Sylvia Plath: The Bell Jar

[whit3tig3y]

OK now I have just finished reading "The Bell Jar".... and I have NO idea whats up with the ending... it just stops.

The only conclusion I can come to is she was released and got on with her life and that was the "end" of that phase so thats where the book stopped? Let me know if i'm right on this one...

Also to me, the transition from "everythings ok" to "i want to die" was a little fast for me... She as having fun going out etc and suddenly she's trying to hang herself and cut herself. Let me know what anyone else thought of this book!!!

 

[dollymixture]

It's interesting that this thread is in non-fiction - Plath wrote it as a novel and published it under a pseudonym but it is definitely autobiographical. I'm reading this now, will post again when I'm done.

 

[the lady]

I have read this book, I feel it is autobiographical. I actually enjoyed it and think that if it had gone on too long then it would have lost my interest somewhat. It did end fairly swiftly but as I said I think that was a good thing and suited the subject matter, I was not left feeling it had let me down.

 

[dollymixture]

I was a little confused by the ending. I think the character of Joan is very significant. In class today we were discussing the possibility that Joan is a figment of Esther's imagination, but I'm not so sure about this. It does seem that in her suicide Joan provides closure for Esther. It's like Joan was sucking her strength away and with it Esther's sense of recovery.

As I read it, we are to assume that she keeps receiving electric shock treatmeant as Dr. Nolan suggests, but I think life does return to 'normal' - at the beginning of the novel we are told she cuts the starfish off the sunglasses case to give to the baby, presumably her child. I really enjoyed this book - so many parallels to Plath's life: the father that died at the age of 8, the neglect Esther feels because of this, the incident with her mother and the roses - a fantastic piece of writing.

 

[CharringCross]

I grew up in Northampton, MA. and lived a few blocks from Smith College just a couple of years after Plath graduated from it so the Bell Jar became of interest to me.
I read it many years ago and really appreciated it more after reading a biography of Plath and a volume of her letters (prinicpally between herself and her mother). If you really want to get Plath down as a person, the letters would be of great interest. This was a brilliant woman whose intellect could not save her from the "inner demons." Truly a tragic figure in literature.

 

[dollymixture]

I read it many years ago and really appreciated it more after reading a biography of Plath and a volume of her letters (prinicpally between herself and her mother).

Out of interest, which biography did you read? I agree, reading a biography beforehand really helps you get the full grasp of the autobiographical nature of the novel. I read Bitter Fame by Anne Stevenson, a notoriously anti-Plath biography, but despite this I still think Plath is wonderful!

 

[CharringCross]

Out of interest, which biography did you read? I agree, reading a biography beforehand really helps you get the full grasp of the autobiographical nature of the novel. I read Bitter Fame by Anne Stevenson, a notoriously anti-Plath biography, but despite this I still think Plath is wonderful!

It has been so many years since I went thru my "Plath" journey that I can't be sure which biography I read --it might have been the Stevens tome and I am basing that on the fact that I checked the number of pages (on Amazon) in various bios on her and since I stay away from skinny bios, Stevens is the most likely. I have been saying for years that I would keep a reading journal and have not done it yet -- so when I'm asked a question about a book long past in my reading history, I don't have a clue!! I do remember also reading her journals, letters and a volume put together by Ted Hughes' sister. I am not a huge poetry reader so I was more interested in her family relations and how her life played out. If you understand and enjoy her poetry, I salute you
as a "Master of the Deep"!!!

 

[dollymixture]

It has been so many years since I went thru my "Plath" journey that I can't be sure which biography I read --it might have been the Stevens tome and I am basing that on the fact that I checked the number of pages (on Amazon) in various bios on her and since I stay away from skinny bios, Stevens is the most likely. I have been saying for years that I would keep a reading journal and have not done it yet -- so when I'm asked a question about a book long past in my reading history, I don't have a clue!! I do remember also reading her journals, letters and a volume put together by Ted Hughes' sister. I am not a huge poetry reader so I was more interested in her family relations and how her life played out. If you understand and enjoy her poetry, I salute you
as a "Master of the Deep"!!!

Haha, fair enough, was just curious Well done on reading the letters and journals... heavy duty stuff! I own the journals but have yet to make my way through them. My interest in Plath has been greatly aided by having an expert lecturer who can throw light on even the most complicated Plath poetry

 

[paperapostle]

I'm a fan of Plath's poetry and have read the Bell Jar twice. While I like the Bell Jar, and it certainly appealed to me when I was in High School, I'm foremost a fan of the poetry.

I have a knack for finding books on the street, and last summer found a Plath biography by Edward Butscher at a bus stop. It is incredibly detailed, to the point of absurdity. :lol: In that respect if you want to know a lot about Plath, find Method and Madness. Also be warned that this Butscher really LOVES Plath. She can do no wrong in his eyes, every critic who ever made even an ambiguous comment about Plath is dead wrong. Point being, after reading the bio and then reading the Bell Jar again, I enjoyed it this second time more for the exercise of picking out what points in her life translate over to the novel.

 

[-Carlos-]

I really, really enjoyed reading Plath's book. I will be re-reading it in the not-so-distant future. I suffer from a mental disorder as well: Bipolar (Grrr!) Hence, I can (somewhat) relate to her words. Nonetheless, The Bell Jar will stay permanently on my book shelf.