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The Colossus and Other Poems

sylvia plath

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With this startling, exhilarating book of poems, which was first published in 1960, Sylvia Plath burst into literature with spectacular force. In such classics as "The Beekeeper's Daughter," "The Disquieting Muses," "I Want, I Want," and "Full Fathom Five," she writes about sows and skeletons, fathers and suicides, about the noisy imperatives of life and the chilly hunger for death. Graceful in their craftsmanship, wonderfully original in their imagery, and presenting layer after layer of meaning, the forty poems in The Colossus are early artifacts of genius that still possess the power to move, delight, and shock.

84 pages, Paperback

First published January 1,1960

This edition

Format
84 pages, Paperback
Published
May 19, 1998 by Vintage
ISBN
9780375704468
ASIN
0375704469
Language
English

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About the author

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sylvia plath

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Sylvia Plath was an American poet, novelist, and short story writer. Known primarily for her poetry, Plath also wrote a semi-autobiographical novel, The Bell Jar, under the pseudonym Victoria Lucas. The book's protagonist, Esther Greenwood, is a bright, ambitious student at Smith College who begins to experience a mental breakdown while interning for a fashion magazine in New York. The plot parallels Plath's experience interning at Mademoiselle magazine and subsequent mental breakdown and suicide attempt.

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Rating(4 / 5.0, 100 votes)
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lithraal
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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4.5 stars.

This was the very first full collection of Plath's poems that I had the pleasure of reading, and I must say that I absolutely adored it.

The poems within this collection were filled with vivid and fresh images that truly brought the words to life. There was not a hint of staleness or redundancy to be found.

As I delved deeper into the pages, I began to fully understand and ascertain the reason why Plath is widely regarded as one of the very best poets.

Her ability to craft such powerful and evocative poetry is truly remarkable.

Each poem seemed to tell a story, or convey a deep emotion, in a way that was both unique and engaging.

I would highly recommend this collection to anyone who has an appreciation for great poetry.

It is a must-read for fans of Plath, and a wonderful introduction for those who are new to her work.

I can't wait to explore more of her poetry in the future.
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Lostnekoo
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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3.5 stars

I can only say that the poems in this book are "unique".



This statement implies that the poems within the book possess a certain distinctiveness that sets them apart. Each poem likely has its own charm and style, perhaps exploring different themes, using unusual language or presenting ideas in an unexpected way. The word "unique" suggests that these poems are not like the typical ones one might come across. They might offer a fresh perspective or a new way of looking at things. Reading through the book, one is likely to encounter a diverse range of poetic expressions that engage the reader's imagination and emotions. Whether it's the use of vivid imagery, creative metaphors, or a particular rhythm and flow, these poems have the potential to leave a lasting impression on the reader. Overall, the "uniqueness" of the poems in this book makes it an interesting and worthwhile read for those who appreciate the art of poetry.
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Ryokoi
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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⋆.ೃ࿔*:･⭑ ☕️ ⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ "Love is the bones and the sinew of my curse." This profound and somewhat mysterious statement sets the tone for what is to come in Sylvia Plath's collection of poems.


" ౨ৎ • (
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imsomeone
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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I have a profound love for poetry. This particular piece of poetry is truly remarkable. Sylvia Plath's depictions of nature are filled with a sense of reverence, and they seamlessly blend with an astonishingly honest outpouring of emotions. It goes beyond mere metaphor, repeatedly evoking intense emotions within me as I read her poems. The content is profound and delves into the realms of self-reflection, tragic hopefulness, the patterns of past behavior and choices, a disdain for mistakes, and a blame for misplaced trust and the consequences of betrayal.

Among her works, my absolute favorites are "Aftermath", "Strumpet Song", and "Poem for a birthday". These poems have a unique charm and power that resonate deeply within my soul. They touch upon universal themes that we all can relate to, such as love, loss, and the search for meaning in life.

Plath's writing style is both beautiful and haunting, and her words have the ability to transport the reader to another world. Her poetry is a testament to her genius and creativity, and it will continue to inspire generations of readers to come.
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blaze_1987
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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Plath is a poet who evokes more admiration than love.

At certain moments, she allows a crack to appear, revealing her vulnerability. However, a significant portion of her writing comes across as overly academic, overly composed, and overly self-conscious.

To her, poetry seems more like a scholarly exercise rather than a genuine expression of feeling.

That being said, 'On the Difficulty of Conjuring up a Dryad' and 'Black Rook in Rainy Weather' are magnificent exceptions.

The lines "No doubt now in dream-propertied fall some moon-eyed,/ star-lucky sleight-of-hand man watches/ My jilting lady squander coin, gold leaf stock ditches,/ And the opulent air go studded with seed,/ While this beggared brain/ Hatches no fortune,/ But from leaf, from grass,/ Thieves what it has."展现了她独特的才华和魅力，让读者能够感受到她内心深处的情感和思考。

尽管Plath的诗歌风格可能有些复杂和难以理解，但她的作品无疑是值得我们深入研究和欣赏的。
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algebramania
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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Are you fucking kidding meee?????????????????????:



A body of whiteness,
Rots and emits a putrid smell beneath its headstone,
Even though the body once walked out in clean linen.


I detect that whiteness here, beneath the stones,
Where tiny ants roll their eggs and grubs grow fat.
Death may manifest as whiteness, whether in the sun or not.


Death whitens both within the egg and outside of it.
I am unable to perceive any specific color for this whiteness.
White: it is a complexion of the mind.


I grow weary, envisioning white Niagaras
Accumulating from a rock root, just as fountains build
Against the imposing image of their descent."

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keflorey
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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Poor Colossus. I have never given this collection the credit it truly deserves. Like many others, I was completely blinded by the incandescent brilliance of the Ariel poems. I tended to view this book as merely a worksheet, a preparatory stage for those later masterpieces. However, this is not a wholly fair assessment.

Certainly, some of the poems here do give the impression of being drafts for what was to come. For instance, "Man In Black" seems to foreshadow "Medusa," and "Moonrise" feels like the exercise that paved the way for her to write "Blackberrying." Additionally, some of the poems seem a bit too overshadowed by Plath's poetic ancestors. But many of these works illuminate just how great a wordsmith Plath really was, despite her perhaps overzealous use of the thesaurus.

Take, for example, "Sow." In this poem, the sow is described in vivid detail: "hedged by a litter of feat-foot ninnies / Shrilling her hulk / to halt for a swig at the pink teats. No. This vast / Brobdingnag bulk / of a sow lounged belly-bedded on that black compost, / fat-rutted eyes / dream-filmed." Or consider "Aftermath," with its beautiful yet disturbing image of Medea: "Mother Medea in a green smock / moves humbly as any housewife through / her ruined apartments, taking stock / of charred shoes, the sodden upholstery: / Cheated of the pyre and the rack, / the crowd sucks her last tear and turns away."

Again, I can clearly see the connection between the "peanut-crunching crowd" in "Lady Lazarus" and the crowd in "Aftermath." In any case, there are numerous brave, breathtaking, and hard-edged poems in this collection. The book is fixated on the borders between land and sea, and thus fiddler crabs, gulls, and suicides off egg rocks pervade these vignettes. Death always looms on the periphery for Plath, whether it's in the shadows seeping through the cracks of her precise phrasings or in the tangible forms of faceless, darning-head muses or blue moles engaged in tragic Shakespearian battles.

This is truly Plath at her "least confessional." These are stunning glimpses into a natural world that is both brutal and frightening, yet perfectly ordered. The speakers of the poems and the characters within them are the ones who introduce chaos and suffer under the strict parameters of natural existence, which has become almost mythical in these works, as seen with the sow, the blue moles, and the dead snake in "Medallion." If there is anything amiss in the world of The Colossus, it is that we have interfered with it, completely unprepared for the consequences.

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ZeroPhaze
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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I must say that I truly relished this particular work much more than Ariel: The Restored Edition.

There are so many favorite poems within this collection that have left a lasting impression on me. Poems like "The Manor Garden" paint a vivid and enchanting picture of a beautiful outdoor space. "Hardcastle Crags" takes me on a journey to a mysterious and perhaps somewhat eerie location. "Departure" evokes a sense of longing and the bittersweet nature of leaving.

The collection also includes powerful pieces such as "The Colossus", which seems to convey a sense of grandeur and perhaps a touch of mystery. "Lorelei" has a certain allure and charm. "All the Dead Dears" delves into the realm of loss and remembrance.

Other poems like "Aftermath", "Suicide off Egg Rock", "I Want, I Want", "The Ghost's Leavetaking", "Full Fathom Five", "The Disquieting Muses", "The Companionable ills", "Moonrise", "Spinster", "Frog Autumn", "The Burnt-out Spa", "Flute Notes from a Ready Pond", and "The Stones" all contribute to the rich tapestry of emotions and themes explored in this remarkable collection. Each poem has its own unique voice and essence, making it a truly captivating read.
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