'. This incident occurs just after the description of moonlight, this adds Gothic atmosphere. Mr mason describes Bertha as a "bloodsucking vampire", this contributes to the overall portrayal of Bertha and creates extreme dislike for that woman in the reader's mind.
