This site argues that, in her numerous biographical representations, Jean Rhys is consistently portrayed as an outsider. The extent to which and certainly the ways in which Rhys is painted in this light differ across the six biographies analyzed on the site. Some biographies take a more academic approach to Rhys’ life, choosing to put a greater focus on Rhys’ writing than on the events of her life itself. These texts, especially Jean Rhys by Coral Ann Howells and Jean Rhys: A Critical Study by Thomas F. Stanley, approach Rhys’ life as a means of explaining her work. Both Howells and Stanley stress the parallels between Rhys and her heroines, pointing to Rhys’ status as an outsider as a defining trait for her characters. These biographies focus primarily on Rhys’ fiction, showing how her life came to shape her writing. In doing so, they illustrate demonstrate the difficulties in separating Rhys’ life from her fiction. In fact, in the prologue to her unfinished autobiography, Smile Please, Diana Athill writes,
‘[…] much of her [Rhys’] life had already been ‘used up’ in the novels. They were not autobiographical in every detail, as readers sometimes suppose, but autobiographical they were, and their therapeutic function was the purging of unhappiness.’ (Smile Please, 6)
The autobiographical nature of her novels both complicates and enriches a biographical study of Jean Rhys. While her texts give these biographers further insight into Rhys’ internal dialogue, they must do so with caution so as to not take fiction as fact. Biographers that choose to focus on Jean Rhys the woman rather than Jean Rhys the writer must complete the opposite function performed by Howells and Stanley. Louis James, Carole Angier, and Lilian Pizzichini interact with Jean Rhys’ work, but as a means of exploring her life and character. Like Howells and Stanley, these texts deal with the parallels between Rhys and her heroines, but they do so in discussion of Rhys herself. James points out Rhys’ apparent similarities with her outsider characters: ‘Rhys laid herself bare in her writing, and it is clear that she was an unconventional woman tormented by her inability to conform’ (Jean Rhys, 307). Comparisons like these are consistent throughout Rhys’ biographical representations, but some, like Angier, attempt to demystify Rhys’ life using reliable resources beyond her literature. The common outsider persona across Rhys’ heroines certainly sheds light on her own life, but Angier looks for more concrete sources to stake such claims. In fact, Angier accuses Rhys of ‘deliberately blurring her tracks’ and her biography ‘disentangles her novels, stories, letters, unfinished autobiography by holding them up against first and second hand reports of her life’ (Kenneth Diamond, ‘Carole Angier: Jean Rhys’ Life and Work‘). Her analysis is the most thorough, and it is important to note that it culminates in her disputed claim that Rhys’ difficulty with fitting in was a result of Borderline Personality Disorder.
Further analysis of Lilian Pizzichini’s The Blue Hour offers valuable insight into the portrayal of Jean Rhys, as her biography is especially deliberate in portraying the author as an outsider. Geographical analysis using CartoDB and QGIS offers a visualization of locations mentioned throughout the text. This CartoDB analysis highlights the importance of Dominica to Jean Rhys throughout her life, even after moving away. Pizzichini’s reference to Dominica later in her life supports the notion that her unique childhood affected her ability to connect with others once moving to Europe. An analysis using QGIS expands upon this, showing her frequent movements and citing them as a result of her outsider mentality and inability to feel like an established resident in one area. Pizzichini explicitly discusses this in The Blue Hour, writing, ‘Jean’s short stories suggest she managed to find shelter through constantly moving to new abodes’ (237). The QGIS analysis goes on to discuss the types of locations mentioned and their frequency within The Blue Hour, examining the way these locations influence Pizzichini’s representation of Rhys.
In addition to geographical analysis, supplemental textual analysis of The Blue Hour using Voyant and AntConc allow us to examine textual patterns and better understand Pizzichini’s portrayal of Rhys. Analysis using AntConc explores the struggle between reality and fantasy for Rhys. Pizzichini proposes a cause of Rhys’ difficulties in life, writing that she was ‘so absorbed in her own travails that she was unable to connect with external reality’ (The Blue Hour, 1). AntConc allows us to note the frequency of the words ‘reality’ and ‘fantasy’ throughout the biography, and allows us to examine the context in which they are used. This analysis reveals Pizzichini’s frequent discussion of Rhys’ fantasies and inner dialogues. This is characteristic of Pizzichini’s portrayal, in that she readily highlights Rhys’ introversion from an intimate perspective.
Other textual analyses, using both Voyant and AntConc, offer further insight into The Blue Hour. Rebecca Dickson points out the potential dangers of textual analysis ; for example, the use of the word ‘miss’ throughout the text. Its frequent use might suggest Rhys missing someone, a plausible concept considering her outsider status and frequent movement. However, further analysis of the context in which ‘miss’ was used shows that it was frequently used as a noun to label unmarried teachers at Perse School for Girls. This highlights the importance of context in textual analysis. Lastly, an Analysis of Normative Otherizing discusses Pizzichini’s portrayal of Rhys’ drinking habits. This is a common theme across all Rhys biographies, as her drinking and mental health came to shape her life and work so much. Pizzichini is found to be judgemental and generally negative in discussing this aspect of Rhys’ life.
Jean Rhys’ life has often been characterized by a certain sense of mystery. Her novels give us a glimpse into her life and character, but leave us needing to correct the dots and separate fact from fiction. These biographies each do so in their own way, however they come to some consensus over Rhys’ status as an outsider for the majority of her life. These biographers would likely agree that Rhys struggled to conform, maintaining a self-awareness about this fact. Her life and work are very much characterized by her unique, mobile spirit.
‘Reading makes immigrants of us all. It takes us away from home, but more important, it finds homes for us everywhere.’
-Jean Rhys (Goodreads)