Heller+-+Plath

= Sylvia Plath= =(1932-1963)=

BACKGROUND
- Born in Boston, Massachusetts - Her father was a college professor and died when she was 8. - She was a model, straight-A student. - In 1950, she attended Smith College on scholarship, where she wrote over 400 poems. - Beneath the surface Plath's "perfection," she suffered from bi-polar disease, deep depression, and insomnia. Her psychological troubles may have been linked to the early death of her father. - Almost succeeded in killing herself with sleeping pills, which she later wrote about in an autobiographical novel, The Bell Jar. - After her recovery, she earned a scholarship to study in Cambridge, England where she met her husband and fellow poet, Ted Hughes. - On February 11, 1963, at the age of 30, Plath killed herself with cooking gas.

POETRY
- Her earlier poems, written during her college years, were written in well-measured verse and showcased her ambition and academic literary talent. - She published her poems in regional magazines and newspapers. - In one of her most infamous poems, "Daddy," she wrote about the influence her strict and authoritarian father had on her. - After giving birth to her first two children, Ted Hughes left Plath for another woman. That cold winter, Plath was left to care for two children, ill with the flu, and low on money. Her hard life increased her need to write; she would finish a poem a day, and barely slept. - Afterwards, her poems became full of free-flowing personal imagery and an intense focus on her mental illness. - Plath's poetry was a part of the Confessional movement, where poetry emphasized intimate and unflattering details about the writer's personal life. - Other Confessional poets included Robert Lowell, Allen Ginsberg, and Anne Sexton.

WORKS
//-The Colossus and Other Poems// (1960) //- Ariel// (1965)//,// which included the poems, "Daddy," "Tulips," "Ariel," and "Lady Lazarus" - //The Bell Jar// (1963) - //Crossing the Water// (1971) - //Winter Trees// (1971) - //Letters Home// (1975) - //Collected Poems// (1981)