Wide Sargasso Sea at 50

This book revisits Jean Rhys’s ground-breaking 1966 novel to explore its cultural and artistic influence in the areas of not only literature and literary criticism, but fashion design, visual art, and the theatre as well. Building on symposia that were held in London and New York in 2016 in honour of the novel’s half-century, this collection demonstrates just how timely Rhys’s insights into colonial history, sexual relations, and aesthetics continue to be.  The chapters include an extensive interview with novelist Caryl Phillips, who in 2018 published a novel about Rhys’s life, an account of how Wide Sargasso Sea can be read through the lens of the #MeToo Movement, a clothing line inspired by the novel, and new critical directions. As both a celebration and scholarly evaluation, the collection shows how enduring Rhys’s novel is in its continuing literary influence and social commentary. 

1. Introduction.- 2. Interview with Caryl Phillips.- 3. Interview with Chrisila Maida.- 4. 'Infamous Daughters': A Capsule Collection Inspired by Wide Sargasso Sea.- 5. Wide Sargasso Sea Then and Now: Reading Jean Rhys á la mode.- 6. After Mrs. Rochester: On Portraying Jean Rhys on the Stage.- 7. Interview with Andrew Thackara.- 8. Who Writes for the Trees?: Wide Sargasso Sea, the Dominican Forest, and its Parrots.- 9.Jean Rhys Getting the 'Feel' of the West Indies in Wide Sargasso Sea.- 'Broken Parts': Wide Sargasso Sea and the Poetics of Caribbean Modernism.- 10. #MeToo in Wide Sargasso Sea.- 12. The Lineaments of Life and Death: Desire, Sexuality and Manhood in Wide Sargasso Sea.- 13. Vulnerability and Authenticity: The Wisdom of Wide Sargasso Sea.- 14. 'I so wanted to hand Emma a copy of Wide Sargasso Sea': Wide Sargasso Sea and Contemporary Re-workings of Jane Eyre.- 15. Encryption as Transmission: The Secret Gardens of Wide Sargasso Sea.- 16. Burning Down Her Master's House (Again): Marlon James Responds to Jean Rhys.