Sylvia Plath poetry
In this dissertation I shall be looking at the poetry of Sylvia Plath written after 1959 and the common problems that occur when reading it. I shall show that the poetry of Sylvia Plath has many different meanings, not just the common interpretation that everything she wrote was about physical and mental atrophy.Critics and readers alike commonly suggest that Plath's poetry is direct evidence of her mental instability, and that her poetry leaves a set of clues leading directly to her suicide. The problem is, if we are to accept this sort of judgement on her work and believe that the poetry is, in this sense, directly autobiographical, what then happens to the poetry? Poetry by definition is a superior form of creativity in writing, not a string of self-indulgent, autobiographical ramblings. When we label Plath's work as such, it loses its value as art and disappears as poetry.In this dissertation I shall attempt to refute this singular judgement on Plath's poetry by demonstrating varied interpretations of her most famous poems. I shall do this by locating and discussing her prime influences, examining her reasons for extremity and her motivations. In chapter one I shall demonstrate a line of analysis wh
Rose, Jacqueline 'The Haunting of Sylvia Plath' (Virago Press 1991) p. The toga represents the colour white and although the white toga might be interpreted as negative as in a death shroud, I believe that here it is representative of the woman's virginal perfection in death. The speaker is lashing out because the father figure is not there. xWagner-Martin, Linda 'Sylvia Plath: A Literary Life', (Macmillan Press 1991) p. In this instance the aggressor is named as her father, or rather a representative father figure. The water I taste is warm and salt, like the sea,And comes from a country far away as health. Familiarity with this hellish subject must be earned. xiv Rose, Jacqueline 'The Haunting of Sylvia Plath' (Virago Press 1991) p. Perhaps even here she is choosing to face her fears, in the hope that by doing this they will be neutralized. The cave is suddenly 'hung with rugs and roses', imagery which enhances the atmosphere further to one of comfort, lightly laced with the incense of 'roses' and warmth. We know that 'Ariel' was the name of Plath's horse and that the duration of the poem is spoken as though the rider is on a journey, galloping on Ariel's back. Luckily she 'emerged' unharmed by this incident.
Common topics in this essay:
Sylvia Plath,
Ted Hughes,
Al Alvarez,
God Rhodes,
Drip Thicken,
Robert Graves,
Linda Wagner-Martin,
Death Undoubtedly,
David Holbrook,
Faber Faber,
faber faber,
plath's poetry,
plath sylvia,
'lady lazarus',
edited introduction,
ted hughes,
sylvia plath,
'sylvia plath,
'collected poems',
hughes faber faber,
sylvia 'collected,
'collected poems' edited,
introduction ted hughes,
edited introduction ted,
faber faber 1981,
|
Acceptance Essays
