I Am the Arrow: The Life and Art of Sylvia Plath in Six Poems

by Sarah Ruden, Sylvia Plath

Genres: Poetry, Biography, Literary Fiction, Literary Criticism, Nonfiction

128 pages, Hardcover

Published March 25, 2025

About the author

Sarah Elizabeth Ruden is an American writer of poetry, essays, translations of Classic literature, and popularizations of Biblical philology, religious criticism and interpretation.

Reviews

[Steve · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't exactly turn my crank. Ruden makes some good points in her intro regarding Plath's late poetry output (explosion?), saying that's it's a disservice to Plath and her genius to attribute her breakup with Hughes for the transcendent fire in the poems. In other words, Plath's voice had been evolving all along. But then Ruden concedes it's hard to distinguish actual real life events from art making. That seems a bit circular, though I found myself agreeing with her. The poems selected for asserting Plath's myth making seemed an odd gathering to me, but that's probably because I'm thinking "Greatest Hits." With that in mind, only The Applicant would have made my personal list. Whatever. I was pretty distracted while reading this, with a bathroom being renovated, and an anxious dog to comfort with all the banging and sawing going on. I might give this book another go since I like Plath related stuff (and it's pretty short), and respect Ruden's work as a classicist. I did think that Ruden's analyses were strained and overreaching. Sometimes it's better to just read the poems and let your imagination go. It was good see that Ruden used The restored version of Ariel and not the deliberately sabotaged one that Hughes would release. Even then, Hughes couldn't hide Plath's brilliance.

[Rickee1368 · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Summer of Sylvia (2024) has now become my Spring of Sylvia (2025) and this slight but powerful edition was a brilliant addition to my readings. Ruden is a classics scholar and uses her breadth of literary knowledge to fully explore the life and work of Sylvia Plath by examining six of the poet’s exemplary works. Highly recommend this volume to anyone who admires the work of Plath.

[hiend · Rating 5 out of 5]

such a wonderful analysis of 6 key poems from
Plath's oeuvre - great for introducing you to the poems in context!

i loved the classical intellect that ruden brings to plath, it is such a breath of fresh air, and is so key to adding to the beautiful myth of plath.

[Jim Higgins · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Deep, detailed explication of six Plath poems by classical scholar and translator Ruden.

[Andrea Engle · Rating 5 out of 5]

With masterful insight and highly competent literary awareness, Sarah Ruden explores the story of Sylvia Plath, her prose and poetry … The six poems chosen are: “Mushrooms;” “You’re;” “The Babysitters;” “The Applicant;” “Ariel;” and “Edge” (either her final completed poem or the-next-to-last) … The prolific Ruden has mainly written on ancient poetry and other early texts; however, she brings a sensitivity to words that rarely fails to deepen the reader’s understanding. … “Throughout ‘Edge,’ a calm observer speaks for the dead woman, except in the moment when her feet give their message: ‘We have come so far, it is over.’ … They are bare, stripped of their earthly accoutrements (in the ancient world, taking shoes off, unbinding hair, and other acts of divestiture might be required before entering holy ground), exhausted from their journey; but they are a part of her, and so speak with a ghostly authority: they testify that the life is ‘over,’ but ‘come so far’ has a double meaning: a long, punishing journey, fit to complain of, but also a mighty advance, an achievement…” — Sarah Ruden … absolutely stellar …

[John Fredrickson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a challenging read for me. This book is probably best suited to a reader that is very familiar already with Plath and her poetry (unlike me).

Ruden did not look at the poems in the introductory way that I would have anticipated. She presents a poem, then discusses the context of Plath's life that informs the poem. The interpretation is done in a way that seems to presume some knowledge of Plath. Ruden also offers potentially multiple interpretations of what the poem could 'mean' (I thought this was a very good thing, as the poems themselves are not simple or direct). In some cases, like the discussion on 'Mushrooms', the interpretation is easy enough to follow, and is still very instructive. The discussion of the last poem, 'Edge', is a different animal - I found myself wondering how Ruden got to the interpretation she arrived at, since both the poem and the analysis seemed pretty opaque to me.

This is a good book. It provides a good, though rigorous, introduction to the heart of who Sylvia Plath was, and of what she wrote. It is not a long book, but not a quick easy one either.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sarah Ruden offers a compelling analysis of some of Sylvia Plath’s most well known poems. As a classist, Ruden offers informed interpretations of Plath’s poetry. Plath is a challenging author, not only because of the shadow cast by her mental health issues and suicide but because some of her stronger imagery might be unsettling to contemporary readers, particularly in this era of trigger warnings. Ruden offers analysis of images and biographical detail while trying to avoid simple biographical interpretations of the work. However, there’s a Heideggerian quality to Plath’s poetry, particularly those found in Ariel, how there is that confrontation with her own tragic mortality.

[Nina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this small, beautiful book at Leopold's and had to have it. The cover of my book is different from the edition pictured here and features a self-portrait by Sylvia Plath. Sarah Ruden chose six representative poems by Plath and spends a chapter each analyzing them, combining close reading and biography to form six very readable essays. I loved it and want to read Heather Clark's _Red Comet_ even more than I did before.

[Laura]

As a classicist, Ryden brings a unique perspective to Plath’s work, and challenges the usual tropes surrounding Plath and her legacy. This book gave me a new appreciation for some poems I was already familiar with, and a better sense of those I was less familiar with.

[BiblioBrandie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciated Ruden's selection of Plath's poems, along with her detailed analysis and historical context for each one.

[Shouty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'M JUST GLAD THAT PEOPLE SMARTER THAN ME WRITE ABOUT SYLVIA

[Tammie Gunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great interesting book, i really enjoyed it.