A Response to William Harris's Wide Sargasso Sea Criticism: Carnival of Psyche Olivia Putnam 12th Grade

In Dr. William Harris’s Carnival of Psyche: Jean Rhys's Wide Sargasso Sea, an analysis of Rhys’s 1966 postmodern “prequel” to Jane Eyre, Harris attempts to evaluate the significance of “intuitive myth” on the novel’s psyche. “Attempt,” however, is the operative word here. Without a thesis or clear argument, Harris’s essay feels more like a meandering, purposeless discussion of his thoughts about Wide Sargasso Sea, which range from its connection to The Invisible Man to the role of structuralism in nihilist philosophy. This would not be such a problem if Harris’s individual points were well-argued, but, unfortunately, they are not. Predicated on very little textual evidence and worsened by convoluted syntax, Harris’s claims amount to little more than opinion and badly-articulated opinion at that. Furthermore, Harris’s central argument -- that Jean Rhys’s allusions to myth are intuitive, not intentional -- is extremely difficult to prove. And Harris does not rise to his own challenge. He fails to define the difference between intuitive and intentional allusion, offer any coherent evidence to suggest the Jean Rhys's allusions were intuitive, or explain why it matters whether Rhys intended these allusions or not. Ultimately, Harris...