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challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
After briefly coming across Plath’s writing, I was curious to read this collection. I expected it would be a lengthy and difficult read and came back to each poem several times. Plath’s writing commands imagery to evoke sober emotions and strange, compelling ideas and experiences. There were certainly lines and stanzas that moved me, but overall I can’t say I enjoyed reading these poems. There is a lot of deeply problematic imagery coming from a starkly white feminist perspective that appropriates race and ethnicity. I don’t doubt her verbal talents, but it cannot absolve her of using this material for literary effect.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Xenophobia, Suicide attempt