Title: THE BELL JAR
Author: Sylvia Plath
Publication Date: 1963
My Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Ugh. This review has been stalling me for several days, so I apologize for the delay. I'm not even sure what's keeping me from writing it. I guess it's just a difficult book to review, and I have some mixed feelings about it. But, I will try!
So, I was watching "Freaks and Geeks" again. (I promise, this is related.A little bit.) And there's this scene where Cindy Sanders reads aloud this really bad emo poem during a school newspaper meeting. And the teacher says, "THANK YOU, SYLVIA PLATH."
That's what Sylvia Plath's name always makes me think of. Just so you all know.
Also "Freaks and Geeks" is the best show ever, and WHY ON EARTH WAS IT CANCELED AFTER ONE SEASON and you should all go watch it. Really. As of the day I am writing this review, it is all on YouTube. So, get on that.
So if you don't know already, this book is pretty DOOM AND GLOOM. Here, I will show you the basic tone of this book using gifs of George Michael:
I think that about covers it.
Basically, this is a semi-autobiographical book about a young woman going through a mental breakdown. And ... that's it.
Don't get me wrong. I liked the book. It was well-written and thought-provoking, and it illuminates important issues. I just wish it had been a tad more eventful, and ... well, I'll get a little more into that later.
Here's what I liked:
I liked the writing. It was unique and full of interesting imagery.
And obviously, Sylvia Plath knows what she's talking about when it comes to depression. I felt that she portrayed it quite accurately. ... It's not necessarily something that's triggered by anything huge. It's these little things that build up over time––feeling like you're a failure at your life goals, at relationships, etc. And eventually you get into that dark part of your mind, and it's difficult to crawl out of it again. I think a lot of authors (especially ones who haven't experienced any form of depression) try a little too hard tojustify the depression––that is, one of the character's friends has to die, or he/she has to go through some huge breakup or something. I don't read a lot of books where a character is depressed just because; and I think, realistically, that's more what tends to happen. So, kudos to you Ms. Plath.
I also think she really exposed how terrible it was to be depressed at a time when no one really understood depression. I mean, all that electrotherapy and stuff ... goodness gracious, it's terrifying. Who even thought that was a good idea? "Hey, let's electrify depressed people and that'll make them happy, right?" Haha ... what.
Here's what I didn't like so much:
Mostly the problem was, I felt it dragged on for too long and got kind of repetitive. It was pretty monotonous and never really strayed from this attitude:
A good chunk of the book was the protagonist making various attempts to kill herself, and failing. After a while it became like, "So, how should I try to kill myself TODAY?"
Maybe:
Or:
Or:
(If anyone wants to know, Sylvia Plath actually killed herself by sticking her head in an oven. But, you know, that part's not actually in the book.)
My second biggest problem was, I think the book suffered a lot from being semi-autobiographical. Because the story was based on Plath's own experiences, I think she was a bit limited. She might have been able to create a more compelling story, and narrator, if she hadn't been writing about herself. I imagine it would be hard to really detach yourself from the story. Also, although she revealed a lot, I'm sure that she still had to hold back when it came to portraying people from real life––and thus, I didn't feel extremely invested in any of the characters.
But, over all, I did enjoy this book––maybe not as much as I'd hoped I would, but it was still good. Sylvia Plath is a good writer, and she executes her subject matter well. There are some flaws in the pacing and characterization, but otherwise it was a satisfying read.
(SIDE NOTE: Oh yeah, and I liked that it took place in Boston. And she went to the swanboats and stuff! Also Sylvia Plath went to college in Amherst, just like meeeee! But okay, that's all.)
So, I was watching "Freaks and Geeks" again. (I promise, this is related.
That's what Sylvia Plath's name always makes me think of. Just so you all know.
So if you don't know already, this book is pretty DOOM AND GLOOM. Here, I will show you the basic tone of this book using gifs of George Michael:
I think that about covers it.
Basically, this is a semi-autobiographical book about a young woman going through a mental breakdown. And ... that's it.
Don't get me wrong. I liked the book. It was well-written and thought-provoking, and it illuminates important issues. I just wish it had been a tad more eventful, and ... well, I'll get a little more into that later.
Here's what I liked:
I liked the writing. It was unique and full of interesting imagery.
And obviously, Sylvia Plath knows what she's talking about when it comes to depression. I felt that she portrayed it quite accurately. ... It's not necessarily something that's triggered by anything huge. It's these little things that build up over time––feeling like you're a failure at your life goals, at relationships, etc. And eventually you get into that dark part of your mind, and it's difficult to crawl out of it again. I think a lot of authors (especially ones who haven't experienced any form of depression) try a little too hard tojustify the depression––that is, one of the character's friends has to die, or he/she has to go through some huge breakup or something. I don't read a lot of books where a character is depressed just because; and I think, realistically, that's more what tends to happen. So, kudos to you Ms. Plath.
I also think she really exposed how terrible it was to be depressed at a time when no one really understood depression. I mean, all that electrotherapy and stuff ... goodness gracious, it's terrifying. Who even thought that was a good idea? "Hey, let's electrify depressed people and that'll make them happy, right?" Haha ... what.
Here's what I didn't like so much:
Mostly the problem was, I felt it dragged on for too long and got kind of repetitive. It was pretty monotonous and never really strayed from this attitude:
A good chunk of the book was the protagonist making various attempts to kill herself, and failing. After a while it became like, "So, how should I try to kill myself TODAY?"
Maybe:
Or:
Or:
(If anyone wants to know, Sylvia Plath actually killed herself by sticking her head in an oven. But, you know, that part's not actually in the book.)
My second biggest problem was, I think the book suffered a lot from being semi-autobiographical. Because the story was based on Plath's own experiences, I think she was a bit limited. She might have been able to create a more compelling story, and narrator, if she hadn't been writing about herself. I imagine it would be hard to really detach yourself from the story. Also, although she revealed a lot, I'm sure that she still had to hold back when it came to portraying people from real life––and thus, I didn't feel extremely invested in any of the characters.
But, over all, I did enjoy this book––maybe not as much as I'd hoped I would, but it was still good. Sylvia Plath is a good writer, and she executes her subject matter well. There are some flaws in the pacing and characterization, but otherwise it was a satisfying read.
(SIDE NOTE: Oh yeah, and I liked that it took place in Boston. And she went to the swanboats and stuff! Also Sylvia Plath went to college in Amherst, just like meeeee! But okay, that's all.)
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