Breaking Down Plath by Patricia Grisafi

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

This is one of a series of books from publisher Jossey-Bass which discusses literary figures in the context of their work. It’s designed for students, but that’s not to say that others won’t find them interesting.

I picked the one on Sylvia Plath, because I had read The Bell Jar and some of her poetry while I was in high school. Years later, I was intrigued by the movie Sylvia, starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Daniel Craig.  In the intervening years, there has been a lot of new information out about Plath and some re-evaluation of her work, so I was curious to see how this slim (111 pages including index and references) book would handle it.

The first section of the book takes a look at Plath’s life, including her schooling, marriage, and suicide.  Grisafi points out several times the pitfalls of reading an artist’s work as being strictly biographical, though it does help to give a reader some context. Her tumultuous relationship with Hughes, the death of her father, and other experiences are described as a backdrop to her work.  This is followed by a look at the social and political conditions in which Plath lived: specifically the expectations for women, strictures of class, and the world political environment, which included the Cold War.

Grisafi takes a look at some of Plath’s work, offering some commentary and guidance but refraining from definitive interpretation.  I found it very interesting, but do wish that the text of some of the poems had been included to make it easier to view the entire poem rather than merely some of the lines.

Finally, Griasfi briefly discusses Plath’s legacy in literary, cultural, and family terms; for the latter, she describes not only Plath’s children’s careers but also that Ted Hughes published a book of poems about their marriage, The Birthday Letters.

I found this to be a very interesting and even-handed examination of an important author.  I liked that Griasfi didn’t push specific interpretations but did offer suggestions and provide context.  This is one of the cases in which an author’s life and relationships do have a distinct bearing on the work: I’m thinking specifically of the way Plath’s poems were re-arranged for publication after her death by her estranged husband.

While not an in-depth look or full biography, there was a lot of information packed into these pages.  It’s a very nice resource for anyone interested in a broad overview of Sylvia Plath’s life and work.

There are two other books in this series, Breaking Down F. Scott Fitzgerald and Breaking Down Vonnegut.  I’m looking forward to getting insights from them as well.