"The Mad Women In the Attic"

Charlotte Bronte published "Jane Eyre" in 1847, some 50 or so years before Jean Rhys was alive. In the novel, we follow the life of Bronte's heroine, Jane Eyre and love for the proud and resilient Edward Rochester. However, one obstacle remains in their odd relation - Rochester's first wife, Bertha Mason.

Little is revealed about Mrs. Bertha Mason. The way Bronte describes Mason is rather harsh and unsympathetic - she is simply what is keeping Rochester and Eyre apart. Her story does not go beyond being locked up in the attic of Thornfield Hall after Rochester deems her insane and animal like. Later, Mason sets fire to Thornfield and commits suicide by jumping off of the roof. Some time after Mason's death, Rochester and Eyre are married and move into a small cottage together.

                                                   Charlotte Bronte, author of "Jane Eyre"


And with that "Jane Eyre" concludes with no further mention of Bertha Mason.

Despite only appearing in two or three chapters, Bertha Mason has influenced classical literature drastically. Suddenly, women in books were either the innocent heroine, such as Jane Eyre, or the "mad woman in the attic," a reference to Mason. People, who are naturally drawn to the deranged and maniacal portions of literature, were forever haunted and mystified by Mason. Still, there was no life or personality in Mason. She remained a secondary character well into the mid 20th century.

In 1966, Jean Rhys decided to shed light on the "mad woman," and transformed her from a homicidal spouse to a girl troubled by racial and social tensions in the Caribbean who is then forcefully married off to a young and aloof Edward Rochester. Rhys then explains how Rochester turned the fragile Antoinette Cosway into the violent and mentally ill "Bertha." This lays the foundation for "Wide Sargasso Sea."

                                                Jean Rhys, author of "Wide Sargasso Sea"