《簡·愛》問世將近一個半世紀以來，世界各國到底有多少癡心的女讀者在這個相貌平平、過早飽嘗人生辛酸、但終末失去與生活搏鬥勇氣的簡·愛身上找尋自己的影子，寄予同情，其人數當然無法統計，但肯定是大有人在。然而，若要問有多少女讀者對簡·愛追求幸福的苦難曆程上的障礙——幽禁在頂樓上的瘋女人感到一絲一毫同情，甚或對她産生一點兒好感的，那倒大概可以說為數不多吧。但就在為數不多的人中，卻有一位對瘋女人産生瞭濃烈的興趣，她就是英國當代女作傢簡·裏斯(Jean Rhys，1894—1979)。憑她對《簡·愛》一書的深刻研究，對瘋女人齣生時代背景和社會環境——十九世紀英國在西半球的殖民地——的充分瞭解，再加自己對這一人物的理解和同情，經過多次修訂再全部推翻重寫的痛苦創作過程，終於完成定稿，並於1966年齣版，書名《藻海無邊》(Wide Sargasso Sea)，而且於同年獲得英國皇傢文學會奬，1967年又獲W．H．史密斯奬，還被接納為英國皇傢文學會會員。

Inspired by Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre", "Wide Sargasso Sea" is set in 1830's Jamaica. Born into an oppressive, colonialist society, white Creole heiress Antoinette Cosway meets a young Englishman who is drawn to her innocent beauty and sensuality. After their marriage, however, disturbing rumours begin to circulate which poison her husband against her. Caught between his demands and her own precarious sense of belonging, Antoinette is inexorably driven towards madness. This classic study of betrayal is Jean Rhys' brief, beautiful masterpiece.