The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Bell Jar
Book Review: Not good untill page 128...
Summary: 2 Stars
Ya know how an artist's work isn't worth much until he/she dies? Well this is what happened here. Now I see why it wasn't going to be published when she was alive. Because it is BORING!(The book was published 6 weeks after Sylvia Plath committed suicide. Things always sell better after they are dead.) The entire first half of the book is so monotoned I found myself putting the book down quite often. I kept thinking "when will she go insane and be interesting?" I have to say that her description of things was intelligently written it was just so BORING!
Let me sum the book up for you and save you the money....girl gets job in NY, girl meets boy, girl dumps boy, girl goes slightly insane, girl goes into a rehab/asylum, girl is up for getting out of the asylum, book ends......just like that! The worst ending ever!
I really am torn by giving authors a poor rating because I know how hard they work on their writing but this book was just arrrgghhh boring.
Book Review: One of My Favorites!
Summary: 5 Stars
Probably the thing that scares me the most about this book is how much I relate to Esther, the brilliantly mad heroine. Of course, it's not her brilliance to which I relate, but her madness. Sylvia Plath indeed makes Esther's breakdown seem like the most reasonable thing in the world. Esther is battered left and right by people's expectations of her, as a woman and as a writer. All of these expectations are burdens, weighing her down until she finally falls into a dark hole. It's 1953, and for a woman who wants to define her life by her work and her mind, the pressures of marriage and womanhood are immense. Esther is surrounded by talented girls who want nothing more than a rich husband and children. Esther doesn't fit into that mold, and she is unable to create her own.
Sylvia Plath uses the story of a fig tree to illustrate how Esther sees the many different possible paths in her life. One fig is the talented poet, another is the doting wife and mother, and another is the powerful editor....it goes on and on. Many people have struggled with the same thing. Esther feels pulled in many different directions (as do I). Her descent into madness throws a wrench into her plans, forcing her to deal with the imperfect person she really is. Plath uses an almost causal tone when describing Esther's breakdown. Everything is stated matter-of-factly, demonstrating how even the mentally ill can think rationally.
The book deserves its place among the best of the American classics. Plath was a literary genius whose own struggles with mental illness gave her poetry and prose a tragic and haunting voice.
Book Review: One of the classics in modern literature
Summary: 5 Stars
I first read this book way back when, when I was a teenager. I absolutely loved it then, and it really holds up as a classic. Yes, it's a feminist novel, and yes, it's angsty, but it's also well-written, moving, and realistic. Plath was one of a kind, and the world is just a little colder without her in it.Book Review: Plath is Full of Talent
Summary: 4 Stars
I picked up this book purely out of curiosity. I wanted to see how someone with mental illness was able to construct such a well-known novel and in the end found that I was deeply impressed with the skill of Plath's writing. She is very talented in her use of words and I found the book engaging to read.
I assume (because I have never ready any other book like this) that it's a rare thing for a book to capture a glimpse into the thoughts of someone that is mentally ill. I was expecting a fragmented and disjointed writing and was surprised that many of her experiences and thoughts were reminiscent of other women at a post-college age--perhaps, to an extent, even my own. Thoughts of inadequacy, self-doubt, and direction-less-ness often plague young adults and Ester showed all of the symptoms that coincide with "growing up." Of course her problems run much deeper. Caused by something that I cannot figure out and that society is still looking for answers on. Plath's real life story is a tragic one and you can only hope that books like this can help society find the answer to lifting the bell jar.
All in all I liked this book. I found there is a theme to the books that I enjoy most--female heroine and time period setting. Like Francie Nolan growing up during the depression (A Tree Grows in Brooklyn), Cal Stephhanides with the riots of Detroit (Middlesex), I very much enjoyed reading about the experiences and thoughts of Ester Greenwood in mid-1950s New England.
The forward of this book mentioned that 80% of female poets suffer from mental illness. I was astounded by this number. In today's society you don't really hear about sanatoriums, asylums and the shock therapy that was depicted in the book set in the 1950s--today you hear about anti-depressant medications and sessions with psychiatrists. It was interesting to read about how mental illness was treated.
Book Review: Poetry in Prose
Summary: 5 Stars
The Bell Jar tells the captivating story of Esther Greenwood, a gifted young woman who has just completed her arduous internship as a junior editor at a magazine in New York City in the early 1950s. The novel, written entirely in first person, chronicles her mental breakdown and subsequent emotional deterioration.
This work is a roman à clef, in which some or all of the characters in the book are based on actual people, and the happenings in the novel are rooted in real occurrences. Typically this style is used on sensitive subjects, or subjects with which the author is not entirely comfortable revealing all the information. This novel was obviously quite emotionally close to Plath, who could be described as the real-life Esther Greenwood. Originally released under the pen name Victoria Lucas, the book was modified to be in Sylvia Plath's name only after her suicide in 1971.
Though often associated with severe sadness or depression, The Bell Jar can be very humorous, but not always in an obvious way. Plath writes using dry humor, being, at times, extremely cynical. She expresses a strong disdain for those who choose to follow convention, such as marrying and having children, believing those to be unexceptional and simple paths of life.
Plath's skill is unmistakable and her experience as a poet is quite evident. Alliteration and assonance are scattered in the pages of The Bell Jar, and Plath employs various other literary devices throughout the novel to enrich the reading experience. Symbolism is another tool commonly used by the author. Esther glimpses into several mirrors during her stay at the psychiatric ward, often mistaking her reflection for that of another. This lack of self-recognition reveals Esther's struggle to fully comprehend herself and this symbolism demonstrates Plath's insight into the human condition.
To be direct, I adore this book. I find the character Esther to be the perfect combination of skepticism and wit, refusing to conform to meet the standards of her time. Her resilience and individuality ripple forth from the pages of this book like the interruption of still water by a stone.
Having said all of this, I probably would not recommend The Bell Jar. I say this not because of any fault of the book, but for my own selfish reasons. As it is, I feel not everyone has the capacity to genuinely appreciate this bok. Reading this novel without that capacity runs the risk of depreciating it based on misunderstanding. In a way, those who choose to pursue this piece of literature deserve the knowledge it holds, and this prevents the book from becoming commonplace. It should be kept-- like a secret among friends.