#sylvia plath journals

[mymagpienest]

#nihilism #literature #sylvia plath #sylvia plath poetry #sylvia plath journals #art #poetry #poetry quotes #quotes #philosophy #religion #religious trauma #confessional poetry #confessionalism #classic literature #mymagpienest

[rumoursfromines]

to be aware that you must compete [with other women] somehow, yet that wealth and beauty are not in your realm. to learn that a boy will make a careless remark about "your side of town" as he drives you to a road house in his father's latest chromium-plated convertible. to learn that you might-have-been more of an "artist" than you are if you had been born into a family of wealthy intellectuals. [...] to learn that money makes life smooth in some ways, and to feel how tight and threadbare life is if you have too little.

little pieces of wisdom from sylvia plath's journals

#sylvia plath #sylvia plath journals #poetry #prose #journals #the unabridged journals of sylvia plath #dark academia #light academia #books

[mournfulroses]

Sylvia Plath, from a journal entry featured in "The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath,"

#lit #sylvia plath #diary #quotes #words #the unabridged journals of Sylvia plath #typography #love #writings #p

[petaltexturedskies]

Sylvia Plath, from The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath

#typography #sylvia plath #the unabridged journals of sylvia plath

[metamorphesque]

― Sylvia Plath, The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath

#quotes #literature #classic literature #sylvia plath #the unabridged journals of sylvia plath #girlhood

[flowerytale]

Sylvia Plath, from The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath

#sylvia plath #the unabridged journals of sylvia plath #journal #typo #typography #this is so me coded #*

[dark-romantics]

#the journals of sylvia plath #sylvia plath #dark academia #dark academia aesthetic #light academia aesthetic #classic literature #english literature #virginia woolf #literature #librarylife #letters #lit

[strykerlancer]

Something in me wants more. I can't rest.

— Sylvia Plath, from “The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath.”

#The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath #sylvia plath #words #poetry #literature #quotes #out of my collection #lit #abyss of words #quote

[somberous]

Sylvia Plath, from The Unabridged Journals [ID in alt text]

#sylvia plath #the unabridged journals of sylvia plath #*** #prose

[derangedrhythms]

I know the horror of primal feelings, obsessions.

Sylvia Plath, The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath — 29th September 1959

#sylvia plath #the unabridged journals of sylvia plath #diaries #obsession

[juicyprincess]

“I need a father. I need a mother. I need some older, wiser being to cry to. I talk to God, but the sky is empty.”

Sylvia Plath

#the unabridged journals of sylvia plath #sylvia plath #hell is a teenage girl #coquette #sadgirl #girlblogging #lana del rey #lana del ray aka lizzy grant #lana #lizzy grant #this is a girlblog #this is what makes us girls

[rumoursfromines]

Sylvia Plath, born 1932, was an American poet, novelist, and diarist. She was extremely prolific writer and throughout her short life produced over 400 poems, a novel, several short stories, and many journals and letters. A lot of her work, especially her more famous works, deal with mental illness and what it was like to be an ambitious woman in an age where women couldn't even have their own credit cards.

Her biographical background, I think, is one of the things that make her relatable to modern audiences. Sylvia Plath had a complicated childhood. She lost her father at eight years old to illness and was raised by a chronically ill single mother who struggled financially. This pushed Plath to outperform all of her classmates and to start earning her own money by sending her poetry out to magazines from a young age. At the same time she lived a very fulfilled social life with plenty of friends and dates. She was also very upfront about not wanting to be reduced to a mother and housewife in her future, defying expectations for women in her day and age.

By all accounts, Sylvia Plath was an extremely interesting writer. However, with such a large selection of texts to choose from, it can be difficult to pick a place to start. Which is why I've decided to compile all of my Plath knowledge into this (hopefully somewhat complete) post. Below the cut you will find brief summaries of her important works sorted into different categories. Happy reading :)

Disclaimer: I've seen many people on social media be taken aback by some of the themes in Plath's work, especially the racism and the holocaust imagery present throughout her work. I feel like for some people this might be useful to know before they start to read. Plath was a white American writing in the 1950s, so common social attitudes will be reflected in her work. It's important not to internalise her own bigotry as you read. Keeping this in mind, I still think her work is worth your time and attention.

the basics:

Ariel is probably Plath's most famous poetry collection. It centers around the themes of gender, death, and rebirth. The first edition of this collection was published posthumously and edited by Plath's husband. The collection was restored to the order Plath originally intended poems to be in in 2005 and published with a preface written by Plath's daughter, Frieda Hughes.

The Bell Jar is Sylvia Plath's only published novel. It is a semi-autobiographical account of her 1953 New York internship with Mademoiselle, a lady's magazine. The main character, Esther Greenwood, is meant to be having the time of her life working for a fashion magazine in New York until things get too much for Esther to handle. A large chunk of the novel is dedicated to Esther's complicated recovery from depression.

the niche:

Three Women is both a poem and a radio play. It tells the stories of three women in a maternity ward, all handling their motherhood differently. It is included in the poetry collection Winter Trees.

The Colossus is the only poetry collection Plath published in her lifetime (so automatically the only one where she had full artistic control over the content of the book). The poems here discuss topics such as about death, trauma, belonging, and womanhood.

Crossing The Water is a poetry collection that was published posthumously, along with Winter Trees, by Plath's husband Ted Hughes. These collections contain the poetry Plath wrote in her last creative spurt before her death. CTW centers around the themes of womanhood, depression, and endings (do you sense a recurring theme?), whereas WT deals with family dynamics and motherhood.

the extra reading:

The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath edited by Karen V. Kukil were published in the year 2000 and provide insight into Plath's inner life and context for a lot of her work, since much of it was inspired by events, be they important or insignificant, of her life. These journals range from 1953 up until 1959. The time between the last surviving journal until her death is covered by fragments, as Plath's very last journal was destroyed.

Red Comet by Heather Clark might be the single most detailed biography of Sylvia Plath on the market right now. It covers everything from her ancestors' immigration to the state, her parents' experiences in school, and the aftermath of Plath's death. It is definitely not a casual read (1000+ pages) but definitely worth it if you find yourself fascinated by Plath's work.

Pain, Parties, Work by Elizabeth Winder is a partial biography of Plath's time spent interning for Mademoiselle 1953. It paints an interesting picture of the writer, portraying her as a motivated young woman with a fulfilled social life who struggled with her mental health nonetheless. It's much shorter than Red Comet (<300 pages) and provides interesting an background for The Bell Jar.

Obviously there will always be more things by and about Sylvia Plath to read. Her letters, for example, have been released in two different editions: a two volume collection of the letters written throughout her life and another collection of letters written from England to America, edited by Plath's own mother, Aurelia Plath. I hope my little selection can help you find your way around Plath's bibliography. Happy reading :)

#sylvia plath #poetry #american poetry #ted hughes #sylvia plath journals #red comet #the bell jar #ariel #the colossus #pain parties work #the unabridged journals of sylvia plath #crossing the water #winter trees

[dactylicreveries]

-Sylvia Plath, The Letters of Sylvia Plath Volume I: 1940–1956

#september quotes #typography #quotes of wisdom #fragmentos #sylvia path #Sylvia Plath #The Letters of Sylvia Plath Volume I: 1940–1956 #letters to aurelia plath #Letters to you #slyvia plath #grief journal #journal #august diaries #august september october november #september #dark acadamia aesthetic #dark acadamia #dark poetry #grief quotes

[petaltexturedskies]

Sylvia Plath, from “ The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath”

#the unabridged journals of sylvia plath #sylvia plath

[metamorphesque]

― Sylvia Plath, The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath

#literature #quotes #classic literature #sylvia plath #the unabridged journals of sylvia plath

[flowerytale]

Sylvia Plath, from The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath

#sylvia plath #the unabridged journals of sylvia plath #november #typo #typography #words #quote #quotes #journal #diary #*