The Other Sylvia Plath

253 Pages·2001·14.509 MB·English

by  Tracy Brain

The Other Sylvia Plath
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LONDON AND NEW
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LONDON AND NEWYORK
FOR SHELLY, LORI, AND IMOGEN
Firstpublished2001byPearsonEducationLimited
Published2014byRoutledge
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Copyright©2001,Taylor&Francis.
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ISBN13:978-0-582-32730-6(pbk)
BritishLibraryCataloguing-iN-PublicationData
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LibraryofCongress Cataloging-in-PublicationData
Brain,Tracy
TheOtherSylviaPlath/TracyBrain
p.enl.--(Longt11anstudiesint\ventieth-eenturyliterature)
Includesbibliographicalreferences (p.)andindex.
ISBN0-582-32730-X(pbk.:alk.paper)
1.Plath,Sylvia--Critieisnlandinterpretation. 2.WOl11enandliterature--United
States--History--20thcentury. I.Title.II.Series.
PS3566.L27Z58272001
811'.54--dc21 00-061498
Setby7in 11/13Bembo
CONTENTS
~ifm~ ffi
Acknoudedge111ents IX
CHAPTER l:THEOUTLINE OFTHE WORLD COMES CLEAR 1
Packaging Sylvia Plath 1
Where is Sylvia Plath? 12
The Plath Archives 22
Dearly Beloved 31
CHAPTER 2: STRADDLINGTHE ATLANTIC 45
Your Puddle-Jumping Daughter 45
Plath OurCompatriot 50
Where AreWe? 59
Alienation and Belonging inthe Bee Poems 69
The ForeignerWithin 74
CHAPTER 3: PLATH'S ENVIRONMENTALISM 84
Background 84
Prose 91
Circulating Venom 105
The Complicationsof Masculinity 119
DoYou Do No Harm? 128
CHAPTER 4:THE ORIGINS OF THE BELL JAR 141
Bronte,Woolf and Plath 141
A Comparison 142
CONTENTS
The Legacy 145
Woolf and The BellJar 147
RethInkIng BuddyWIllard 151
The MIsunderstood Mother and The BellJar ManuscrIpts 153
SylvIa Plath's Villette 155
CHAPTER 5: AWAY OF GETTING THE POEMS 176
The CritIcs on Hughes and Plath 177
Hughes's Story 180
The RecIprocIty of Influencebetween Plath and Hughes 191
The QuestIon ofthe ConfessIonal 194
Before BIrthdayLetters 197
Textual Relationshipsand Poetic Conversations 200
BleedingThroughthe Page 203
The Future 207
Bibliography 218
Index 231
VI
LIST OF PLATES
Plate 1 \Electric refrigerators, ranges andother appliancesare made
by Frigidaire Division.'
Plate 2 A picture of apink dream of a kitchen.
Plate 3 A picture ofawhitedream of a kitchen.
Plate4 Advertisementfor aprinter.
VI I
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ACI<NOWLEDGEM ENTS
I am grateful to the BritishAcademy for agenerous research grant that
allo\ved me to \vork in the Plath archives during the summerof1998.
This book o\ves its existence to the encouragement and sensitive
editorial support given by Liz Mann,who commissioned it,to the fine
scholarship and advice of Stan Smith as series editor, and to the
continued editorial support of Casey Mein, Paula Parish and Katy
Coutts.Philip Gross, Gavin Cologne-Brookes and Colin Ed\vards have
given me valuable feedback on drafts ofthis \\Tork. I am grateful to the
Humanities Faculty atBath SpaUniversity College for freeing me from
some ofmy teaching so I could \vrite,and especially to Neil Sammells
andJeffRodman. Students ofmy Sylvia Plath course have contributed
immeasurably to this book. The Curators and Librarians in Smith
College's Mortimer Rare Book Room and Indiana University's Lilly
Library offered advice, practical help and kindness that \vent beyond
the call ofprofessional duty. Karen Kukil,Associate Curator ofRare
Books at Smith College, deserves special thanks for her time and
kno\vledge. So do Martin Antonetti, the Curator ofRare Books at
Smith, and Elizabeth Po\vers and HelenaWalsh at the Lilly Library.
Terry Gifford offered unasked-for assistance. Chas was there when this
started. Stuart Laing has continued to offer support and encourage
ment.Richard Kerridge's love,support andintelligence have helped me
in so many \vays. I could not have done this \vithout my parents; to
name the "vays they have helped me \vould take a"vhole book.
All published materials used in the \vriting ofthis book are listed in the
Bibliography at the end. Endnotes for each instance of quotation
appear at the end ofthe relevant chapter. I have listed only essential
details in each endnote,\vhile makingit clear and easy for the reader to
consult the Bibliography for fuller publication details. Unless othenvise
stated in the endnote, all quotations from Plath's books are fronl the
English editions publishedby Faber and Faber.
IX