The Wide Sargasso Sea

*The Wide Sargasso Sea* by Jean Rhys is a novel that explores the life of Antoinette Cosway, a woman of mixed Caribbean and European descent, before she becomes Rochester in Charlotte Brontë’s *Jane Eyre*. Set in Jamaica and Dominica, it examines themes of racial tension, identity, mental illness, and colonial legacy. The story provides a backstory to the original character, highlighting her struggles with cultural displacement and societal expectations. Rhys’s narrative offers a complex, layered perspective on postcolonial history and personal trauma, giving voice to a marginalized woman in a restrictive, often hostile environment.