The Bell Jar

sylvia plath

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The Bell Jar chronicles the crack-up of Esther Greenwood: brilliant, beautiful, enormously talented, and successful but slowly going under - maybe for the last time. Sylvia Plath draws the reader into Esther's breakdown with such intensity that Esther's insanity becomes completely real and even rational, as probable and accessible an experience as going to the movies. Such deep penetration into the dark and harrowing corners of the psyche is an extraordinary accomplishment and has made The Bell Jar an American classic.

Genres fictionfeminismmental healthpsychologyliterary fictionliteraturebook clubnovelsmental illnessaudiobook

216 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1,1963

Places

boston massachusetts, new york city new york, massachusetts, new york (state), the united states of america,

This edition

Format: 216 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published: January 1, 1979 by Bantam Books
ISBN: 9780553124200
ASIN: 055312420X
Language: English

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About the author

sylvia plath

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.