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Seven Days of Sylvia Plath Gifts: Day 2

Day 2 of Seven Days of Sylvia Plath Gifts: The Bell Jar and The Collected Poems

On the second day of Plathnukkah my true love gave to me
Two tomes for my entertainment...

These two books, The Bell Jar and The Collected Poems, provide the greatest overview to Sylvia Plath's creative works. The Bell Jar, originally published nearly 50 years ago under the name Victoria Lucas, is a really funny, great read. It does many things at the same time: tells a coming of age story; is a response to the social climate of the period covered in the novel; and much more. There are different editions of The Bell Jar out there with textual variations, so in order to read the one Sylvia Plath herself sanctioned, read the 1963 Heinemann edition if you can afford it, or any Faber edition published between 1966 and 1996. Faber is releasing a 50th anniversary edition of The Bell Jar on 3 January 2013. It would have been better to release it on the 14th, just as the book was originally in 1963...Not sure if the text block will be restored to the one of which Plath approved but time will shortly tell.

In the past I admit to spending more time reading the individual poetry collections, but in doing so, I have cheated myself out of the glory that is a more or less full presentation of Plath's (mature) poetry. The Collected Poems won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in April 1982. Why not buy the book and find out why?
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  1. The Plath Diaries09 December, 2012 11:46

    I bought myself a beautiful version of the Collected Poems last summer and it has become my bible really. While I do own (many) copies of the individual poetry collections, there's something about having more or less everything together that I love.

    Great Xmas present ideas! :)

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  2. Peter K Steinberg09 December, 2012 15:29

    Meave! Thanks for your comment. Which edition of Collected Poems did you buy? I am inspired by your use of the word bible (which I hear is a good book) to make a more determined effort to read Plath's Collected Poems over the individual collections. There was a time, oh so so long ago where I was reading the poems in order and taking notes on them. I need to resume that kind of study. I'm certain I'll find things I've been missing...

    5 more days of gifts are forthcoming! & I hope that writing and studying for your PhD is going well.

    pks

    ReplyDelete
  3. Peter K Steinberg09 December, 2012 15:30

    Sorry, that should have been, obviously, Maeve...

    ReplyDelete
  4. The Plath Diaries10 December, 2012 06:17

    Thanks Peter! This is the version I own, perhaps it is just the most recent edition from F&F (http://www.faber.co.uk/catalog/collected-poems-sylvia-plath/9780571118380). But the pages are lovely and thin, much like bible paper actually! I find it good having the Collected Poems for the exact reasons you mention: reading the work in order and note-taking. Though I generally photocopy poems to write on them - not a fan of note-taking in my books!

    Looking forward to seeing what else you suggest, Xmas present wise! I've always been a fan of these Bell Jar ear-rings ;) http://www.etsy.com/listing/92769312/the-bell-jar-earrings-sylvia-plath?ref=sr_gallery_11&ga_search_query=sylvia+plath&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=GB&ga_search_type=all&ga_facet=sylvia+plath

    ReplyDelete
  5. Peter K Steinberg10 December, 2012 06:24

    Maeve,

    Thanks for the two links. I wasn't veering into the creative creations such as those earrings, which are pretty awesome. Tempted to get my ears pierced...

    pks

    ReplyDelete

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