The Sylvia Plath Forum

www.sylviaplathforum.com

March-April 2002

Great post, Jim! While I totally agree with what you're saying and so will many other people as well it seems that there will always be someone offended by SP's use of holocaust imagery. I suppose, not being holocaust survivor ourselves, we may not fully be able to comprehend how and why someone would be feel that the experiences of these survivors and relatives of survivors is being exploited in SP's poetry.While I don't believe anyone has a "monopoly on suffering" we must admit there is a world of difference between someone losing their father to death and their husband to another woman and someone losing their entire family to mass murder, perhaps if we looked at it from this point of view the idea that these images might be offense can be better understood. I, personally, think her use of these images is highly effective and without these images some of her poems may not have been as strong as they ended up being.

Stephanie
 Ottawa, Canada
Tuesday, April 30, 2002



On the subject of Holocaust imagery in Plath's work: There is an interesting book by a woman named Al Strangeways entitled "Sylvia Plath: the shaping of shadows" in which she discusses at great length Sylvia's political consciousness and how it would have been formed and influenced by the events of the 1940s and 50s. It's worth checking out.

My personal feeling is that she had every right to use any images that came to hand out of the maelstrom of events that shook the world in the 40s and the backlash of conservatism that was the 1950s, from the execution of the Rosenbergs to McCarthism and the military-industrial complex. Although she was only 8 in 1940, when her father died, she was a bright and observant child. When she says in her Journals that he "refused to believe in God, and heiled Hitler in the privacy of his home" (p.430) I see no reason not to take her word for it. It is not surprising, then, that she would come to associate this image of her father with the horrors of the death camps that were revealed with the liberation of the camps in 1945, when she was a teenager. The films of the camps that were shown to the world at that time are mentioned in her poem "The Thin People". History is not the property of any one group of people, and no one has a monopoly on suffering.

When Plath sought an image sufficient to convey the effect of her own suffering on her psyche, the terrible nightmare image that came to her was the idea of "being burned alive along all your nerves" (BJ) - whether in an oven, or the electric chair, or at the stake a la Joan of Arc ("brigtness ascends my thighs") or in the asylum under the guise of "therapy", this was an image with deep levels of meaning for her personally. Also, it seems to me that using the imagery of the Holocaust does not in any way "reduce" the victims or minimize their suffering in any way. Why can't we see her use of this imagery throughout her work rather as an expansion, or a least a demonstration, of our human capacity for empathy and compassion - something in this day and age not to be decried, but devoutly to be wished.

Jim Long
 Honolulu HI, USA
Tuesday, April 30, 2002



It's time to take another look at some of Sylvia Plath's early poems, which, I would argue, are of greater value than one might think. Yes, many of the poems are contrived and immature, but they have other dimensions worth considering. I especially like the "editorial Sylvia," commenting like T.S. Eliot before her on the social, political, and religious hollowness of her time. As her contemporary I thought the same thing then, and still do, now that our 21st century times seem even worse than ever. 

For example, take a look at a sonnet she called "Doom of Exiles" (CP 318), dated in April, 48 years ago:

Now we, returning from the vaulted domes
Of our colossal sleep, come home to find
A tall metropolis of catacombs
Erected down the gangways of our mind.

Green alleys where we reveled have become
The infernal haunt of demon dangers;
Both seraph song and violins are dumb;
Each clock tick consecrates the death of strangers.

Backward we traveled to reclaim the day
Before we fell, like Icarus, undone;
All we find are altars in decay
And profane words scrawled black across the sun.

Still, stubbornly we try to crack the nut
In which the riddle of our race is shut.

Wouldn't this be a good piece for the op-ed pages of the New York Times? Ironically Sylvia knew how to crack the nut, but just didn't manage to get it done. She did make a good start with the first line of "Midsummer Mobile" (CP 324): "Begin by dipping your brush into clear light."

Jack Folsom
 Sharon, Vermont, USA
Sunday, April 28, 2002



I really appreciate the effort that has gone into your site. I was particularly pleased that you took the time to extend your hopes that young enthusiasts of Plaths work actually consume, digest and appreciate the true flavours of her magnificant works. It often disturbs me how people can attatch themselves to the "cult" status of a person without delving deeper than the perceived notion of what is hip etc...

Thank you for your time.

Ps: are you aware of the song "Sylvia Plath" by Ryan Adams (that is Ryan not Bryan) from his latest offering entitled "Gold"? I'd be interested to see what you think of this.

Mark Irons
 Brisbane, Australia
Sunday, April 28, 2002



I wonder if Sylvia's use of German's and Jews in "Daddy" was just to show that she felt like they were on opposing sides because she was angry at him for dying. Everything I read showed that that was a strong relationship. Perhaps the use of those names was just to enforce the persona she was creating to express the distance she felt from her father.

I would like to find out more about how ther jewish community felt about these references as I personally don't understand why her references are upsetting people. I never take poetry at face value because the best poetry makes you look for the meaning and reread it again and again to grasp the full meaning. the images are there to help evoke an emotion and she's trying to express how desperate she is at this time to find meaning for what had just happened.

Rachel Cavanagh
 Brisbane, Australia
Sunday, April 28, 2002



It never really occurred to me that SP would be comparing her life experiences to that of a holocaust survivor's experiences in any of her poems where that kind of imagery is present. Yes, of course, the images certainly do jump out at you but I always felt that it was more SP's way of conveying the depth of her emotional pain as opposed to trying to equal her trials to that of a survivor. Her usage of the holocaust imagery is what makes Lady Lazarus and Daddy (especially) so hard hitting and it was simply just a creative and unique way SP expressed herself.I could, however, see where someone might be offended by the content although it isn't really warranted.

Stephanie (in canada but not canada :)

Stephanie
 Ottawa, Canada
Friday, April 26, 2002



Thanks Amy! I'm glad someone noticed that I wasn't trying to be a "suck up" so to speak by having the opinion that it's not right to point fingers. I think people who have experienced depression and suicide themselves (I have as well) can see where trying to blame someone doesn't get anyone anywhere and in fact, it only makes the situation worse. I won't ever say the words neutral views again...I promise!

Stephanie
 Ottawa, Canada
Friday, April 26, 2002



Dear Kenneth, I liked your comments, even though I had to read your message twice to get the gist of it.

The penultimate sentence of your message is what grabbed me most so I will start with that. I certainly do not think that Ted Hughes was more naif in his craft than Sylvia Plath. He appeared from what I have read to be very disciplined in his work. I think it does injustice to his work to consider it in that light.

Working backwards. You say (I think) one has to get away from the negativities Ted and Sylvia created together to consider the realities. By "realities" do you mean their life? Or do you mean their work? By "negativities" I think you mean the atmosphere in which they lived and worked, what you call the "very dark psychic gulf"? Again, as I stated before, one cannot consider one without the other, they are all part of the same thing. Work produced by them after they met was forever influenced by one or the other, their effect on each other was so great. There is no "getting away" from them!

I think perhaps you have not read "The Journals of Sylvia Plath" when you ask "Are there other realities than the darkness of the blood beat?" You would know without question that there are.

Cressida Hope-Bunting
 Alabama, USA
Thursday, April 25, 2002



I myself do not believe that Lady Lazarus is Sylvia Plath's attempt to understand the holocaust. Rather I think that she is simply using images which she has encountered in this world to explain how she is feeling in an artistic way. You have to look at the whole poem not just the imagery. I belive that in Lady Lazarus she is speaking of her ability to `come back' from death like Lazarus (from the Bible) and that she had been persecuted like the jews. It was about suicide not the holocaust. well that's my opinion.

Rachel Cavanagh
 Brisbane, Australia
Thursday, April 25, 2002



Stephanie, you seem very wise in your comments. For myself, I can only pipe that, from my own reading, Plath and Hughes seem so have been somewhat of psychic twins, or mirror images, feeding both the worst and the best of each other--if even that much of a distinction can be made, as it can be argued that their best was their worst, and vice versa. Hughes's comments about psychic manipulation are not really different from Plath's asking Lynne Lawner in a letter "How Machiavellian are you?" Not the same soul, but mirror images. Sort of Satanism 101, His'n'Hers; both working a very dark psychic gulf...the crooked narrowness of a crevassed heart. Are there other realities than the darkness of the blood beat? If one gets away from Plath and Hughes, it is very easy to say yes; but first, one has to get away, because they create a sort of negative magnetic field. Plath the more naive at heart, Hughes the more naive at craft. Which was Beowulf, which Grendel?--that depends on one's point of view...--Comments?

Kenneth Jones
 Berkeley, USA
Thursday, April 25, 2002



I certainly don't consider myself an expert on Sylvia Plath, but I do know how depression feels like. When it comes to the matter of her suicide, I don't think anyone should blame Ted Hughes. Having attempted suicide several times myself, there is no one person the suicidal blame but themselves (of course I realize there are many different cases) I agree with Stephanie on the issue of judgment. No one has any right to judge anyone, especially someone one never knew. Pointing fingers doesn't solve anything. Now, I am not saying Hughes's actions had no affect on Plath and what he did wasn't wrong. Everyone screws up sometimes. Go Steph!

Amy Parker
 Palm Harbor, FL, USA



Re Plath's use of Holocaust imagery, Janet Malcolm in "The Silent Woman" had this to say: "To say that Plath did not earn her right to invoke the names of Dachau, Auschwitz, Belsen is off the mark. It is we who stand accused, who fall short, who have not accepted the wager of imagining the unimaginable, of cracking Plath's code of atrocity."

I'm still not exactly sure what she means by that, but I think her point is that at least Plath tried to imagine/engage these horrors, using the only things she had to compare them too--her own personal disasters, however disproportionate they may have been, while most people just try not to think about them at all.

Michael Gates
 Jersey City, USA
Thursday, April 25, 2002



Tamara, hi this may be too late to help you, but I'd say include "Lady Lazarus" but also perhaps my favourite poem "The moon and the yew tree" because (it's my belief that) it shows the total range of feelings she's experiencing. I imagine that she is pretty much summing up her desperation, loss of hope. I think it would be important to explore the emotion felt before suicide. I think that most people about to commit suicide really do feel lost. Good luck. Rachel.

Rachel Cavanagh
 Brisbane, Australia
Thursday, April 25, 2002



Cressida is right, "Neutral views" is an oxymoron, there is no such thing. Just as there is no such thing as a "civil war". Wake up and smell the coffee Canada! if you are discussing a subject you have a view on it. This round goes to Cressida.

Samson
 Palo Alto, USA
Thursday, April 25, 2002



I once took a quiz to see which celebrity i was reincarnated from and it turned out to be Sylvia. I am a big fan of her work and as a catholic don't believe in reincarnation but it did say some spooky stuff that was true about me and her !!!!!

Mairead Cahill
 London, England
Thursday, April 25, 2002



I am a junior at the University of Alabama. I am doing a long paper for my American Lit. class on Plath's use of Holocaustic images in "Daddy." The question I am answering or attempting to answer, rather, is whether or not Plath is "justified" in using these horrific and sensitive images in relation to her own life. Edward Alexander said that, "stealing the Holocaust (in literature) is reducing Jews from the status of human beings to that of metaphors for other people's sufferings." I feel, though, that in her confessional poetry, it is neccessary sometimes for her to use such extreme images to convey her pain to the reader. I would furthermore suggest that she does so without belittling the experiences of holocaust victims. I have found a few critical papers to support my view as well as provide contrast to it. However, if anyone knows of any good articles or criticisms on the subject, please let me know. Thank you for your help!

Clarissa
 Huntsville, USA
Sunday, April 21, 2002



Recently, in light of what has been revealed about Hughes's statements and actions, I'm compelled to change my view of him as a mere side issue to the central business of Plath's writing. What Cressida Hope-Bunting has said in her latest postings helps those of us who have not dug very far into the Hughes matter to see what a destructively self-centered person he really was. To make matters worse, he was a sacred cow because of his reputation as a poet, enabling him to get away with even more of his games with women. Knowing more of the truth about Hughes helps us in turn to understand more of Plath's mind and emotions during the crucial period of the Ariel poems. Go gettum, Cressida!

Jack Folsom
 Sharon, Vermont, USA
Saturday, April 20, 2002



Yes, I was interested in reading the biography but there is a significant difference between being "interested" and being "in" someone's business. Meaning that I was interested in reading more about TH but I certainly don't spend my time thinking nasty thoughts about him because I consider that to be an incredible waste of time. It's not up to any of us to "hate" him for what he chose to do during the course of his life and I find it more and more annoying that people sit on their very high horses acting like they've lived pure, saintly lives.... not possible. To be honest, if people feel compelled to disagree with me that's fine because after all, the purpose of this board is to "discuss" and when people are discussing they can't always agree. I do feel people can be neutral if they choose to be and I find it much more enjoyable to read about something with an open mind rather then with a closed one. If you go to a book already "hating" the subject of your choice likely you won't leave the read feeling any better. Thanks for your reply. :)

Stephanie
 Ottawa, Canada
Friday, April 19, 2002



Sylvia Plath 70th Year Symposium
Call for Papers
October 31 November 2, 2002
Indiana University Bloomington, IN

The Indiana University Department of English and the Office of the Chancellor invite you to participate in The Sylvia Plath 70th Year Symposium to be held from Thursday, October 31 through November 2, 2002.

This event is planned in conjunction with the IU School of Fine Arts Gallery exhibition, Eye Rhymes: Visual Art & Manuscripts of Sylvia Plath, featuring over 150 never-before seen works from the Lilly Library and Smith College collections (September 2-November 22).

This major literary and art event commemorates the 70th year anniversary of Plaths birth and 40 years since the composition of poems for Ariel. The Symposium will include lectures, addresses, and panels by scholars and educators who continue to shape our views of Sylvia Plath and feminist scholarship, including Sandra Gilbert (University of California at Davis), Diane Middlebrook (Stanford) and Susan Van Dyne (Smith).

We will accept works dealing with a broad range of topics and disciplines. Suggested topics include Sylvia Plath and:

- 20th century literary canon
- British / American literary scene
- Feminist Poetry / Fiction
- Life writing / Autobiography
- Contemporary womens traditions
- The Fifties / Cold War era
- Genre of confession / Extremist poetry
- Motherhood / Family / Marriage
- Ted Hughes
- Psychology / Psychiatry / Medical world
- Popular iconography / Myth
- Literary criticism / Controversy
- Pedagogy
- Visual / Artistic expression
- Politics / War
- Mysticism / Magic

Submission Guidelines:
- Length of abstract:200-250 word abstract
- Form of Submission:

Email your abstract as an attachment (Microsoft Word or Word
Perfect PC or MAC) OR include within the body of an email message
sent to: plath70@indiana.edu OR
mail 2 hard copies to:
Kathleen Connors
Sylvia Plath Symposium
Dept. of English
Ballantine Hall 442
Indiana University
Bloomington,
IN 47405-7103

(preferred Font, point size & margins for hard copies: Times New Roman, 12 point, 2 right & left margins)
- Submission deadline:June 15, 2002
- Notification date: July 15, 2002

For more information contact Kathleen Connors at: plath70@indiana.edu. Detailed event information and registration will be available starting May 15

Kathleen Connors
 Bloomington, IN, USA
Wednesday, April 17, 2002



Stephanie, there is no such thing as "neutral views" and you are certainly not neutral in your views. One can have an "open mind" about a subject, meaning, undecided, or ambivalent, but intelligent people generally have a view. The very fact that you read the biography means that you are interested in what you call HIS business. You have formed a different opinion from mine in the end, that's OK. You obviously do not consider the cut or the quality of the cloth to be important, (the fabric of the man) just the end product (his work). When considering the life of Ted Hughes in the context of his relationship with Sylvia Plath, one HAS to consider the fabric of the man. Was he in fact a cruel man underneath his many layers? Did he drive her to suicide? What did he say to Assia Wevill in that last telephone call to her before she also committed suicide? Don't tell me none of this matters to you, you are a member of this Sylvia Plath forum, you cannot separate one from the other. You cannot consider Ted Hughes with a neutral mind, it is as impossible as trying to consider O.J.Simpson with a neutral mind!

Another quotation from the book (p.37 St Botolph's) again from Michael Boddy:-

"I mentioned I was having family trouble. 'You must be cruel,' he said his voice rising. 'One must cultivate the practice of deceit.' He asked if I was the eldest in the family and I said I was. 'The eldest in the family must be the executioner...You must emulate the actions of the weasel', he said, leaving me stumped for a reply and wondering what my mother would do if I tried it."

Cressida Hope-Bunting
 Alabama, USA
Wednesday, April 17, 2002



I also read Elaine Feinstein's biography of Ted Hughes and to be honest I didn't leave the book with any extreme negative feelings towards TH. I personally feel his life is HIS business and really, who are WE to judge him? None of us lead perfect, blemish free lives and until we do we don't have the right to pass judgement and have extreme opinions on someone else's life. I enjoyed reading the bio quite a bit and left more enlightened then anything else. I think you have to begin reading a biography with neutral views on the subject or else your negative feelings taint the reading experience.

Stephanie
 Ottawa, Canada
Tuesday, April 16, 2002

It is a long time since I last visited the forum. The reason I have made a return visit is because I respect the views of some of the contributors and would like to say something about the book I have just read by Elaine Feinstein "Ted Hughes, The Life of a Poet."

Everything Ted Hughes did was designed to impress, from his early days at Cambridge when he dressed all in black. Throughout his life he seems to have been obsessed with the occult and probably fancied himself as a sort of black angel. After Sylvia's death he helped to cultivate the myth surrounding her by his silence, and is STILL perpetuating it from the grave for financial reasons. He has sealed papers of his for another 20 years!! Why would he do that, except to keep fans begging for more? By that time his children will be sixty their finacial future secured by their father.

Ted Hughes was a man of many layers. A tall strong man in appearance, he took full advantage of his looks to create a "presence". People listened to him. Women especially seemed to fall under his spell, he studied how to control them and even gave advice to an undergraduate. Michael Boddy's words:-

"The idea was to build up the relationship gently stage by stage, until the poor woman was under the thumb without noticing it...First say, 'Bring me that cup.' Then say, 'Bring me that cup full of tea,' until, I suppose, the woman was cooking a five course meal, feeding the goldfish, walking the dog, and doing the laundry without argument."

It has often been speculated how much influence Ted Hughes exerted over Sylvia Plath (and perhaps even Assia Wevill) to commit suicide when they were getting in his way. He was a born philanderer and manipulator. His second wife seems to have been little more than a glorified housekeeper and surrogate mother tucked away in Devon with her father firmly ensconced in running Hughes' farm, while he continued to bed other women in London. (It is good to note that his brother Gerald ignored his pleas to come back from Australia to run his farm when Carol's father died).

Hughes' attitude to his children is a mystery which will never be explained until they write their own story. He told Sylvia he never wanted children, but he seems to have helped, at least with Frieda, when she was young. After Plath died he farmed them out to anyone who would have them, and then as soon as they were old enough sent them away to boarding school. He told them "Don't ever speak ill of your mother...if not for her you would never have been able to attend such good schools." (Bye bye...)

Because of his fatalistic outlook, because he believed that everything is preordained, he felt Sylvia's suicide was inevitable and there was nothing he could have done to prevent it happening sooner or later, so therefore he bore no responsibility. If she had been persuaded by anything he said, then that too was fate. In fact there is no responsibility in life, we are not responsible, the moving finger writes. (The Russell Yates syndrome) This enables people with no conscience to continue to live successful lives, they don't feel the need to run away to a monastery.

To young poets he was excessivley kind and generous and of course to the literary world he was a genius.

Cressida Hope-Bunting
 Alabama, USA
Monday, April 15, 2002



I've been following the Forum silently but affectionately as usual. Now I need help. May I bother you with a question? In translating into Italian SP's short stories, I stumbled into one passage the exact meaning of which is obscure to me. In The Fifteen-Dollar Eagle, toward the end of 1st par.: "Snakes and dragons for Frankenstein". How do you understand "for"? Can anybody give me an equivalent expression for it? (As you know, in translating it helps to have the obscure sentence said in different words). Thank you very much, Adriana

Adriana Bottini
 Sarzana, Italy
Saturday, April 13, 2002



Re hoaxes; Oh, well.

But in this connection; does anyone remember offhand which copy of the Times Lit Supp had a note in NB about some unpublished Plath poems being held in a university down in LA, along with the letter from Sylvia asking for their return? I think it was around 95 or 96. They didn't say anything about a hoax, but I'd like to see them, just the same. (NB: these aren't the same ones Janice Markey mentions in "Into The Red Eye"--I think...

Kenneth Jones
 Berkeley, USA
Wednesday, April 10th, 2002



I am working on a paper about the topic of suicide and how it appears in the poetry of Sylvia Plath. I'm not asking for someone to write the paper. I was just wondering if someone could give me an idea of which poems would be the best to use. I've looked everywhere and would really appreciate the help.

Tamara
 Atlanta, GA, USA
Monday, April 8, 2002



I am writing a college paper on Sylvia Plath and I am leaning towards focusing on the Electra Complex and how Sylvia employ's this complex throughout some of her poems. I know "Daddy" and "The Colossus" have references to the complex, but I was wondering if anyone knew of any others? Thanks so much.

Emily Moffat
 Ridgefield, USA
Monday, April 8, 2002



I was glad to see that Ann Skea confirmed that the article was indeed a hoax. I also wanted to post about the wonderful Lady Lazarus website. I noticed that Ed, the webmaster, hadn't posted his reply to my post on the forum although we have been corresponding recently through email and I just wanted to inform anyone who was curious about the Lady Lazarus site's fate that it will be returning to the net eventually.

Stephanie
 Ottawa, Canada
Monday, April 8, 2002



Anne Skea contacted me today to inform the Forum that she had nothing to do with the hoax which was played on 1st April. She would also like to state that she does not hold any private documents belonging to either Ted Hughes or Sylvia Plath.

Elaine Connell
 Hebden Bridge, UK
Friday, April 5, 2002



Adrienne, While you may find it difficult to find an auhtoritative source for this kind of analysis on the Internet, you might want to look at Tim Kendall's very detailed analysis of Plath's work entitled "Sylvia Plath: a critical study". He refers to "Ariel" as "one of the most important poetry collections of the twentieth century." In the chapters on "Ariel" he suggests that "the techniques of "Ariel" reveals Plath's originality", and then goes on to relate some of those techniques. For example, "one disticntive characteristic of Plath's "Ariel" poems is her use of repetition"; he then goes on to discuss examples.

In a more general sense, her originality consists in the way she used repetition, not only of specific words, but of images and metaphors, such as the mirror, the bee, the Holocaust, the identity of poetry and blood, etc., to both reveal and conceal her personal wounds and torments, stripping her own psyche bare in a way that no poet, particularly no woman poet, had ever done before. Other poets, like Anne Sexton had written what we now call "confessional" poetry, but in a more prosaic sort of diaristic free verse style, without the form, the artistry, the technique, the encantatory musical language that is Plath's unique trademark.

Jim Long
 Honolulu HI, USA
Thursday, April 4, 2002



Does anyone have the floor plan of the tenement in which Ms. Plath died or of Court Green? If so, it would be helpful if you could provide a layout. Please designate her study in Court Green and her bedroom in the London tenement, if known. It is helpful to see the space in which she lived to understand the standards of the era and hardship she worked under toward the end. Many thanks.

Susan
 Atlanta, GA, USA
Thursday, April 4, 2002



I have been researching about Sylvia Plath for about a month now, since I'm writing a research paper about her. I'm supposed to be finding the importance of her- what she did differently, why she is significant, etc. Unfortunetly, i seem to be looking in the wrong places because I haven't found much. I'm not asking you to write the paper for me, but I do beg of you to please if you have found any information on the internet that could help me out, send it to me at: nixynix2006@yahoo.com Thank you for your time.

Adrienne
 Novato, California, USA
Wednesday, April 3, 2002



Did Sylvia Plath ever meet, or have any correspondence with, American poet Robert Frost?

D. J. Coldwell
 Merion Station, Pennsylvania, USA
Tuesday, April 2, 2002



Just to put the journals hoax to unequivocal rest -- I've just heard from Chris Fletcher at the British Library who confirms that this news is, in his words, "a spoof." A thoughtlessly insensitive one at best...

Kate Moses
 San Francisco, USA
Tuesday, April 2, 2002



I am NOT asking anyone to write my paper for me. I am doing a paper about Sylvia Plath. I am doing a fine job, yet I have come to a road block. I cannot seem to find any critical analysis of Plath's "A Winter's Tale" online. If you know where I can find this information it would be a big help. Thank you.

Marisa
 USA
Tuesday, April 2, 2002



Wow! I must say I'm totally shocked that someone would really consider this type of prank to be humorous. I tried to access the link to read the article for myself but apparently it doesn't exist anymore which completely confirms that this is a hoax. I searched the BBC and found no such article like several other posters also did. IF those lost journals do still exist I'm sure they are either well hidden OR they are in the possession of someone who doesn't have any intentions of revealing their contents to the public. I'm sure Frieda and Nicholas would have some idea of there whereabouts IF they do still exist but then again, maybe not. This is probably the biggest and most debated mystery of SP and perhaps one day these "lost" journals will come to light. I'm not sure if I would be incredibly gunhoe about reading them as I'm sure the contents are very, very depression although my curiousity would probably win me over in the end (just goes to show how nosy I am!

Stephanie
 Ottawa, Canada
Tuesday, April 2, 2002



This is NOT the great discussion I was anticipating! Who would do such a thing? I sent the link to Brinkster and got a quick response that they are investigating. Also, a huge Thanks to Robert for alerting us all.

Amy
 San Jose, CA, USA
Tuesday, April 2, 2002



I suspect Mr. Potts is right. If you have a look at the source code for the page and the URL the journal story does indeed look like a hoax. Also, I did a search for Plath in the BBC news archives and nothing came up about the journals.

If this is somebody's idea of a prank it's tasteless and it must be upsetting to Hughes' family.

Ivy Dennett-Thorpe
 England
Monday, April 1, 2002



Sylvia Plath article is a hoax and I can prove it! The article link is http://bbc.co-inc.com but BBCi's real link is http://bbc.co.uk

When searching on the real BBC site under Sylvia Plath and Journals only older articles come up not this "new one" on "discovered journals". There is no author for the article. The actual website URL does not match with the other bbc website sub urls

bbc.co-inc.com is just a url forward for the actual fake url: http://www30.brinkster.com/bbcnews/ Brinkster.com is a large web hosting company that sells cheap webspace and is owned by Jared Stauffer info@brinkster.com (who also owns dotster.com)

The fake article page all non-plath stories link back to real bbc news items on bbc sub urls BUT the Sylvia Plath story links back to IT'S OWN URL at brinkster.com! The articles forwarded url is http://bbcarts.co-inc.com which is not a BBC or BBCi url at all.

The prankster copied a particula bbc type layout, used real bbc links (articles) for the shell and slipped in the fake Sylvia Plath Journals story (with their own fake url). Yes, I agree, very clever but not fool proof! Scroll to the bottom of the "article": Under links for MM11 | News Sources | Privacy etc section they link to a dead page stating "unauthorized access to www30.brinkster.com.

I have been unable to locate the creator/owner og www30.brinkster.com/bbcnews but will email jared Stauffer explaining the situtaion adn see if I can get the actual person responsible for this.

Thanks for a lovely April Fools joke, "Brinkster pal".

LOL. Trust me, this proves it is not real!

Warmly, Rebecca

Rebecca Price
 Norton, Massachusetts, USA
Monday, April 1, 2002



It shouldn't be difficult to get confirmation of this story from the source, by which I mean Ann Skea. Elaine, do you know if Ann Skea reads the FOrum? Is there some way we can seek confirmation or denial of the substance of this story from her? If this is an April Fool's Day joke, it's not very funny.

Jim Long
 Honolulu HI, USA
Monday, April 1, 2002



It appears that Robert is correct, and we have all been had. And to 'Jenny', or whoever you are, don't forget that what comes around goes around!

Amy
 San Jose, CA, USA
Monday, April 1, 2002



Many have accused Ted Hughes of being overly protective of his children once they reached adulthood, but if the "found journals" are truly an April Fool's joke, then perhaps Hughes was right to be concerned. I'm Nicholas' age, and if someone posted a joke claiming my mother considered killing me when she killed herself, I'd hardly find it amusing. That's just plain sick.

Amy Rea
 Eden Prairie, USA
Monday, April 1, 2002



Thanks, Robert, for referring me to the "webpage" which no longer exists. I wonder if the email address for "Jenny" exists either.

I would say what I feel here, but I think Elaine would edit me. I will try to be as polite as possible.

That wasn't funny. At. all. And while it fooled some of us, I doubt if it fooled all of us. Even I had my doubts, last night. I would like to hear from Ann Skea and see what she thinks; or perhaps the British Library; or maybe Nick or Frieda, whose birthday it is today. Because while this was meant to trick us, it is an insult to them, and ultimately to Hughes and Plath themselves.

Lena Friesen
 Toronto, Canada
Monday, April 1, 2002



Re: The Plath journals I think if you look carefully at the "BBC" website, and the real address behind it, and compare the Plath journals story with an earlier, August 2001 story about Hughes's letters, you'll find this is a (very impressive)hoax -- in time for April 1, I guess.

Robert
 London, England
Monday, April 1, 2002



In view of the fact that pages from Sylvia Plath's Journals have miraculously appeared with the comments that Ted Hughes actually said to her "Why don't you finish off what you started ten years ago and leave us all alone" - I would say, that is undoubtedly a confirmation of the fact, in my theory, he used auto-suggestion to entice Plath into suicide, confirms my theory!

Anyone who wishes to read an extract please view the Poetry Page www.artradicals.com

Sandra Lester
 (Author of Candy Cotton Kid and the Faustian Wolf)
Reading, UK
Monday, April 1, 2002



Lena, Yes, these are the journals that Hughes claimed to have lost and destroyed. I never really believed that; I always thought he would have understood their great value, even before Plath's posthumous fame. And while I'm sure he will drawn and quartered critically as these journals are made public, I find his willingness to share them at all very poignant. As brutal as they no doubt are about him, he still didn't destroy them for good, but only held out until his own death. Apparently at the end, he still respected the value those notebooks would have.

And Olwyn's? Did she die too? The article references Skea's having to wait until Olwyn had passed on.

Amy Rea
 Eden Prairie, USA
Monday, April 1, 2002



Excuse me? Who let me sleep for such a long time. This is bigger than Elvis.

Peter K Steinberg
 Boston Mass, USA
Monday, April 1, 2002



I don't even know what to say, except that I began to cry after I'd read the article and yet I am happy to know that these writings of Plath survived. Weren't they supposed to have been the ones Hughes destroyed, or lost?

Lena Friesen
 Toronto, Canada
Monday, April 1, 2002



Well, I always wondered if the journals were still around, and this explosive news has me trembling as I type! It feels like some kind of circle has closed. Wow! I'm anticipating a wonderful discussion here in the Forum.

Amy
 San Jose, CA, USA
Sunday, March 31, 2002



BIG NEWS -Lost Sylvia Plath Journals Discovered:
http://www.bbc.co-inc.com

I am surprised this has not made CNN or The Other Main News, I know ABC carried that is how I found out about it

Jenny
 Canada
Sunday, March 31, 2002



Does anyone know what happened to the Lady Lazarus website? I went to check something on the site today and was confronted with a message that the website account had been suspended. It was an excellent site and I hope it won't "offline" permanently.

Stephanie
 Ottawa, Canada
Friday, March 29, 2002



I have just discovered your forum and am fascinated. I have a feeling that the majority of your correspondents are a lot younger than I am. I am sixty and therefore a contemporary of Sylvia. I know her work extremely well and have always been fascinated with her and her lifestyle. I have two comments to make. What about a movie (or a book) on the relationship between Plath, Anne Sexton and Maxine Kunin? They were very inter-related in many ways other than as poets and writers. Their lifestyles very similar and two of them ending in suicide. The other comment I would like to make is one bordering on plagiarism. I feel a little bit of repulsion at some of the pseudo-Plath type of poetry that is emerging today. Her time was her time and it should stay that way. Let the poets of today come up with their own genre instead of playing off of these three marvelous figures of the past.

Rebecca
 Caracas, Venezuela
Saturday, March 23, 2002



"Nick and the Candlestick" would be a good poem regarding her thoughts and feelings on the birth of her son ... Also, "Balloons" and "Child" are other good ones. "Morning Song" also refers to Nicholas, and has a bit of a lighter tone and a general tenderness to it, as opposed the others I mentioned earlier. "Child" is my personal favorite out of all of them, and the most tender ... but the ending is a bit grieving.

Sydney
 Southern California, USA
Friday, March 22, 2002



Lisa, I'm pretty certain that that line is not from one of Plath's poems. One reason I'm so sure is that it so closely resembles the way the same idea is expressed in a poem by W.S. Merwin; if I had seen it in her work, It would have jumped out at me. Here is the Merwin poem; it may be the one you're thinking of, even though it's stated alittle differently:

FOR THE ANNIVERSARY OF MY DEATH

Jim Long
 Honolulu HI, USA
Friday, March 22, 2002



Jack, the Bell Jar was made into a bad movie in the 1970's. Copies of it on old video tapes can often be found on Ebay, as the video is no longer being produced. Marilyn Hassett, at the time a relative newcomer to the screen played the title role - unsurprisingly, she did not go on to a big career in Hollywood. Of course, Sarah Bernhardt could have placed Esther in this movie and gotten scathing reviews - the screenplay was that bad. Julie Harris, veteran of stage and screen, plays Esther's mother (one wonders how she ended up in this dreck) and there are a few other minor stars in some of the other roles (Robert Klein as the DJ Lenny, etc.) What might have been an engaging and sensitive - and humorous - re-working of the novel ended up a trashy, hysterical TV movie of the week. Still, as a 'camp classic' you might give it a whirl.

Interestingly enough, the film producers - and by association Ted Hughes - were sued by an acquaintance/friend of Sylvia's, who claimed that she was depicted in the film as a lesbian (and she was - the film makes this much more explicit than the nuances in the novel). Her complaint was that she was not a lesbian, and didn't wish to be known as a lesbian - hence the defamation of character charge. This is the infamous double, 'Joan' (real name Jane - she also dated Dick "Buddy Willard" Norton, either before or after Plath did) of the novel. The court case took place in Mass. and Jane was eventually awarded $100,000 in damages. Hughes was involved because he sold the film rights to the novel. It's unfortunate that the law suit occured as it has probably put the 'kibosh' on another film of the Bell Jar being attempted. I still think it would make a good film if done properly.

Kim
 Detroit, USA
Thursday, March 21, 2002



Jack, The Bell Jar was made into a movie, and it's dreadful. I don't remember how long ago--sometime in the 70's or 80's? It starred Marilyn Hassett and ranks up there with the best of the Grade B melodramas of our time. Mystery Science Theater 3000 should have covered it. I know it's still floating out there on video in larger video stores, if you want to see it, but prepare yourself, it's a travesty compared to the book.

Amy Rea
 Eden Prairie, USA
Thursday, March 21, 2002



I am looking for a quote from Sylvia Plath on the feelings following the birth of her son - do you know it?

Lara Sampson
 London, UK
Thursday, March 21, 2002



I was wondering if the Bell Jar has ever been made into a movie. I just read it for the first time and I thought the humour and the struggles would translate great on the big screen. I didn't realize how funny she was. Anyways, I'd really like to see it, if it's been done. I wouldn't want to see anything based on her relationship with Ted Hughes however; it would just be another statement on who was to blame. Not great art, like the Bell Jar is. But if I had to vote for an actress to portray her, I's say go anonymous, a newcomer.

Jack McGuire
 Calgary, Canada
Thursday, March 21, 2002



This has been driving me crazy! Does anyone know if the following line is from one of Sylvia Plath's poems? "And every year we pass without knowing, the anniversary of our death." That is the only line I remember from the poem. I'd love to know, thanks!

Lisa
 Denver, USA
Thursday, March 21, 2002



I like your website, is very usefull for projects and general info. I think that if Sylvia Plath was alive when this page was written, she wouldn't had killed herself!!! Good job.

Elaine Villalobos
 Weston, FL, USA
Thursday, March 21, 2002



Is anyone familiar with Sylvia's translations of Rilke? So far I have only found one poem translated by her- The Prophet.

Sanja
 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Wednesday, March 20, 2002



Full figured doesn't necessarily mean *fat. A lot of people (myself included) consider full figured to mean *curvy*.I'm "full figured" and I'm not fat at all so when I suggested that Sylvia was "full figured" I was basically indicating that she wasn't shaped liked a boy (all straight up and down). SP did look intensely thin during the last 7-8 months of her life because of shedding 20 pounds through the stress of her break up with Ted.

Stephanie
 Ottawa, Canada
Wednesday, March 20, 2002



To see the picture of Rene Zellweger refered to earlier, go to http://people.aol.com then click on the Academy Awards link on the very top line, then click on 'celeb photos', then click on 'photo specials', then click on 'best and worst hair' (Rene's is the best)

Jim Long
 Honolulu HI, USA
Wednesday, March 20, 2002



What's all this about Sylvia being "full figured"? Have you seen the pictures of her in the Unabridged Journals? She was tall and *thin*, despite her reportedly hefty appetite and love of cooking. In some pictures, she practically looks emaciated.

Michael Gates
 Jersey City, USA
Monday, March 18, 2002



Stephanie:
Hear hear! and Right on, sister! And don't do that again, okay?

Kenneth Jones
 Berkeley, USA
Monday, March 18, 2002



Here's a link to a Plath screensaver....Plath recites "Mushrooms" as mushrooms appear on a "leafy bedding....

Steve Gorrell
 Champaign, USA
Monday, March 18, 2002



Jim, I must have seen the same photograph of Rene Zellweiger that you did! The comparison was truly striking. I wish I could remember where I saw the picture; I would love to be able to share it with the rest of the forum.

Stephanie, as far as resemblance vs. acting ability: I certainly agree with you that really, no one in Hollywood truly looks like Sylvia Plath. And if Cate Blanchett does get the roll, of course I think she will do an excellent job. (Perhaps my prediction of a "respectful, boring" performance was a bit unfair.) As you say, this is all just idle speculation, because it is still unknown if this project will ever get off the ground. Frivolous as these speculations are, they are rooted in our very un-frivolous desire to see her life dramatized, and to see it well done.

That said, I still feel Rene Zellweiger would be compelling, not only because of a physical likeness; but also for a self-consciousness she projects that reminds me of SP. Sadly, as for her weight, in recent photos she looks to be over-compensating for the pounds she gained in "Bridget Jones". I think at this point she would need to put a little weight on just to look un-emaciated, even by Hollywood standards.

I was looking at some photos of SP yesterday from "Letters Home", particulary a few of her modelling assignment in evening gowns and bathing suits and she was not at all the fifties zaftig bombshell. She looks healthy, but quite thin and rangy, a more similar body-type to a Paltrow or Blanchett than one might think.

As for the Ted Hughes part...what about Liam Neeson? In a review of "The Crucible" in the current New Yorker John Lahr says Neeson,as John Proctor is "...a force of nature...The stage directions call for a man "powerful of body, even-tempered, and not easily-led."...a potent amalgam of sinew and sensitivity...a kind of sequoia of sex..." Sounds good to me.

J. Zereski
 Providence, USA
Monday, March 18, 2002



In addition to my other posting regarding the Sylvia and Ted movie I had some other comments to make. I have always loved Sylvia's work and have always been very interested in her life but I just wanted to say to some of the young people who may become somewhat fascinated with Sylvia that her life shouldn't be glamorized or glorified. I think there is a danger in some people becoming too deeply involved in Sylvia's work etc., as we all know she wasn't the healthiest of people mentally and her unfortunate suicide has somewhat made her a martyr of sorts. I'm only 19 now and less than a year ago I made my own suicide attempt after 7 years of intense depression and I have to say there is nothing, absolutely nothing, romantic about taking one's life. I have witnessed first hand the damage and heartache even an *attempt* can cause a family and friends. I was lucky enough to have a family that supported me without judging and even now I still feel traumatized by what occurred. I think I feel more sympathy for Sylvia...knowing what it's like to feel as if you have no other recourse but the truth is...there are other options...there are other ways to deal with your problems. I think my point is that its ok to love someone's work and be interested in their life but certainly don't let their choices, however romantic or glorified the situation as been made by the media, affect your own. I think when being interested in someone suchas Sylvia, you have to distance yourself a bit and realize that yes, her work was excellent...some of the best...but her ending was tragic,totally could have been avoided and is seriously not the choice anyone should make under any circumstances. This is, of course, directed at the teenage crowd more than the adult audience. Anyway, that's my 2 cents :).

Stephanie
 Ottawa, Canada
Thursday, March 14, 2002



I am new to this forum but would like to mention that Chloe Sevigny (in my opinion) looks a lot like Sylvia Plath. I think she would be an interesting choice for the movie as she is not well-known like the other actresses and therefore might be more believable in the role. Just a suggestion!

Marisa Wells
 Myrtle Beach, SC, USA
Thursday, March 14, 2002



Well, I think the general consensus is that Gwyneth is definitely the *wrong* person to portray Sylvia. I still feel that Cate Blanchett is the best and ONLY choice. There will never be anyone who can *be* Sylvia and I think there are only a slim selection of actresses who could or should even attempt to pull it off. I can't think of one Hollywood actress who remotely looks like Sylvia at all. Sylvia was very unique in her looks...more handsome than glamorous. Cate, however, is an excellent, accomplished actress who seems to be able to adapt to any role/character....I think that acting talent is far more important than looks. Cate has a strong structured face with a fairly broad looking nose...so I think she would be more than fitting for the part with some other changes made to her appearance. Lets not forget that it doesn't seem to be the norm for actresses in Hollywood to be tall AND full figured as Sylvia was....they almost all lean towards the tall and slenderside. Renee Zellweger had only packed on the pounds for the role of Bridget Jones...if you see pictures of her as she is now you can see where she is also on the incredibly slender side. I don't favor her for acting talent although I did enjoy Bridget Jones'. Colin Firth played Mr. Darcy and yes, I feel he would be a good choice to portray Ted. I also read somewhere where Renee said she would *not* consider gaining weight again for a role so I think that counts her out for sure. I think this subject could go on and on and really, the idea of the BBC making a Sylvia and Ted film was put out before and nothing else was heard about it until now and as I said earlier...that news came from Annanova and they are notorious for being incorrect. Still, it's fun to speculate.

Stephanie
 Ottawa, Canada
Thursday, March 14, 2002



I am deeply consumed with the writings of Sylvia Plath. Ever since I was introduced to her in 9th grade, she's become my reason for majoring in English Lit. In fact, I am working on an honors project, oral report/ paper, on her right now. I just wanted to say that I am not sure if any actress can play Sylvia Plath. She herself was an actress and barely known and hardly understood woman. I do feel however, that Paltrow and Blanchett are not at all right for the part. They display that refined and skinny model appearance. Sylvia was a 1950's American golden girl. In viewing "Bridget Jones' Diary," I feel that Zellweger would be more correct for the part. She plays the realistic woman very well, and favors Sylvia Plath more than any other actress I've observed. And for Hughes part, how about the pompus Mr. Darcy of "Pride and Prejudice"? (I don't recall his real name.)

Jacklyn
 Clarksville, FL, USA
Wednesday, March 13, 2002



Acually, I mentioned in another venue that there is a picture of Rene Zellweger on the Academpy Awards website that bears a startling resemblance to Sylvia as she looked as a Smith student in the early fifties--the long, dark blonde hair waved Veronica Lake-style, the dark lipstick, the big smile. She really wouldn't be a bad choice. And how about Daniel Day Lewis as Ted? They should be able to find some Brit or Welshman to do him justice. I can't think of an American actor who really fits.

Jim Long
 Honolulu HI, USA
Tuesday, March 12, 2002



I am intrigued by the idea of a film about Plath and Hughes, although I should know better. I am resigning myself to disappointment. If I were the casting director I wouldn't choose Paltrow or Blanchett. Both women have facial features that are too small and fine, and both seem far too self-assured to suggest Plath's gauche, bourgeouis, outsider qualities. Blanchett is the better actress, of course, but I sense a respectful, measured, boring portrayal in her.

Clearly, Meg Ryan was wrong, wrong, wrong. Still, I would rather see a bold failure than a tepid one. If it must be a blond celebrity actress, why not Rene Zeillweiger? It would be a stretch for her, but based on physical resemblance alone, I say she is the most plausible body-double. (She would need to start eating again, of course.) What makes her an interesting choice to me is that she posseses an insecurity that is palpable...she wouldn't need to "act" that. She doesn't project intelligence in the way that Blanchett does, but that tension, and any public outcry about her not being smart enough, or having the range to play Plath could add some fire to her performance.

I have no inspirations for the Hughes casting. Crowe is servicable, but, again, if we are casting based on physicality, what about Hugh Jackman or Vigo Mortgensen? If we are casting based on the wretched title..."The Beekeeper's Daughter"?? Maybe we should use Sissy Spacek and Tommy Lee Jones...

J. Zereski
 Providence, USA
Monday, March 11, 2002



Re the BBC film, the casting of Paltrow hasn't been confirmed, and these things often change. I don't think she's an ideal choice (yes, Blanchet would be better), but they could do far worse (Meg Ryan). Russell Crowe as Hughes could be quite interesting, I think. He doesn't look like Hughes, but he has that glowering, uber-male presence that Hughes apparently had. And he can act.

The best thing about this film project, to me, is that it would be produced by the BBC and not Hollyweird. If there has to be a movie about these two, I think we're more likely to get an accurate, non-sensationalized protrayal from a British production--a more "poetic" approach.

Michael Gates
 Jersey City, USA
Sunday, March 10, 2002



Amy, I guess it's just wishful thinking on my part--hoping against hope--that this will never happen. I really thought that work had already begun on a BBC production called "Sylvia and Ted" with Cate Blanchett in the role. I've expressed myself before about the prospeect of Meg Ryan as Sylvia and so much space was spent talking about it on the Forum that I don't really want to open that discussion again. (But, did you see her as Jim Morrison's girlfriend opposite Val Kilmer in the "Doors" movie--what a disaster! Of course Kilmer was perfect for that role; he looked so much like Morrison it was positively eerie. He even sang the songs himself!) But, once an actor has acquired the kind of celebrity status that Crowe and Paltrow have, it's hard see them on the screen as anyone but themselves. You have to be a pretty superb actor to supress your own personality and public image enough to put yourself forward as someone else. Like, someone is now working with Bob Dylan to make a movie about a kind of cowboy/troubador. But who can look at Dylan on the screen and see anyone but Bob Dylan? Same with Gwyneth Paltrow and Russell Crowe.

Jim Long
 Honolulu HI, USA
Saturday, March 9, 2002



Jim, I'm such an old fogey that I actually remember when Meg Ryan was talking about doing a Plath movie. Not that I'm a big GP fan, but I would definitely take her over Meg Ryan anytime! Although Cate Blanchett would be the better choice. As for budgets, sometimes these big-buck actors take base pay to do a high-profile acting job, usually in an independent or "literary" movie. Portraying Hughes and Plath would no doubt be seen as one of those prestigious acting jobs that an actor would take for far less than their regular rate, so it's not unrealistic to think Crowe and Paltrow would take this on.

Amy Rea
 Eden Prairie, USA
Friday, March 8, 2002



I'm afraid I have to agree with Stephanie on this. My immediate reaction was a big OH, NO! It would be pretty hard to force myself to watch GP try to emote her way through this one. But, think positively! This hardly seems feasible. How could they possibly make a major film starring these two big-money actors for only 10million pounds (roughly $22 million US). Their fees alone would eat up most of this budget. I'd like to know who's going to write the thing--based on whose perspective? Hard to believe the Hughes siblings would go with anyone who would portray Hughes as less than a paragon of patience and well-meaning virtue, and Sylvia as selfish and hysterical (anyone remember the expression "bees in her bonnet"?)

Jim Long
 Honolulu HI, USA
Friday, March 8, 2002



Gwyneth Paltrow is the last person I would want to see as Sylvia, infact, if she does take on the role I definitely won't be viewing the film. Why on earth would they approach her to portray Sylvia! I read in July, through another article, that Cate Blanchett had been signed to take on the task of portraying Sylvia so if we're all lucky it will be Cate NOT Gwyneth. Ananova.com has been wrong before so hopefully they'll be wrong again :). I think the film will end up being more a showcase for Gwyneth than a film about Sylvia. The casting of Russell Crowe is an interesting...if not odd choice but having him in the film certainly wouldn't deter me as long as GP isn't in it.

Stephanie
 Ottawa, Canada
Thursday, March 7, 2002



Sylvia Plath Movie.

Russell Crowe is being lined-up to play the late poet Ted Hughes in a play about his life, according to reports. The BBC film is centred around Hughes' real life love affair with Sylvia Plath. It is thought that Gwyneth Paltrow has been approached to play Sylvia.

The 10 million movie has the working title of The Beekeeper's Daughter. It will be shot in the autumn by the BBC, reports the Sunday Times.

Story filed: 11:03 Sunday 3rd March 2002
Link To The Story is Here

Ed Hullihan
 USA
Wednesday, March 6, 2002



Gill, I would say this is indeed a weird coincidence. Yes, she is referring to the 9 months of pregnancy when she says "Mute as a turnip from the Fourth/Of July to all Fool's Day." But this works independent from the exact day of birth of her daughter. It is a coincidence that she gave birth exactly on 1 April. But for a reader of the poem it does not matter at all.

Regarding The Applicant I would say that these questions are to be answered with YES by the applicant if he or she want to be considered. It is a "are you one like us" question without explicitly saying so. Plath makes sure that the gender of the applicant is not clear either, so the applicant can be male or female.

Anja Beckmann
 Leipzig, Germany
Wednesday, March 6, 2002



I believe that quote from "You're" is a direct reference to the gestation period.It could have just been a funny coincidence that Frieda was born on the 1st of April as suggested in the poem although Sylvia obviously would have had some idea as to her due date (how many women are lucky enough to be spot on I don't know!).

Stephanie
 Ottawa, Canada
Wednesday, March 6, 2002



Silvia Plath was not only an excellent writer, but an excentric person which makes her writing so interesting to read. I enjoy the book of poems by Silvia entitled "Ariel". She shows her complexity with great enthusiasm. Though mentally unstable the situations with Hughes are dramatic and overdrawn sometimes, but overall what everyone deals with in a relationship. The death of her father prevails over and over again in her poems. She hated to love him. Hughes is very much of a fufillment of a void. She needs him for the wrong reasons. I very much enjoyed reading her poems filled with symbolism and rawness. Plath is awesome!

Morgan Lightsey
 Macon, GA, USA
Wednesday, March 6, 2002



I am teaching "You're" to a group of senior school students. I am confused by the chronology of the poem. Plath says: "Mute as a turnip from the Fourth/Of July to all Fool's Day." I took this to be a reference to the gestation period, leading to the birth of Frieda on 1st April 1960, until I realized that the poem was written in Jan/Feb 1960. Was Plath remarkably prescient, do I have my dates wrong, or was this a weird co-incidence? Perhaps I have just misinterpreted this line totally. Any ideas?

Gill Corden
 Callander, Scotland
Tuesday, March 5, 2002



Hi, I'm working my way through an analysis of The Applicant, and, especially with the comments being given by people on this forum, I am much anticipating reading The Bell Jar.

My query is: what is being said in the first 2 stanzas of The Applicant? I have read different interpretations and am trying to form an opinion of whether the speaker is asking


Stitches to show something's missing? No, no? Then how can we give you a thing?' to determine if the person is flawed etc LIKE themself and society as a whole, or whether these would be factors determining rejection? The Electra complex and penis envy have also popped up. Different reviews I've read are making this quite ambiguous. Any insight would be appreciated.

Eilidh
 Glasgow, Scotland
Tuesday, March 5, 2002






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