Shipwrecks and marine phantoms in <i>Jane Eyre</i> and <i>Wide Sargasso Sea</i>

The journey across the Atlantic Ocean made by Mr. Rochester and his creole wife, Bertha, is barely mentioned in Charlotte BrontA«â€™s Jane Eyre . I argue, however, that Jane Eyre’s preoccupation with images of stormy seas suggests this particular voyage is more dramatic and much more crucial for understanding the novel than previously recognised. Through Jane’s imagination, the story of the ocean-crossing is subtly told, and it contains a critique of certain axioms of colonialism that the novel seemingly supports. In the article I argue that the implications of Jane’s fascination for the sea have previously been grasped by one reader: Jean Rhys. I make the case that her novel Wide Sargasso Sea can be read as an interpretation of Jane’s musings on marine images.