The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath chronicles a young woman's descent into madness. The story parallels Plath's own journey and how she overcame a nervous breakdown as a college student. It is a powerful story that gives the reader a glimpse into the tragedy of insanity and the struggle to overcome it.
The Bell Jar
by Sylvia Plath
In her novel The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath describes the torment that she suffered during a mental breakdown and suicide attempt. Although she tells the first-person tale ...
Read more
Sylvia Plath (1932-1963), poet and novelist, explored her obsessions with death, self, and nature in works that expressed her ambivalent attitudes toward the universe.Sylvia Plath was born in Boston's...
Read more
In "Three Women," the final poem of Winter Trees (1971), Sylvia Plath speaks through the voice of a woman in a maternity ward, whose words provide a fitting statement for the poet's singular fixation ...
Read more
Although most of her creative energies were directed toward poetry, Sylvia Plath produced one novel, The Bell Jar (1963), a striking work which has contributed to her reputation as a significant figur...
Read more
In his introduction to The Journals of Sylvia Plath, 1950-62 (1982), her husband, poet Ted Hughes, wrote that she wore "many masks" but that he believes he knew her "real self" -- "the self I had marr...
Read more
Biography EssayNow famous for her ritual flirtations with death, Sylvia Plath has emerged as a significant fig- ure in contemporary American literature in the two and a half decades since her suicide ...
Read more
Many authors anticipate the use of "I" in their works. Often, it helps them express their point to the reader. Sometimes though, writers want to talk about their personal issues but do not want to sa...
Read more
Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar is about a girl named Esther's need to find her identity as a woman during the 1950's. Throughout the book many characters influence Esther's identity as a woman, but one o...
Read more
Individuality is something all young people will struggle with at sometime or another. The 1950s was an era of repressed feminism and social confusion about the role of the woman. In Sylvi...
Read more
As with any novel written, there are as many interpretations of The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath as there are critics who review its theme. Many have said that it is the classic rebellion novel for young...
Read more
Claim #1: Mrs. Greenwood influences Esther's identity as a woman by doubting her ability to excel in the profession of her choice, and making Esther feel as if she has to work twice as hard to make it...
Read more
Sylvia Plath uses her life to share how she feels about sexuality, societal pressure, and psychological defects. Slowly as the novel unfolds, my attention is grabbed as I am deeply drawn into the mai...
Read more
The Bell Jar is a glass jar used to protect things of value; Sylvia Plath uses this imagery throughout the book to show Ester's isolation. Esther has her own "Bell Jar," because she feels isolated a...
Read more
Normal, according to Webster's Dictionary, is conforming with an accepted standard, model, or pattern. Unfortunately that standard is determined by a close-minded, unyielding force called society. "...
Read more
The Bell Jar Book Notes is a free study guide on The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. Browse the summary below:
Author Biography / Context of the Work
One-Page Plot Summary
Charact...
Read more