Sylvia Plath

For other uses, see Sylvia Plath (disambiguation).

Sylvia Plath
File:Sylvia Plath A Literary Life.jpg Cover of Sylvia Plath: A Literary Life by Linda Wagner-Martin
Born
October 27, 1932 Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts
Died
February 11, 1963 London

Sylvia Plath (October 27, 1932 – February 11, 1963) was an American poet, novelist, short story writer, and essayist. She is most famous for her semi-autobiographical novel, The Bell Jar and her advancements in confessional poetry that began with Robert Lowell and W.D. Snodgrass. Plath has been widely research and followed since her controversial suicide. Since her death, she has gained fame as one of the greatest poets in her generation. Widely read throughout the world, Sylvia Plath has risen to iconic status, her emotional poetry dealing with loss and depression touching many people struggling with the same feelings.

Early Life

Sylvia Plath was born in 1932 to intelligent, articulate parents. Her mother, Aurelia Schober had graduated second in her class from high school and served as valedictorian for her undergraduate studies at Boston University. She remained at Boston University to pursue her graduate studies in English and German. It was there that she met, Otto Plath, a professor of German and Biology. Otto Plath served as one of Aurelia's teachers, and though he was married at the time (having been separtated for thirteen years), the two fell in love. Otto received a divorce, and the two were married on January 4, 1932. Their first child, Sylvia, was born in in Jamaica Plain, a section of Boston, Massachusetts, on October 27, of that year. She was a gifted and talented child, one who learned to speak and write before most children her age. By the age of 5 she was already composing full poems. Her brother, Warren, was born in 1935.

The end of the 1930's saw the downfall of Otto Plath. He suffered from illnesses and complications for several years, he fully believed that he was victim to lung cancer, and because there was no satisfactory treatment for cancer at the time, he decided not to see a doctor, but live the best life he could until his death. However, in 1940, Otto developed a severe infection in his foot, for which he had to see the doctor. The doctor told Otto that his leg would have to be amputated, and that Otto suffered from diabetes, now so advanced from years without treatment. Shortly after the surgery, Otto Plath developed gangrene and died on November 5, 1940. Sylvia, then only eight years old, proclaimed, "I'll never speak to God again," when she was informed that her father had died. Her father's death was the catalyst to many poems that Plath composed, during her childhood, and as an adult. She often believed that her father had committed suicide in a sense, because he could have prevented his tragic years being ill and his death, if he had only been treated. In 1941, Sylvia Plath had her first poem published at the age of eight. The poem, given the simple title of "Poem", was about "what I see and hear on hot summer nights."

With her father's death, and America's entrance into World War II, Aurelia Plath decided to take a position at Boston University. Aurelia moved Sylvia, Warren, and her own parents, now living with them, to the town of Wellesley, Massachusetts. Aurelia was deeply troubled about how to handle Sylvia's withdrawn and angry behavior. She decided to enroll Sylvia in the fifth grade again. She thought that it would lessen the stress in Sylvia's life is she reviewed material that was already familiar to her, and if she were near students her own age. Sylvia had started school two years early, and was thus, the youngest person in her classes.

In junior high, Sylvia submitted several poems for publication in the school newspaper, she even made drawings to accompany several of the poems. Her writing career continued to grow and find an audience as she attended Wellesley High School. She was vigilant in her efforts to publish her poems, as well as her short stories. In the August, 1950 edition of Seventeen, her story "And Summer Will Not Come Again" was published. Sylvia finished high school as the first in her class and finally saw one of her poems, Bitter Strawberries nationally published. The recognition she received for her writing was not easily gained. Sylvia sent out hundreds of submissions and met with rejection letter after rejection letter. The stress she felt from these rejections often manifested itself as illness, most often, as depression. But, she was usually able to overcome these bouts when a favorable response was given to her work.

Education

Upon graduation, Sylvia was given a scholarship to Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. Her writing resume continued to grow as Sylvia worked diligently to get stories and poems published in Seventeen, Harper's, and The Christian Science Monitor. In 1953, Plath's ambitious efforts were rewarded when she was chosen as a guest editor at Madamoiselle magazine in New York City, she won this editorship with her submission, Sunday at the Mintons.

The time in New York proved to be too much for Sylvia, and marked the beginning of her first breakdown. One day, she missed a lunch with one of the other editors, whose guest happened to be the poet, Dylan Thomas. When Sylvia found out she had missed the chance to meet Thomas, she was frustrated and angry. She became obsessed with making up for this by meeting him. She began spending hours at his favorite taverns, she would wander the halls of his hotel building, and she began behaving very strangely. One of her co-editors recalls Sylvia's strange behavior, reporting that one night Sylvia came and asked to borrow a dress because she had tossed all of her own dresses off the roof of the hotel. It was during this time that Sylvia wrote her poem, Mad Girl's Love Song.

Her return to Massachusetts and Smith College was marked by a very severe case of depression. Her mother was shocked terribly when she noticed cuts along Sylvia's legs. When she asked Sylvia how she got them, Sylvia responded by saying that she wanted "to see if I had the guts." Sylvia admitted to her mother that she had thoughts of suicide and felt like she wanted to die. Sylvia's mother immediately sought help and Sylvia was taken to a clinic. She was treated with electro-convulsive shock therapy (ECT) along with counseling. Even though this worked for a period of months, on August 24, 1953, Sylvia attempted suicide by breaking into a locked box with medication inside. She wrote a note to her mother that she had gone on a walk and then she crawled under the frong porch and into the cellar where she injested 40 sleeping pills. For two days her family, friends and fellow townspeople searched for Sylvia, her disappearance making newspaper headlines. She was discovered August 26, when someone heard moaning coming from the cellar. She was barely alive and rushed to the hospital. She spent time in the mental institution, McLean Hospital where she made a satisfactory recovery. The time in New York, followed by her subsequent suicide attempt is depicted in her most famous work, The Bell Jar. After her time in the hospital, it took Sylvia several montsh before she started writing again, during this time, she started bleaching her hair platinum blonde, creating a "new persona" for herself. Sylvia went on to graduate from Smith college summa cum laude in 1955. Sylvia applied to several universities, including University of Oxford and University of Cambridge. Prior to graduation, Sylvia was informed that she had won the very prestigious fulbright scholarship to University of Cambridge in England. Her joy was even more complete when she won the writing competition for the Glascock Prize with her poem, "Two Lovers and a Beachcomber by the Real Sea."

Marriage

When Sylvia Plath entered the University of Cambridge, she concentrated on two things, her writing, and her social life. She dated often, but was very unattracted to English men. However, she toured and traveled the British Isles, as well as France. On one particular trip to France, she went with an old friend, whom she wanted a serious relationship. When he informed her that he was dating someone else, she fell into depression again. While attending a launch party for the new Cambridge magazine, St. Boltophe's Review, she met English poet Ted Hughes. She was immediatly attracted to him and asked to be introduced. When she met him she quoted one of his poems to him, and they began dating. Their relationship was a turbulent and passionate one. Ted Hughes was known as "the biggest seducer in Cambridge", information that Sylvia did not give any heed.

The couple dated for only a few months before discussing marriage, however, Sylvia was worried that marriage would cause her to lose her scholarship. Thus, they were married in secret on June 16, 1956 (Bloomsday) with Plath's mother in attendance. Later, Sylvia learned that she would not lose her scholarship and the couple went public with their relationship. In 1957, Sylvia was offered a teaching position at Smith College, which she took. She and Hughes spent from July 1957 to October 1959 living and working in the United States. Ted Hughes received acclaim and celebration in America for his novel, The Hawk in the Rain, and for the first time, Sylvia felt very jealous of her husband. He was widely accepted and loved in a country that had rejected her again and again. During this time, Sylvia took seminars in Boston with Robert Lowell and there she also met the chain-smoking poet Anne Sexton. The couple returned to England when they found out that Sylvia was pregnant. Their daughter, Frieda Hughes was born on April 1, 1960. The child was named after Sylvia's paternal aunt, with whom she was very close.

Motherhood

Sylvia and Hughes lived for a time in a small flat in London, but eventually settled in Court Green, North Tawton, a small market town in Mid Devonshire. They simultaneously worked on the publication of their poetry. Her first collection of poetry, The Colossus and Other Poems, was published in the United Kingdom in 1960. Ted's second book of poems was published and again, received excellent reviews. In February 1961, she suffered a miscarriage. Sylvia was devastated by this event and wrote seven poems in February, the month she lost the baby. These poems are "Parliament Hill Fields", "Whitsun", "Zoo Keeper's Wife", "Face Lift", "Morning Song", "Heavy Women" and "Barren Woman", the majority dealing with the subject of loss.

Her marriage had never been a smooth one. The couple fought often, Ted hit Sylvia and she would hit and hurt him right back. Sylvia's mother came to England to watch her granddaughter so that the couple could get away and spend some one on one time together. They traveled to France, Sylvia wrote many poems and a few months later she found out she was pregnant again. It was during this time that she submitted many poems to The New Yorker and also her manuscript, The Bell Jar. On January 21, 1962, Sylvia gave birth to a strong, healthy boy they named Nicholas. However, she became very distressed to see that Hughes was distant towards the child, and seemed disappointed that the baby was not another girl. Sylvia and Ted began associating with another literary couple, Assis Gutmann and David Wevill. Sylvia noticed immediately that flirtations were going on between her husband and Assis. As usual, Sylvia did not say much at first, but let her feeligns be known through her poetry. However, the flirtations grew into a full affair and when Sylvia discovered it she became angry and bitter, resorting to violent behavior. The marriage fell apart, Hughes thought it was because of her mental illness, and Sylvia blamed it all on his affair. But, Sylvia knew that she was sick, although no one has evern determined the exact illness she had. Theories range from bipolar disorder (manic-depressive syndrome) to schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Plath returned to London with their children, Frieda and Nicholas and rented a flat in the former house of W. B. Yeats once lived; Plath was extremely pleased with this and considered it a good omen. She wanted to get back at Hughes for his treatment of her, she knew she could do this very well through her writings, and she began another novel, this time about an adulterous husband. Although Sylvia claimed that she was happier now that she was separated from Hughes, her outward behavior did not validate this claim. She had a very depressed winter in 1962, trying to deal with her firt Christmas without Ted.

Death

After a harsh Christmas, Sylvia knew she was lonely and depressed. She called on her friend Jillian Becker and sought refuge at her house in the country. The Becker home was everything Sylvia longed for, a house full of children, of love and kindness, it offered her and her children warmth and comfort. The weekend was a happy one, full of laughter and play time for the children. She ventured back to London on Sunday.

On February 11, 1963, Sylvia made her children a snack of bread and butter. She opened their bedroom window, closed the door and put tape and towels under their door and the door to the kitchen. She then went into the kitchen and turned on the gas to the oven. She kneeled in front of the oven and inhaled the gas until she died. A nurse arrived at the house, but was unable to get in, she tried at the neighbors, but they too did not answer, suffering from the effects of the gas. Finally, she got in with the help of a construction worker and found Sylvia and the children. The children were fine, if not cold from the open window.

Sylvia Plath is buried in the churchyard at Heptonstall, West Yorkshirein the Hughes family cemetery. Sylvia Plath eventually gained all the recgonition in death that she had sought after in life.

Works

File:Sylvia Plath Letters Home.jpg

Letters Home (1975) by Sylvia Plath

Hughes became the executor of Plath’s personal and literary estates. This is controversial, as it is uncertain whether or not Plath had begun divorce proceedings before her death: if she had, Hughes' inheritance of the Plath estate would have been disputed. In letters to Aurelia Plath and Richard Murphy, Plath writes that she was applying for a divorce. However, Hughes has said in a letter to The Guardian that Plath did not seriously consider divorce, and claims they were talking about a future together right up until her death.

Sylvia Plath began keeping a diary at the age of 11 and kept journals until her suicide in February 1963. Hughes faced criticism for his role in handling the journals: he destroyed Plath's last journal, which contains entries from the winter of 1962 up to her death. Her adult diaries, starting from her freshmen year at Smith College in 1950, were first published in 1980 as The Journals of Sylvia Plath, edited by Frances McCullough. In 1982, when Smith College acquired all of Plath's remaining journals, Hughes sealed two of them until February 11, 2013 (50 years after Plath's death). During his last years of his life, Hughes began working on a fuller publication of Plath's journals. In 1998, shortly before his death, he unsealed the two journals, and passed the project onto Freida and Nicholas, who passed it on to Karen V. Kukil. Kukil finished her edits in December 1999 and in 2000 Anchor Books published The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath. According to the back cover, roughly two-thirds of the Unabridged Journals is newly unreleased material. The publication was hailed as a "genuine literary event" by Joyce Carol Oates.

In 1982, Plath became the first poet to win a Pulitzer Prize posthumously (for The Collected Poems).

Many critics accused Hughes of attempting to control the publications for his own ends, although he denied this. Examples usually cited are his censoring of parts of her Journals, and his editing of Ariel. This editing involved removing several poems, and rearranging the order in which the works appeared. Some critics have argued this prevented what was intended to be a more uplifting beginning and ending of Ariel, and that the poems removed were the ones most readily identified as being about Hughes. He also cut a deal with Plath's mother Aurelia when she tried to block publication of her daughter's more controversial works in the United States. In his last collection, Birthday Letters, Hughes broke his silence about Plath. The cover artwork was done by Frieda.

While critics initially responded favorably to Plath's first book, The Colossus, it has also been described as conventional and lacking the drama of her later works. The extent of Hughes' influence has been a topic of great debate. Plath's poems are in her own voice and the similarities between the two poets' works are slight.

The poems in Ariel mark a departure from her earlier work into a more confessional area of poetry. It is possible Lowell's poetry—which was often labeled "confessional"—played a part in this shift. The impact of Ariel was dramatic, with its frank descriptions of mental illness in pseudo-autobiographical poems such as Daddy. Plath has also been heavily criticised for her controversial allusions to The Holocaust, and is known for her shocking use of metaphor. Plath's work has been associated with Anne Sexton, W.D. Snodgrass, and other confessional poets. Despite criticism and biographies published after her death, the debate about Plath's work resembles a struggle between readers who side with her and readers who side with Hughes. An indication of the level of bitterness that some people have directed at Hughes can be seen in the history of people chiseling the word Hughes off her gravestone. Her headstone has subsequently been rendered more 'tamper proof.'

Bibliography

Poetry

• The Colossus (1960)
• Ariel (1965)
• Crossing the Water (1971)
• Winter Trees (1972)
• The Collected Poems (1981)
• Daddy

Prose

• The Bell Jar (1963) under the pseudonym 'Victoria Lucas'
• Letters Home (1975) to and edited by her mother
• Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams (1977) (the UK edition contains two stories the US edition does not)
• The Journals of Sylvia Plath (1982)
• The Magic Mirror (1989), Plath's Smith College senior thesis
• The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath, edited by Karen V. Kukil (2000)

Children's

• The Bed Book (1976)
• The It-Doesn't-Matter-Suit (1996)
• Collected Children's Stories (UK, 2001)
• Mrs. Cherry's Kitchen (2001)
• A number of 'limited edition' works were published by specialist publishers, often with very small print runs.

Biography

• Sylvia Plath (2004, Chelsea House, Great Writers Series) by Peter K. Steinberg | ISBN 0791078434

Other references

• The 2003 film, Sylvia, tells the story of the troubled relationship of the poet couple.
• Hayman, Ronald [1991] The Death and Life of Sylvia Plath London, Melbourne, Auckland Heinemann
• Ariel's Gift: Ted Hughes, Sylvia Plath and the Story of Birthday Letters, by Erica Wagner.
• Linda Wagner-Martin "Sylvia Plath: A Literary Life". London: Palgrave Macmillan, 1999.
• Jillian Becker: Giving Up: The Last Days of Sylvia Plath. The friend with whom Plath spent the last weekend of her life recalls their friendship. Ferrington, London 2002
• "Sylvia Plath" by Ryan Adams from the record "Gold" 2001
• "Crackle & Drag" by Paul Westerberg from the 2003 album "Come Feel Me Tremble"

External links

• www.sylviaplath.info
• Literary Encyclopedia biography
• Biography
• Sylvia Plath on Poets.org Biography, poems, related essays and links from the Academy of American Poets
• Sylvia Plath Forum
• Sylvia Plath at Neurotic Poets
• Sylvia Plath's Gravesite

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