The Bell Jar (P.S.)
by Sylvia Plath
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Book Summary Information
Author: Sylvia PlathEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-11-03
ISBN: 0061849901
Number of pages: 336
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Book Reviews of The Bell Jar (P.S.)
Book Review: A view into 'madness' in the 1950's
Summary: 5 Stars
In college I took a literature course in American literature and my teacher chose the theme of "madness" for the course. The syllabus called for a few of Ralph Ellison's works, Toni Morrison's, and Sylvia Plath's. Sadly, since the course was only ten weeks, Sylvia Plath's "The Bell Jar" was not discussed in the class. I didn't bother to read the book until out of college.
After reading reviews online, I decided that I needed to take the time to read it. Plath starts the story off really slow with Esther Greenwood explaining her internship over the summer. For the first fifty pages I had no idea why it was deemed a classic. However, though slow, I still had a desire to read what happened to Ms. Greenwood. The more that I read of the book, the harder is was to put down. If she would have shown the same symptoms today, I do not believe that she would have been locked up in an asylum. The book really makes society take a deep stare into itself to observe what is happening to the people of the nation.
Being an English literature major in college, I had the opportunity to read countless classics and consider myself to be well read. I can honestly say that "The Bell Jar" is the only book that is considered a 'classic' that has ever made me cry uncontrollably one minute (when reading about the electro shock treatments) and then a few moments later be laughing hyterically (when Esther gives the nurse a piece of her mind when he serves her two different kinds of beans in one meal).
This book is a must read for the female population, and I recommend everyone reading it. I don't really know why but I had a tendency to compare Esther to Holden Caulfield because of her self destruction and her "could care less about what is right" attitude. It's such a shame that Plath took her life so early when she clearly had an incredible gift of writing.
Summary of The Bell Jar (P.S.)
A student from Boston wins a guest editorship on a national magazine, and finds a new world at her feet. Her New York life is crowded with possibilities, so the choice of future is overwhelming. She is faced with the perennial problems of morality, behaviour and identity.Plath was an excellent poet but is known to many for this largely autobiographical novel. The Bell Jar tells the story of a gifted young woman's mental breakdown beginning during a summer internship as a junior editor at a magazine in New York City in the early 1950s. The real Plath committed suicide in 1963 and left behind this scathingly sad, honest and perfectly-written book, which remains one of the best-told tales of a woman's descent into insanity.
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