Word: plath
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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Thereafter, the publishing world offered Plath both rejection slips and awards. Plath responded to these evaluations by alternating between bouts of depression and celebration...
...Plath's experiences at Smith College prior to her breakdown are unnervingly familiar to any active undergraduate-the stress and tension of academics, time-consuming extracurriculars, trouble balancing social life, concerns over money and scholarships. Alexander's theory that stress brought on sinusitis which then-he quotes a letter by Plath-"plunges me in manic depression" is only believable as a partial explanation...
...biography, Alexander does quote Gloria Steinem's suggestion that "Plath was an early prophet who described a societal problem by describing her own suffering." What has made The Bell Jar so significant is conceivably that the constriction of freedom inherent in a woman's life was brought home to Plath during her Smith years and intensified by her infamous month at Mademoiselle...
Alexander unflinchingly targets Plath's husband, Ted Hughes, as a major factor in her suicide. From his first mention of Hughes, his violence, power and promiscuity are emphasized. What finally persuades the reader are Alexander's use of statements made by Plath: "Sylvia also said Hughes made an admission: he and Assia [his mistress] had speculated that, in light of her past emotional problems, Sylvia might already have killed herself. If she were dead, Hughes told Plath, he could sell Court Green and take Frieda [their daughter...
When Alexander presents personal statements like this one or anecdotes of the people who knew Plath best, the reader receives moments of illumination, and a better understanding of the circumstances in which she lived. Too often, however, Alexander draws glib conclusions that are plainly intrusive: "She realized just how disappointing the Mademoiselle experience had been. And, in an act of transference, she came to see herself as having disappointed others...