Reviews with content warning for Homophobia - The Bell Jar

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The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

151 reviews

rhiannonmohar's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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gvstyris's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

To the person in the bell jar, blank and stopped as a dead baby, the world itself is the bad dream.

As perhaps one of the most iconic romans à clef of all time, and certainly of the last century, Esther Greenwood's trajectory in The Bell Jar is impossible to detach from Plath herself. This novel is most successful as a devastatingly blunt chronicle of depression, falling somewhat short in its wider social commentary.

Plath depicts Esther's loss of control throughout this novel, and her increasingly fragmented narrative structure and strong imagery were my personal highlights. I was impressed by how accessible The Bell Jar is, with much of Esther's feelings echoing my own experiences as a 21st century reader. Since publication, Plath's symbols of mental health (figs, the bell jar itself) have become iconic, and for good reason. She tackles Esther's depression with both sensitivity and honesty -- which is admirable for a novel written over 50 years ago.

I feel more iffy about the feminist commentary here. While Esther makes some astute observations regarding the undervaluation of female labour and pleasure, her perspective on feminism undeniably centers white middle-class women. This would be less of a problem if Esther didn't pause repeatedly to make unnecessary racist (and a few homophobic) remarks about the few people of colour she comes across. While I have no doubt that many people defend Plath by arguing that The Bell Jar is a product of its time, I think it's important to remember that this novel was written amidst the Civil Rights Movement. I've definitely come away from this reading with a more critical view of Sylvia Plath, and have a lot of research to do.

I'm ultimately glad to have read this one, and respect all Plath has done to improve mainstream understanding of mental health. Definitely not a light-hearted book, though, and is potentially quite triggering for anyone currently grappling with depression.

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allydoessomereading's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I think Sylvia plath knows my life exactly. I don't think I've ever read my own thoughts and feelings be explained so beautifully and precisely like Plath does. Her writing is so vibrant and poetic, even when she is discussing some very heavy topics. Its amazing that she was able to discuss the female experience so ruthlessly in the time that she did. Its insane that this book from years ago is the first ive read with passages that have made me feel so seen and understood in a way i havent felt before. I think this book found me at both the best and worst time, either way I know it's stuck with me for life.

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