Reading the 20th Century discussion

I am currently reading The Bell Jar

I have never read anything by Sylvia Plath although, of course, I have read a lot about her. I was inspired by coming across a new biography, Red Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath

I have had The Bell Jar on my TBR list forever and so I thought I would read this first, before deciding on whether to embark on the biography (also, I'm currently reading the biography of Sybille Bedford: A Life at the moment and two biographies of authors on the go at once is too much, even for me!).

So, is anyone a fan or have any thoughts about this classic, I have only just got around to?

Plath is one of my obsessions! Her Ariel is just extraordinary and no matter how many times I read her poetry, it's still visceral and often shocking.

I've read Bell Jar three times - I'd say it's written in a deliberately flat tone which should alert us to the mental state of the narrator. It's very different from the voice of the poetry which is so often corrosive and bruising.

I've also read a number of biographies of her (though Plath always seems to escape from others' attempts to pin her down) as well as Bate's biography of Ted Hughes: Ted Hughes: The Unauthorised Life). His Birthday Letters is both a telling account of their marriage and an attempt to have the last word. He famously took it upon himself to reorder the poems in Ariel so that they point forward to her suicide - her own order ends with a more tentative sign of hope and renewal.

Plath's Journals are amazing, and I also have her Letters Home which I haven't yet read - her attempt at pretending to her mother she was fulfilling all the expectations of a 1950s nice girl.

I really hope you enjoy Bell Jar, Susan.

Hope you enjoy it.

Here, it was common reading in college (at least in the '70s). I enjoyed it. That brought me to Anne Sexton.

Not sure if I was depressed before I read these books or after.

I've read 'The Bell Jar' several times, as well as her letters and journals, and several biographies as well as The Savage God: A Study of Suicide which refers to her suicide. I remember that a lot of the biographies were considered compromised because of Olwyn Hughes's fierce gatekeeping and the impact that did/didn't have on their content. I haven't read any Plath or about Plath recently, although I still really rate Janet Malcolm's study, which is about biography as much as Plath, The Silent Woman: Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes. I'll be interested to hear what you think of this new biography. I saw the description which suggests it's more about her social/historical context, which I think sounds like an appealing new angle.

I read The Bell Jar years ago and have read some of Plath's poetry over the years - I love this one, Morning Song, with its opening line "Love set you going like a fat gold watch."

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem...

That's beautiful Judy...

Thanks, everyone. Talking of Anne Sexton, this also popped up in the search: Three-Martini Afternoons at the Ritz: The Rebellion of Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton

A vividly rendered and empathetic exploration of how two of the greatest poets of the 20th century—Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton—became bitter rivals and, eventually, friends.

Introduced at a workshop in Boston University led by the acclaimed and famous poet Robert Lowell, Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton formed a friendship that would soon evolve into a fierce rivalry, colored by jealousy and respect in equal terms.

In the years that followed, these two women would not only become iconic figures in literature, but also lead curiously parallel lives haunted by mental illness, suicide attempts, self-doubt, and difficult personal relationships. With weekly martini meetings at the Ritz to discuss everything from sex to suicide, theirs was a relationship as complex and subversive as their poetry.

Based on in-depth research and unprecedented archival access, Three-Martini Afternoons at the Ritz is a remarkable and unforgettable look at two legendary poets and how their work has turned them into lasting and beloved cultural figures.

Susan wrote: "Thanks, everyone. Talking of Anne Sexton, this also popped up in the search: Three-Martini Afternoons at the Ritz: The Rebellion of Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton."

Ooh, that looks good! I've just read Sexton for the first time, her Mercies: Selected Poems. Her writing isn't like Plath at all, she's much milder - but a joint biography sounds wonderful.

Thanks for that, I'm a fan of Anne Sexton's work, probably more so than I am Plath's, and a while since I read a biography Anne Sexton: A Biography

I have added it to my never ending TBR list....

Her Husband: Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath - A Marriage by Diane Wood Middlebrook seems to be free if you are an Audible Plus member. You don't buy it; you can either listen to it or simply put in your library!

Alwynne, thank you for bringing Middlebrook to my attention.

I'd agree that The Silent Woman: Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes is excellent - it's a sort of meta-biography.

The Middlebrook looks interesting - but Plath wrote so much herself that I haven't read yet. All this chat has sent me back to Letters of Sylvia Plath: 1940-1956, recently published in two chunky volumes, the second covers her adult years: The Letters of Sylvia Plath: 1956 – 1963

Having been distracted by other books, I've picked up Letters of Sylvia Plath, Volume 1: 1940-1956 again. Her letters home from summer camp are so vivid: she's an energetic teenager, outgoing, popular, seemingly very happy. She's 15 at the moment, has just been holding hands with the first boy mentioned on a cinema date. It's interesting that these letters fill some of the time before the journals really get going.

I'm very keen to read Red Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath which takes account of these letters and other new archival material, but have so many books on the go at the moment...

Me too, RC. I am just over-whelmed with books, but I do have Red Comet and hope to get to it at some point.

I've given in and have started Red Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath - the prologue is excellent and makes a stand against the romantic idea that Plath's life was always heading for suicide.

Red Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath is superb!

Whereas other biographies have a thesis to push (most notably the hostile Bitter Fame - which makes it a fascinating read), this one goes back to the letters and journals and is meticulous in piecing together Plath's world.

It's both an excellent companion to the letters and journals and an excellent read in itself - I'm completely gripped!

I have heard much of Sylvia Plath, so I am about to read The Bell Jar.

Michael wrote: "I have heard much of Sylvia Plath, so I am about to read The Bell Jar."


Remember to post some thought in our discussion which opens next June (part of our 20th Century Women challenge)...

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

I just finished reading The Bell Jar. I asked a 'book' friend whether she felt the book would appeal to men as well as women. Sounds a little sexist perhaps, but as the central character was a young women and her experiences. I need not have bothered myself with such a question. I found the book an exploration of how we view and experience the world, as people not as genders. I found myself wanting the book not to end....wonderful. I guess if I'd had read this at different stages in life more would reveal itself during the second or third reading. A must read.

I'm beyond excited that there's finally an edition of Plath's prose coming out: all the short stories, reviews and other pieces: The Collected Prose of Sylvia Plath.

I thought it was due out today but looks like the publishing date has been pushed back. Published by Faber, this will stand alongside the collected letters and journals.

Thwarted, I'm re-reading Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams, a collection of her stories selected by Ted Hughes and patronisingly organised according to 'merit' - that man!

This new project gives us Plath unmediated by Hughes.

I just stumbled across this article, thanks to BlueSky. Pictured in the center of the next to last row of photos from the bottom is Sylvia Plath's Girl Scout uniform.

https://www.smith.edu/news-events/new...

Recent LRB article/review of Plath's collected prose by Patricia Lockwood may be of interest - not currently paywalled:

https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v47/n...

Thanks!