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Sylvia Plath: Selected Poems
A fresh and accessible approach to Literature
144 pages, Paperback
First published September 28, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 25, 2017
for Sylvia Plath
by Anne Sexton
[...]
And I say only
with my arms stretched out into that stone place,
what is your death
but an old belonging,
a mole that fell out
of one of your poems?
(O friend,
while the moon's bad,
and the king's gone,
and the queen's at her wit's end
the bar fly ought to sing!)
O tiny mother,
you too!
O funny duchess!
O blonde thing!
by Anne Sexton
[...]
And I say only
with my arms stretched out into that stone place,
what is your death
but an old belonging,
a mole that fell out
of one of your poems?
(O friend,
while the moon's bad,
and the king's gone,
and the queen's at her wit's end
the bar fly ought to sing!)
O tiny mother,
you too!
O funny duchess!
O blonde thing!
December 27, 2017
It’s not fashionable to dislike Plath but I was not very taken by her writing. It was intense, perplexing, overwrought and needed constant ‘interpreting’ i.e. it wasn’t clear what she was going on about. Incredible use of language and the ‘mot juste’ though.
March 29, 2016
How the girl survived as long as she did is a mystery to me. You need a good dose of Prozac to read these.
January 5, 2022
Some poems I found very strange and hard to understand, whereas some poems touched my heart and were truly enchanting.
The poems I liked include 'The Manor Garden', 'Mirror' and 'Letter in November'.
The poems I liked include 'The Manor Garden', 'Mirror' and 'Letter in November'.
July 22, 2025
cada que nombra un horno yo me pongo mal (confírmenme si esta mina era safica)
March 14, 2014
I really enjoyed Sylvia Plath's novel 'The Bell Jar' I had hoped I would enjoy her poetry just as much, alas it was not so.
It is my regretful but honest opinion that Sylvia Plath was something of a one-trick pony. Writers often write about subjects close to their hearts, their personal experiences or the experiences of those they are close to. Sylvia Plath had a very unhappy life which ended tragically with her suicide aged just 30. This shines through clearly in her poetry.
The poetry in this book is dark, depressive and not easy to understand. Some of the poems were clearly about her time spent in hospital suffering from mental health issues, others are unclear to me. Most have a sad vein running through them and none seem to contain hope or optimism.
She wrote about similar experiences and feelings of negativity in The Bell Jar so it feels like her one and only novel grew out of these poems she used to write. I am pleased she wrote the novel as if her only legacy was her poetry I doubt she would have found the fame her name so enjoys today.
It is my regretful but honest opinion that Sylvia Plath was something of a one-trick pony. Writers often write about subjects close to their hearts, their personal experiences or the experiences of those they are close to. Sylvia Plath had a very unhappy life which ended tragically with her suicide aged just 30. This shines through clearly in her poetry.
The poetry in this book is dark, depressive and not easy to understand. Some of the poems were clearly about her time spent in hospital suffering from mental health issues, others are unclear to me. Most have a sad vein running through them and none seem to contain hope or optimism.
She wrote about similar experiences and feelings of negativity in The Bell Jar so it feels like her one and only novel grew out of these poems she used to write. I am pleased she wrote the novel as if her only legacy was her poetry I doubt she would have found the fame her name so enjoys today.
June 28, 2013
Good for the high school student, and recommended for anybody who has trouble with Plath - this book lays everything out very clearly and concisely. It was a little bit too simplistic in terms of analysis, terminology, and language, and did not make very many interesting points from a criticism point of view.
It was definitely a solid study guide though.
It was definitely a solid study guide though.
November 29, 2015
An excellent study guide to Sylvia Plath. It includes biographical information, a guide to Plath's personal mythology and some basic analysis of the poems.
February 14, 2015
The bravest and most beautiful of poets...
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews