The following version of this poem was used to create this guide: Plath, Sylvia. “Mad Girl's Love Song.” All Poetry, https://allpoetry.com/Mad-Girl%27s-Love-Song.

Note that all parenthetical citations within the guide refer to the lines of the poem from which the quotations are taken.

“Mad Girl’s Love Song” was written while Sylvia Plath was studying at Smith College and working a coveted guest editorial position at the magazine Mademoiselle. In her writings, Plath acknowledged that the poem was written about her then-paramour Myron Lutz. It is believed that this is why Ted Hughes, Plath’s later husband, did not include this poem in her posthumous collections. It is one of Plath’s earlier works and is one of the few written in a formal poetic structure. The title, “Mad Girl’s Love Song,” was also given to a 2013 biography of Plath’s early life.

The poem explores the inner workings of a narrator who is in love and assessing the intentions of their lover, who may or may not exist. The speaker descends into madness as they circle around this core question, using mythic imagery and contrasts of darkness and light to explore their own feelings.