Sylvia Plath: An Introduction to the Poetry - Softcover

Bassnett, Susan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0333771265 ISBN 13: 9780333771266

Publisher: Red Globe Press, 2004

Synopsis

In this lively and accessible introduction to Sylvia Plath's writing, Bassnett offers a balanced view of one of the finest modern poets. Bassnett argues that there can never be any definitive version of the Plath story, but from close reading of the texts she left behind, readers can discover the excitement of her diverse work. The second edition includes three new chapters and ends with a reading of Ted Hughes' Birthday Letters.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

Sylvia Plath is one of the best-known and most widely-studied writers of the twentieth century. Since her death in 1963, critics have presented different images of Plath: the 'suicidal' poet, the frustrated wife and mother, the feminist precursor.

In this lively and approachable introduction to the author's poetry, Susan Bassnett offers a balanced view of Plath as one of the finest contemporary poets, and shows the diversity of her work. Bassnett's refreshing perspective on the writer provides a welcome alternative to the many studies which attempt endlessly to psychoanalyse Plath posthumously. Bassnett argues that there can never be any definitive version of the Plath story, but, from close readings of her texts, readers can discover the excitement of her diverse work. Plath is not viewed as an author driven by a death wish, nor does the book focus on her suicide - instead, she is considered in the cultural context in which she wrote, and viewed as a complex writer.
Now thoroughly revised and expanded in the light of recent research, the second edition of this essential text contains new chapters and more close reading of the poetry. It concludes with an analysis of Ted Hughes' Birthday Letters, a collection of poems which he wrote about his wife after her death.

About the Author:

Susan Bassnett is a Professor of Comparative Literary Studies at the University of Warwick.

About this edition

• Publisher: Red Globe Press
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0333771265
• ISBN 13: 9780333771266
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 184