Sylvia Plath was an American poet, short story writer and novelist who lived from 1932 to 1963. She attended Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts and then Newnham College, Cambridge. The same Newnham College that I would attend as an undergraduate in the 1980s. It’s a tenuous link, admittedly, but I feel some slight connection as I was taught by academics who had been her fellow students.
Plath married the British poet Ted Hughes in 1956. They had two children but the relationship was troubled and they separated in in 1962, although they were still technically married at the time of her death.
Known for her confessional style, Plath is recognised in particular for the collections The Colossus and Other Poems and Ariel, and the semi-autobiographical novel, The Bell Jar.
Many of her poems are dark, potentially autobiographical and most likely heavily influenced by her persistent mental health problems. I remembered this from reading her decades ago (she was too recent, when I was an undergraduate, to be included in our very traditional English syllabus) and, this time round, I wanted to look for something else, some light, or some other recurring theme.
I found that Plath was fond of the sea and that many of her poems reference it. This might be a good place to start if you would like to read some of her work but would like to focus on something beside darkness and depression. I also discovered You’re, an account of pregnancy, and Morning Song, which is about a new mother, and found them delightful.
Only this morning, I was listening to Carol Ann Duffy talking about poetry, and she mentioned that Ted Hughes described how Plath would write with a Thesaurus next to her. She would circle words that she found, which she liked and wanted to use in future. It’s fascinating to have this insight into a poet’s relationship with language.
This week has renewed my interest in Sylvia Plath and reminded me that every writer has many facets, and we can discover new things about them if only we look. I have started reading The Bell Jar and am enjoying it so far.
If you are affected by any of the issues mentioned in this post or in pages I have linked, please speak to someone. The Samaritans are available 24 hours a day: Samaritans Call 116 123 Email jo@samaritans.org.
