Constructing Identity: Sylvia Plath's and Ted Hughes' Portrayals of Sylvia Plath
Abstract
After reading The Bell Jar and her book of poems, Ariel, in my Literature of
Women class fall quarter of my senior year, I became fascinated with her life and how her way
of life affected her work. I was especially curious about her relationship with Ted Hughes,
another writer, and how the two used the other in their writing. From this seed of interest
stemmed my SIP. My interest, and subsequent research, led me to the quiet room in
Bloomington, IN where I truly encountered Plath on the page. As I flipped through her old
notebooks, their margins filled with doodles, I could not believe I was looking at the banalities of
one of the most complex poets I ever read. I soon discovered hidden among the simple
assignments and tests, signs of Plath's volatile creative spark.