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.