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I have a confession to make: I never liked Sylvia Plath’s poetry. Call me old-fashioned, but I have a real problem with modern poetry, and Sylvia Plath is no exception. Now comes another confession: I shamefully admit (the shame is double since I have a PhD in English literature) that I didn’t know that Sylvia Plath had written a novel. The Bell Jar is her only novel. Furthermore, it’s a semi-autobiographical* work.

*I don’t get the term “semi-autobiographical”. Deep down, all works are autobiographical, because they are based on the author’s subjective experience of the world. But if we want to make a separation between fictional autobiography and non-fictional autobiography, The Bell Jar is definitely a sample of the former category.

Genre, Plot, and Narrative

The plot of the story is deceptively simple. The protagonist is a young, talented woman, whose intelligence, skills, and education are ignored. As a result, she drifts into the black waves of depression. As I mentioned above, the story is very heavily based on Sylvia Plath’s own experiences.

In terms of genre, The Bell Jar is literary fiction at its finest. There is no larger-than-life plot, no intricate and complex (let alone chaotic) plot lines. There is only deep introspection, fully realistic – even naturalistic – characters, and raw emotions.

I think the most remarkable aspect of The Bell Jar is how incredibly modern it feels. Bypassing historical context details (that is, the lack of cell phones and computers), the reader would never believe this is a story written more than half a century ago. Partly this is a result of how sadly relevant women’s rights and feminism still are in our times, but there is also a very strong narrative element in this.

Sylvia Plath’s narrative style is far, far ahead of her time. It discards all pretexts and snubs modesty, opting instead for an in-your-face prose, (sadly) characteristic of an author who is past caring what others think of her. In a sense, it’s a great example of how authors should write – to paraphrase Bill Hicks’s take on music: write from your fucking heart.

Characters

By far the strongest point of the novel is the protagonist, Esther. Of course this is not a great surprise, since we’re talking about a literary fiction work. Characters is all there is, to some extent, and The Bell Jar delivers. The protagonist is incredibly realistic, complex, and human – it’s based on Sylvia Plath’s own life, after all. Some of the thoughts and emotions might occasionally come off as far-fetched, but this only goes to show how complex people can be, too.

The rest of the characters are also very well written, but clearly a click below the protagonist. To an extent it’s understandable – Sylvia Plath had unique access to the prototype for her protagonist, since it was her own self. On the other hand, certain events and people from Sylvia Plath’s own life are either absent or somewhat purified. Again, this is understandable to an extent. Yet it also reveals an attempt at semi-conscious self-restraint. It’s no surprise, then, that if one wanted to find the weakest point of the novel, that would certainly be the… supporting cast. It’s not bad at all, but whereas the protagonist is exceptionally well written, the rest of the characters only reach the “pretty good” level.

The Bell Jar: General Impression

The Bell Jar is a remarkably interesting novel, despite its age. Indeed, it’s precisely its relevance to our times that renders it all the more disturbing. The social issues that Sylvia Plath had to deal with are still relevant, the problems still existing. Furthermore, there is a certain raw quality in her writing that makes the text incredibly vivid and realistic. It’s more than obvious that Sylvia Plath cared little or not at all about the contemporary rules of narrative. As a result, there is an intense feeling of reality and authenticity about The Bell Jar which is rare to find even today. It’s hard to care about feedback when you’ve tasted so much rejection.

Ultimately, this isn’t a book for everyone. The sheer reality of it makes it a heavy novel (though, in terms of text, still one that’s remarkably easy to read). Plath’s language is nothing short of stunning – prose at its finest. All in all, I think it’s one of those books that one should just go ahead and try. Chances are, it will be like the most beautiful punch in the gut you’ve ever received.

You can read a free preview and buy The Bell Jar on Amazon.