Modernism In Wide Sargasso Sea

In this paper, I suggest that Wide Sargasso Sea (Jean Rhys) is a postmodern book. The foundation of my analysis is the definition of Modernism as defined by M.H Abrams in his Glossary of Literary Terms. I am especially interested in Abrams definition and interpretation of his key term involving narrative discontinuity in Part One of the novel.

Abrams defines Modernism in The Glossary of Literary Terms as “The term is used to identify what is considered to be most distinctive in concepts, sensibility, form, and style in the literature and art since the First World War. The specific features signified by “modernism” vary with the user, but most critics agree that it involves a deliberate and radical break with the traditional bases both of
H. Abrams (Abrams, Glossary of Literary Terms), mainly Narrative Discontinuity. Right from the first page of Part One we can start to see fragments of the narration forming, for example, Antoinette as the narrator, is explaining to the reader, why the native people of the island are on rough times, “Another day I heard her talking to Mr Luttrell, our neighbor and her only friend. “Of course they their own misfortunes. Still waiting for this compensation the English promised when the Emancipation Act was passed. Some will wait for a long time”.’ (Rhys, Pg. 15). The narrator, Antoinette, is giving us important information, but the information she gives us, is not first-hand knowledge, or an experience she has had, but a rumor or gossip that she heard someone say because she lacks the understanding of the topic as a child, and offers no explanation on why the Emancipation Act was passed or the context of the situation. The fact that she is a child affects the reliability of the information we are being told as the reader, because of the lack of
We ate salt fish - no money for fresh fish.” (Rhys, Pg. 21). This leads to the second point on narrative discontinuity, shortly after Tia insults Antoinette, she steals Antonette's clothes, and here we see another example of discontinuity; “I searched for a long time before I could believe that she had taken my dress - not my underclothes, she never wore any - but my dress, starched, ironed, clean that morning.”. Instead of maintaining a constant flow in the narration, she tells us that her dress was stolen, but also stops to tell us that Tia never wears underclothes, which causes the reader to ponder on why Antoinette decided to mention it. Furthermore, Antoinette begins to distance herself from people and we start to see more nonlinear narration form. For example as she explores what once was her safe haven of Coulibri, she notices things that would make most people afraid to continue to explore,“Black ants or red ones, tall nests swarming with white ants, rain that soaked me to the skin - once I saw a snake.” (Rhys, Pg. 25) but Antoinette merely states that “All better than people. Better, Better,better than people.” (Rhys,