Under the Bell Jar

The degree of authenticity in the alienating processes of Sylvia Plath's only Novel

Nonfiction, Entertainment, Drama, Anthologies
Cover of the book Under the Bell Jar by Juliane Hanka, GRIN Publishing
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Juliane Hanka ISBN: 9783640110216
Publisher: GRIN Publishing Publication: July 23, 2008
Imprint: GRIN Publishing Language: English
Author: Juliane Hanka
ISBN: 9783640110216
Publisher: GRIN Publishing
Publication: July 23, 2008
Imprint: GRIN Publishing
Language: English

Seminar paper from the year 2008 in the subject American Studies - Literature, grade: 1,0, Dresden Technical University (Institut für Anglistik/Amerikanistik), course: The 1950s and 1960s in American Literature, 18 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: 1 Introduction Sylvia Plath ended her Life by gassing herself in a stove on February 11th in 1963. This is not the most important fact about the poet and yet the best known detail of her life. Since her death, Plath's work and her life have been irrevocably interblended. Thus, she is either interpreted as a courageous but suppressed female writer or as a dark and mentally disordered summoner of death. In either case she had been mystified as a kind of tragic hero and some critics continue with this kind of blind 'Plathophilia' (Bachner 2008) until today. Although her artistic work is mainly composed of poems, her only novel will be the object for the following interpretation of the protagonist's alienation in comparison to respective events in the author's life. Being so closely connected it is impossible to reflect on the novel without factoring her life into the described events of alienation in The Bell Jar. Thus, after introducing the influencing social circumstances of her time, the paper concentrates on Sylvia Plath's degree of authenticity in her writing. On the basis of these findings, two different stages of the protagonist's alienation are to be developed and afterwards her ambivalent relation towards the opposite sex is being discussed as a major consequence to her schizoid attitudes towards her desired social status. Finally, the analysis deals with Plath's strong symbolism, in which the mirror serves as frequent metaphoric means to illustrate estrangement not only from the outside world, but also from her inner self. Another one, the fig-tree, stands for the inability to decide for a certain way of life. Both are crucial problems of the protagonist Esther Greenwood and it is to examine, in how far they reflect on Sylvia Plath's personal experience. This paper discusses Plath's alienating processes from a rather feminine perspective as the 1950s common American values exerted huge pressure on every member of society, but mostly on women.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Seminar paper from the year 2008 in the subject American Studies - Literature, grade: 1,0, Dresden Technical University (Institut für Anglistik/Amerikanistik), course: The 1950s and 1960s in American Literature, 18 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: 1 Introduction Sylvia Plath ended her Life by gassing herself in a stove on February 11th in 1963. This is not the most important fact about the poet and yet the best known detail of her life. Since her death, Plath's work and her life have been irrevocably interblended. Thus, she is either interpreted as a courageous but suppressed female writer or as a dark and mentally disordered summoner of death. In either case she had been mystified as a kind of tragic hero and some critics continue with this kind of blind 'Plathophilia' (Bachner 2008) until today. Although her artistic work is mainly composed of poems, her only novel will be the object for the following interpretation of the protagonist's alienation in comparison to respective events in the author's life. Being so closely connected it is impossible to reflect on the novel without factoring her life into the described events of alienation in The Bell Jar. Thus, after introducing the influencing social circumstances of her time, the paper concentrates on Sylvia Plath's degree of authenticity in her writing. On the basis of these findings, two different stages of the protagonist's alienation are to be developed and afterwards her ambivalent relation towards the opposite sex is being discussed as a major consequence to her schizoid attitudes towards her desired social status. Finally, the analysis deals with Plath's strong symbolism, in which the mirror serves as frequent metaphoric means to illustrate estrangement not only from the outside world, but also from her inner self. Another one, the fig-tree, stands for the inability to decide for a certain way of life. Both are crucial problems of the protagonist Esther Greenwood and it is to examine, in how far they reflect on Sylvia Plath's personal experience. This paper discusses Plath's alienating processes from a rather feminine perspective as the 1950s common American values exerted huge pressure on every member of society, but mostly on women.

More books from GRIN Publishing

Cover of the book State, cartels and growth: The German Chemical Industry by Juliane Hanka
Cover of the book Die politische Ökonomie der russischen Wirtschaftspolitik in der Jelzin-Ära: State-Capture durch die 'Oligarchen'? by Juliane Hanka
Cover of the book Umweltaktivisten in China by Juliane Hanka
Cover of the book To what extent does the quality of input affect the process and ultimate attainment in second language acquisition? by Juliane Hanka
Cover of the book The Refugee Crisis. Threat to or Driver of Cosmopolitan Europe? by Juliane Hanka
Cover of the book Symbols in Stanley Kubrick's movie 'Eyes Wide Shut' by Juliane Hanka
Cover of the book The need to assimilate: Searching for an american identity in Abraham Cahan's 'The Rise of David Levinsky' and James Weldon Johnson's 'The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man' by Juliane Hanka
Cover of the book Voter's choice in Ukraine's Presidential and Parliamentary Elections since 1994 by Juliane Hanka
Cover of the book Analysis of Shelley's 'Ode to the West Wind' by Juliane Hanka
Cover of the book Modern utopia and dystopia in the novel 'Never Let Me Go' by Kazuo Ishiguro by Juliane Hanka
Cover of the book Doing Business with the Japanese! by Juliane Hanka
Cover of the book How do Richard Burton and Anne Blunt address the issue of gender in their accounts of travel in Arabia? by Juliane Hanka
Cover of the book New Views on Cameroon English by Juliane Hanka
Cover of the book The Development and Humorous Use of Fairy Tales by the Example of Little Red Riding Hood by Juliane Hanka
Cover of the book Case study on Debenhams Plc and Leadership by Juliane Hanka
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy