Chapters in a Mythology: The Poetry of Sylvia Plath

by Judith Kroll

Book by Kroll, Judith

Genres: Nonfiction, Poetry, Literary Criticism

336 pages, Paperback

Published March 15, 2007

Reviews

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's nice to see a book that deals with the poetry and not the suicide, especially with a copyright of 1976. I'm a little skeptical of Hughes's influence, but most of the critical thought seems to be of the same conclusions that I come to without his influence. So I think that my skepticism is unwarranted in this case.

[Renee Jaspers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book completely transformed my understanding of Sylvia Plath's poetry. It is so much more than they teach in college. There is an underlying arc in her work that I never fully grasped until reading this book.

[faith adams-michaels · Rating 4 out of 5]

taught me a lot I didn't know and brought out a lot I did know, but hadn't consciously put into words- can't wait to reread her works, especially Ariel, with these new ideas and perspectives. it is amazing what thorough analysis and cross-referencing can bring out of texts. I don't know that I 100% agree with the conclusion but many of the arguments are compelling and provide a lot of interesting information and context for the poems as a whole. not a fan of the Ted quotes, but nothing he said was necessarily out of line.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book because it was written by a friend of mine. This book really is written more for poets and authors and others in the field, and is a must-read for them. Though it was often above my head, I enjoyed it anyway. It was clearly written, with much depth and insight into Plath's prose/poetry. Gave me even more of an appreciation for Sylvia Plath as a writer, though I already thought highly of her, since I think that "The Bell Jar" was one of the best-written books I've ever read.