Ariel, Sylvia Plath, Faber and Faber Limited, 1965, 81 pp
I finished reading another poetry collection on the Read One Poem a Day plan. It was the first poetry I have read by Sylvia Plath.
I am no expert on poetry. Except for short bits in my school days I have never studied the genre. I have not wanted to learn about the techniques, the rules, the forms; I have not wanted to dissect poetry too much but rather to simply experience the poems.
Reading Ariel gave me pause though. In many of these poems I could only guess at what she was expressing. The imagery is so sharp it almost caused me pain, physical and mental, yet I could not exactly grasp what she was saying in many of them despite reading them again and again.
Knowing this was her last batch prior to taking her own life, successfully after several attempts, may have colored my reactions. I felt she was in deep psychic pain but was also in a deeper love with life and the world.
After finishing the book I read somewhere that her husband, Ted Hughes, edited the poems for publication. Knowing only the speculations and rumors that he was somehow responsible for her death, I was shocked! Was this another F Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda story?
One of the best things about reading as much as I do is how I discover my deep pockets of ignorance. What do I actually know about either of these people? Not much. So I went looking. Now I have a list of biographies about Sylvia and collections of the poetry of both.
I see that I have yet another project. Oh my. In my research I got the sense of a strong creative bond between the two poets. I am the most interested in that and look forward to learning much more. Anyone who could write the poems in Ariel had to have been imbued with the level of creativity I admire in many artists.
I have been meaning to reac Sylvia Plath for years. I know the basic rudimentary details of her life and tragic death. I like the approach of digging into her life and work.
ReplyDeleteThough I prefer not to go looking for “help” when I am reading, when I delve into poetry as difficult as this sounds, I sometimes go to Google for a bit of help.
Yes. I have a saying: Help is where you find it.
DeleteI have not read anything by Sylvia Plath... Knowing only a rough outline of Sylvia Plath's life, I've been hesitant to read anything she's written. I'm concerned it may be too depressing.
ReplyDeleteI had the same concern but last year I read her novel, The Bell Jar. Somehow it was not depressing though it dealt with a fictionalized account of her first suicide attempt. Her poetry is brilliant.
DeleteHave you watched the movie Sylvia, starring Gwyneth Paltrow? It's based on Sylvia Plath's life, especially during the period she met Hughes and married him, until her tragic end.
ReplyDeleteI just learned about the movie the other day from a Goodreads friend. It is in the queue!
DeleteI reviewed it if you want to do a quick search.
DeleteThanks. I will watch it first and then read your review! And comment.
DeleteThanks, sounds interesting! Actually I also read some poetry thins week-end. Laurent Binet in HHhH quotes a verse by Saint-John (despite his nom de plume, he's French). And I discovered the book was available in French at the library of the college of my town! If you have a public library card, you can also check out books there, and it's just 10 minutes on foot from home, so I went right away. Very powerful poetry
ReplyDeleteGlad to know you are also reading poetry! Thanks for the name of a powerful poet.
DeleteWow he edited her last collection. Holy smokes. Don't know too much about Sylvia & Ted either but thought quite a bit about her after reading The Bell Jar in my 20s. Talented & sad.
ReplyDeleteYes! More to be known. Stay tuned as I work through some biographies and stuff. I'm hooked!
DeleteI confess I haven't read much of Plath's poetry although I did love The Bell Jar. When I find poems particularly enigmatic, I have no shame in looking for help online. There are often very good analyses to be found there and I'll take help from any source available.
ReplyDeleteI agree. That is how we learn.
DeleteI really want to get into poetry, maybe this one is a good start.
ReplyDeleteOh boy. It will either really get you started with poetry or kill that idea forever. Let me know!
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