Jane Eyre and Wide Sargasso Sea

Sure, you maybe read Jane Eyre in college but you won’t believe the ways this thoroughly adult novel will wow you. Published in 1847, Jane was one of the first novels told from the first person. The book revolutionized prose by revealing so much of the speaker’s interiority and is often considered a precursor to Proust and Faulkner. It has spawned reams of scholarship on class, sexuality and feminism. Most importantly, though, Jane Eyre is just such an absorbing, suspenseful, sensual and meaningful book.

As if the Brontë masterpiece weren’t enough, we will read Jane alongside the insanely great modern prequel (1966) by Jean Rhys. Wide Sargasso Sea takes us to Rhys’s Caribbean to explore the background of the “madwoman in the attic,” the shocking character who is both invisible and at the heart of Jane. This slim novel is an important post-colonial response that will enrich your appreciation of Brontë. Either of these novels would make for a rich seminar; together, they’ll allow for excellent literary insights. Join us!

Join Kimberly Ford, for this two-part seminar series on Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre and Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys. We will be hosting this series on the following dates:

Monday, July 12 - 5:00-6:30 pm

Monday, July 19 - 5:00-6:30 pm

There are several ticket options that include books with purchase, books shipped to home, books picked up at Kepler’s Books or seminar only.  Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor all shipping costs will be waived for the literary seminars. The books should be read prior to the meeting date.