My Favorite Trilogy

So, in the past and right up through the very recent past, I have been reminded how out of the loop I am to be one of the only people on the face of Mother Earth to have never seen Star Wars. I can, however, let everyone know they can rest assured...because I do have a favorite trilogy; unfortunately, it's not really even remotely similar. What could this be you want to know?...

There is a "trilogy" of sorts in the literary world that I was reminded of as I went back through some old papers and notes from undergrad. I was introduced to this trilogy in Women in Lit at Wheeling Jesuit, and it was proven to me by the feelings that resurfaced today that it will forever be very near and dear to my heart. So, let me tell you about it, and maybe you can somehow get the same sort of pleasure if you try it out.

The first book in the trilogy is Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. I can't really say that this particular book, standing on its own, would be a pleasurable read. It wasn't bad, but it was made so much better as I progressed through the other two books and made connections back to it. The second book is Jean Rhys's Wide Sargasso Sea. This one is delightful to read, but you really only get all of it if you have read Jane Eyre because it's the retelling of the story from the perspective of the mad woman in the attic, Bertha. Everything from its Carribbean setting to the reconfiguration of characters is magical. The final piece of literature in the trilogy is Polly Teale's play called After Mrs. Rochester. This play is based on the life of Jean Rhys and mainly focuses on the period of it when she was composing Wide Sargasso Sea. The three together were really incredible because after reading the first, you could get the impression of how other people interpret literature. You get Jean Rhys's interpretation of Bronte, and you get Teale's interpretation of Rhys.

This is not only a great literary adventure...for those who enjoy observing the minds of others, it's a great way to reconstruct the thought process of two great authors and one fantastic playwright. Word has it, by the way, that Wide Sargasso Sea was once made into a movie, but it pretty much turned out to be a sample of soft porn...very unfortunate...so don't watch the movie!