Sylvia Plath (1932-1963)

A selective list of online literary criticism for mid-twentieth-century American poet Sylvia Plath, favoring signed articles by recognized scholars and articles published in peer-reviewed sources

introduction

"Sylvia Plath." Excerpts from reputable critical articles on Sylvia Plath's work and life; On "Black Rook in Rainy Weather"; On "The Colossus"; On "Tulips"; About the Bee Poems; On "The Bee Meeting"; On "The Arrival of the Bee Box"; On "Stings"; Drafts of "Stings"; On "The Swarm"; On "Wintering"; On "Daddy"; On "Ariel"; "On 'Lady Lazarus.' Modern American Poetry (Univ. of Illinois).

"Sylvia Plath." A biography of Sylvia Plath. Also "A Brief Guide to Confessional Poetry," and On McLean Hospital. Academy of American Poets.

"Sylvia Plath." An encyclopedia-type article on Sylvia Plath, includes a list of her books of poetry and other writings, and a recommended reading list for Sylvia Plath. Poetry Foundation.

"Sylvia Plath's Joy." Poet Dan Chiasson discusses Sylvia Plath's achievement in Ariel. The New Yorker 12 Feb. 2013.

"Sylvia Plath." Poetry Archive. Directors, Andrew Motion & Richard Carrington.

"Ted Hughes." Ted Hughes talks about his life with Sylvia Plath in this 1995 Paris Review interview.

Axelrod, Steven. "Sylvia Plath." An introduction to Sylvia Plath, from a database that provides signed literary criticism by experts in their field, and is available to individuals for a reasonably-priced subscription. 17 September 2003, Literary Encyclopedia. Eds. Robert Clark, Emory Elliott, Janet Todd [subscription service].

literary criticism

Axelrod, Steven. A review of Axelrod's Sylvia Plath: The Wound and the Cure of Words. Reviewed by Susan Van Dyne in The New England Quarterly 64, 4 (Dec. 1991) pp 685-88 [free at jstor].

Bentley, Paul. "Hitler's Familiar Spirits': Negative Dialectics in Sylvia Plath's 'Daddy' and Ted Hughes's 'Hawk Roosting.'" Critical Survey 17, 3 (2000) pp 27-38 [free at jstor].

Budick, E. Miller. "The Feminist Discourse of Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar." College English 49, 8 (Dec. 1987) pp 872-85 [free at jstor].

Cam, Heather. "'Daddy': Sylvia Plath's Debt to Anne Sexton." American Literature 59, 3 (Oct. 1987) pp 429-32 [preview or purchase at jstor].

Dobbs, Jeannine. "'Viciousness in the Kitchen': Sylvia Plath's Domestic Poetry." Modern Language Studies 7, 2 (Autumn 1977) pp 11-25 [free at jstor].

Luck, Jessica Lewis. "Exploring the 'Mind of the Hive': Embodied Cognition in Sylvia Plath's Bee Poems.". Tulsa Studies in Women's Literature 26 (Fall 2007).

Perloff, Marjorie G. "'A Ritual for Being Born Twice': Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar." Contemporary Literature 13, 4 (Autumn 1972) pp 507-22 [free at jstor].

Perloff, Marjorie G. "'Angst' and Animism in the Poetry of Sylvia Plath." Journal of Modern Literature 1, 1 (1970) pp 57-74 [free at jstor].

Smith, Pamela A. "The Unitive Urge in the Poetry of Sylvia Plath." The New England Quarterly 45, 3 (Sept. 1972) pp 323-39 [free at jstor].

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