Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, and Guides

Sources in this section are in no way meant to be comprehensive. Rather, they are short introductions to Jean Rhys and her life and works. Despite their brevity, these sources offer valuable material and can inspire the researcher to ask questions that other, more specific sources can answer. Furthermore, all of these articles conclude with useful bibliographies that suggest further reading. All of these materials are located in rows 3, 4, 28, and 29 of Davis Reference.

• Castro, Joy. “Jean Rhys: 1890-1979.” Modern British Women Writers: An A-to-Z Guide. Ed. Vicki K. Janik and Del Ivan Janik. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2002.
  
  At five pages, this article is a quick read, but the information is thorough and structured accessibly into sections on Background, Analysis, Assessment, and Bibliography. Though in a book about British Writers, the author does not ignore Rhys’s Caribbean background. Published in 2002, this is the most current source in this Pathfinder.
  Davis Reference row 29
  PR116 .M63 2002

• Colatrella, Carol. “Jean Rhys.” British Women Writers: A Critical Reference Guide. Ed. Janet Todd. New York: Continuum, 1989.
  
  A short but well-written article that briefly describes Rhys’s works and life, this source is especially valuable because of frequent quotations about Jean Rhys from prominent authors such as Ford Maddox Ford. The discourse with notable writers helps place Rhys in the larger literary context.
  PR111 .B75 1989
  Davis Reference row 28

• “Jean Rhys.” Caribbean Writers: A Bio-bibliographical-critical Encyclopedia. Ed. Donald E. Herdeck. Washington: Three Continents Press, 1979.
  
  This short essay, accompanied by two photos, focuses on Rhys’s Caribbean roots and her most famous work, Wide Sargasso Sea. Though narrow in scope, the essay is important in its examination of Rhys’s Caribbean-influenced worldview, a consideration often lost in light of Rhys’s place in the British Modernist and Post-Modernist canons.
  PN849 .C3 C3
  Davis Reference row 28

• “Jean Rhys.” Contemporary Authors: A Bio-Bibliographical Guide to Current Writers in Fiction, General Nonfiction, Poetry, Journalism, Drama, Motion Pictures, Television, and Other Fields. New Revision Series. Ed. Daniel Jones and John D. Jorgenson. Vol. 62. Detroit: Gale Research, 1998.
  
  These seven pages focus on Rhys’s literature and critical acclaim within the context of her life and career. The readable and thorough discussion is structured into six sections: Personal, Career, Awards, Honors, Writings, and Adaptations.
  Z1010 .C665 v. 62
  Davis Reference row 3

• Riga, Frank P. “Jean Rhys.” Dictionary of Literary Biography: British Short- Fiction Writers, 1915-1945. Ed. John H. Rogers. Vol. 162. Detroit: Gale Research, 1996.
  
  Several photos punctuate this interesting and accessible thirteen-page essay. Like the piece on Contemporary Authors, this article broadly discusses Rhys’s life and her literature, but with more of a feminist perspective. This is perhaps the best short introduction to Rhys available.
  PS21 .D5185 1978 v. 162
  Davis Reference row 3