The Bell Jar: A Novel (Modern Classics)

I find The Bell Jar an intriguing book that covers the areas of relationships/mental health realistically. This book is based on the author's experiences. It is an adult book and describes (but does not analyse unsurprisingly) many aspects of relationships from the perspective of Esther Greenwood (the main character). The story starts off quite slowly in a feintly amusing sort of way and some might find this uninteresting. Gradually a picture emerges of an unhappy young woman who has contact with men but is unfulfilled emotionally by them. The portrayal of a woman's attitude and thought process provides an insight into the way certain kinds of sophisticated women might think. The book has a natural flow to it and unlike some fictional books there is nothing here that seems unlikely or out of place. Esther's difficulty is her partial dislike for her intended, severe dislikes of some males and a lack of interest from males she does like. As you progress more and more through the book you begin to see more of Sylvia's beautiful and imaginative writing. One example that comes to mind is when her man (Buddy Willard) describes his mother saying `- a man is an arrow into the future and the woman where the arrow shoots from'. There are many dark elements to this novel: the sinister descriptions of medical laboratories, mental institutions and the negativity and depression contained within. What makes it surreal is the background of parties, student life and past recollections. This must have been a rather difficult book to write as unlike many books it doesn't have multiple stories or characters that interact or exciting events throughout. The fact that the book is over 200 pages also makes it long for a story about one person's depressive illness. So whereas some books draw you in to a story because The Bell Jar is not like this there is a tendency to become a little disinterested until the next gem of imaginative brilliance. The Bell Jar is a story of two halves. The first half describes the cause of Esther's illness and the second describes the effect of it, although the reader comes to realise that Esther is already ill in the first section. In the book a man who hates women attacks Esther. The analogy of a snake in a glass cage (the woman hater) is memorable description of which there are a number sprinkled throughout the novel. With these kinds of experiences Esther's character becomes cold. A magical element of this book is the way her other friends find things so easy; they are all contented. Sylvia might have focussed on the inevitable friction this would cause but elects not to. From chapter 10 onwards the second part of the novel describes the consequences of the earlier events. Some may find this the most interesting part of the book. With chilling accuracy Sylvia describes the form of Esther's breakdown. Its all there: the aspects the sufferer clings to that don't make any difference, the futile attempts to change things, rejection from a writing course, ending her relationship with Buddy etc. Sylvia vividly shows how Esther's high ability works against her, how she starts things but gives them up and how she stays in bed for days unable to sleep. The author has quite an unusual writing style that I find disorienting, only later on in the story am I able to perhaps understand things. She sometimes describes subsequent events in the story before the other events. Whether this is a surreal element of the writing or simply annoying will depend on the reader. The book is harrowing in its descriptions of self-harm as the terrible state Esther is in becomes clearer and clearer. This novel is for purists and adults. It is sometimes hard going but rewarding in the way it complexly evolves. Perhaps the method/style/form of writing is in itself a portrayal of the malaise of mental health problems. It certainly makes the book different to other classic works. Overall I am confused by The Bell Jar and am at a loss to determine its worth. For: Flashes of genius Realistic depiction of slide into mental illness Interesting perspective on human relationships Against: Realism that makes it occasionally difficult to maintain interest

I had put off reading The Bell Jar for many years because I always assumed it would be melancholy and hard going. Instead, it was quick and easy to read but very difficult to review, perhaps because my impressions were coloured by the knowledge that it was semi-autobiographical. As a work of fiction, I'm not sure that I'd recommend it, although it's well written and some of the imagery is every bit as poetic as you'd expect it to be. As a novel based on Sylvia Plath's own experiences, however, it's a brilliant portrayal of a young woman for whom nothing and nobody has any real value or meaning. It's a fragmented story, told from the viewpoint of Esther Greenwood as she embarks on a month's work in New York after winning a contest for her writing. From the start it is clear that Esther is something of a misfit who relates to neither her fellow students nor to any of the men she meets, and her narrative flits here and there as she lurches from one subject to another. At the end of the month she returns home disillusioned by the futility of everything she has seen and experienced. From hereon she slides further into mental illness, whose treatment during the fifties and early sixties was as disturbing as the lack of understanding shown to sufferers. Mercifully, I have never suffered from depression so in some ways found it hard to relate to Esther. On the other hand I have worked with clients who have attempted suicide so was able to sympathise with her and wish I could do something to help her. At the same time a part of me felt like telling her to pull herself together and do something useful - the sort of reaction I'd have expected from my mother but not one I'd ever have imagined applied to me. The significance of the title eluded me until it was revealed late in the story. Indeed, I couldn't see how it could ever be relevant, but it offers the perfect image of what the writer herself must have experienced. Despite the gloomy subject matter, the book is not depressing and even contains occasional hints of humour and amusement. I have to admit that there were times when I disliked it and considered it worth only two or three stars, but to dismiss it that lightly would be unfair. For me, the book improved as it went on, until the final chapter which contained some of the most poetic prose I have read for a long time. Some of the reviews suggest that if you've suffered from depression this book will be a comfort, knowing that others have felt the same and have survived. If you haven't suffered in this way, you should still read it - and don't give up if you don't like it. It doesn't take long to read and it really is worth persevering to the end. I wouldn't place it among the great classics of all time, but by the time I reached the end it felt like a book that everyone should experience if only to provide insight into the suffering of others.

When I ordered The Bell Jar it felt like I was paying to be tortured. It has a reputation of being a depressing book, but one well written, so in my quest for a good book, the order was made. When I began reading The Bell Jar my initial thought, was 'this isn't as depressing as I thought' as even though the protagonist is depressed, she's in New York doing something that she was pleased to be doing. But as I read on, the life of this young woman seemed to implode. Her own beliefs and upbringing brought her into a situation that she couldn't cope with, and the way she kept others at a distance meant that she had nowhere to go for help. She fantasises and becomes excessively unsociable. The world becomes too tortuous for her. The protagonist is electro shocked in a state asylum which Plath writes so well that it leaves even you feeling violated, and fearful of a repeat. Fortunately a benefactor gets her into a better hospital where the world is quite different. Here we see the protagonist make judgements on others in the same or similar situations and we see a world that those who never enter into an hospital for depression never see. We also see her judge and excuse herself. The entire book is like a window into the mind of a depressed young woman who should have the world at her feet, but instead finds herself trapped within a bell jar of her own design. Of course the book is written based on Plaths own experience in an asylum, originally writing the book under a pseudonym she felt that the work drew so much on her life that she needed to protect certain characters and family. But this is what makes the book so enthralling and real life. As a poet she has a command over the English language that makes this work so thought provoking, so vivid, that it's thoroughly engrossing. Is it depressing? Yes, OK it is. But it's a wonderful piece of literature and expression of psychology that it's well worth the emotional upheaval.

I saw this on offer and took the opportunity to read a classic. I loved the first half of this book where Esther is living as a socialite in New York. I really warmed to her dry wit and matter of fact-ness. The second half of the book details her breakdown and time in an asylum. This is obviously an important subject, but it does drag and isn’t particularly pleasant to read. I guess the mixed up plots and writing of the second half is supposed to represent her jumbled mind, but it becomes tiresome after a while and I was ready for the book to finish sadly.

Plath's semi-autobiographical novel is a fantastic work of literature, though not for the reasons you might expect. The start of the novel is nothing particularly special, though as the story progresses, there are vignettes which begin to appear giving insights of extraordinary self-awareness. The main theme that Plath explores is the isolation felt by someone going through depression and breakdown, which is very hard to express to those on the outside looking in. One of the ways in which she does this in the book is by having a variety of secondary characters who often seem to appear out of nowhere and then disappear quite quickly, only to reappear later on with little connection to their earlier cameos. Yet in these, there is the sense that the characters lack depth. This is quite a deliberate move by Plath, not an example of poor writing. When your world is insular and suffocating in an intangible bleakness, other people become two dimensional and plastic. As the novel progresses, there are seeming gaps in the narrative where you suddenly find yourself in a whole new scene just seconds after having been somewhere else in an unresolved situation. This again is a way in which Plath sees the world, with yawning gaps in memory, something that is very common in people with depression. Once the reader has adapted to this writing style, the work is an utterly moving piece of literature. For the most part, I read this on the train over the course of a week, and at times had to dab the odd tear from my eye and try and disguise it from my fellow commuters. * spoiler warning below* As someone who has suffered from depression at times myself, there was much here to identify with, and it brought back some memories from a very dark time in my life. There is a point in the book where it all seems to have to a head and the deepest of fogs is taken to its logical conclusion. Knowing that Plath took her own life shortly after the publication of the book, it reads horribly like a self-fulfilling prophecy. However, perhaps in an effort to sanitise the book slightly, Plath pulls out at the last minute and gives her character a way out, with renewed hope, albeit with an uncertain ending. This does give the book an air of optimism that feels slightly out of place and I can't help but wonder if it might have been better had the book ended in the coal cellar. To anyone who has ever suffered with depression, this is an absolute must read, and also to those who have ever had to try to support and understand someone else who has.

The Bell Jar begins with Esther Greenwood explaining how she came to be in New York and how she was feeling during that time. Plath adds in current events of the time to make it easier to relate to the place and time in which it is set. The first descriptions of New York are not the most pleasant and while explaining about the extravagances of the magazine industry, Plath manages to make the city seem dark and grey. The opening of the book made me want to know more about Esther, her life and how she spent her time in New York. As Esther's time in New York is further explained, it is clear quite quickly that she doesn't feel at home there. Esther, used to being known for doing well in school and winning scholarships feels like an extremely small fish in a huge pond. Although the other characters are not described in too much detail, Esther makes it known that she doesn't feel anything like them and doesn't think that she has much in common with the other girls at all. The way that Esther's character is written would make me think that at the time the book was published, women everywhere would have been able to relate to her. She isn't the most confident of characters and is open about her fears and worries about the world and her future. This was something that I found really intriguing about Esther. The Bell Jar is partly autobiographical of Sylvia Plath's life and deals with the topics of mental illness and suicide. These themes are strong throughout the whole book. When in New York, Esther knows she doesn't quite fit and this begins her slow descent into depression and an intense sadness. Even though Esther keeps her personality throughout the book, parts of her slowly get lost in the big world that she is experiencing. She is cold and calculating about some major issues like losing her virginity and her views about marriage are far from those of other women during that time. Esther becomes mentally unstable following her return home from New York and this is where the novel mirrors parts of Plath's own life. I thought that this was going to be a really depressing book after knowing the subject matter but everything was so interesting instead. Watching Esther's mental health get worse and worse and seeing the different kinds of establishments that she was put in gave me more perspective on what Plath's own life would have been like. Due to Esther's condition and her life experiences, Plath made me like her but also feel empathy for her at the same time. The Bell Jar is a wonderfully written novel full of poetic prose and crisp descriptions. While the novel tackles tough themes, especially for the time it was written, it is a compelling read and one that I enjoyed thoroughly.

A beautifully structured and refreshing account of a mental downward spiral. It is all very subtle and slow, as it would have been whilst she was experiencing it herself.. and probably more than truthful as Plath has hidden herself behind another character probably to feel a better sense of personal security. I think that a lot of people, not just people suffering from similar mental illness, in this day and age, can relate to a lot of her words and views on the world. Some more negative reviews of this book have stated that this book is 'slow' or 'dull' and I just can't see either of those things as being negative in the case of this particular artistic work... Depression makes the world slow right down, and it is very much reflected in her book. Her descriptions of things make it all so colourful and vivid in my head, but it may have been so dull and grey to her at the time. The book is a true insight into Plath's mind, and is very well written. Plath is in no way self-indulgent in her writing (unlike Wurtzel's Prozac Nation which is ABYSMAL), or at the time of events - she continued to try and live and be happy with people despite the black cloud gradually encapsulating her mind. Throughout the whole book, and probably in real life, she is desperately seeking to live her life, and not to die.. but in the end, and not long after this book was published, she ultimately, and very sadly, failed. 'I saw my life branching out before me like the green fig tree in the story. From the tip of every branch, like a fat purple fig, a wonderful future beckoned and winked. One fig was a husband and a happy home and children, and another fig was a famous poet and another fig was a brilliant professor, and another fig was Ee Gee, the amazing editor, and another fig was Europe and Africa and South America, and another fig was Constantin and Socrates and Attila and a pack of other lovers with queer names and offbeat professions, and another fig was an Olympic lady crew champion, and beyond and above these figs were many more figs I couldn't quite make out. I saw myself sitting in the crotch of this fig tree, starving to death, just because I couldn't make up my mind which of the figs I would choose. I wanted each and every one of them, but choosing one meant losing all the rest, and, as I sat there, unable to decide, the figs began to wrinkle and go black, and, one by one, they plopped to the ground at my feet.'

A great read