Document Type
Thesis
Degree
Bachelor of Arts in English
Advisor
James Tackach, Ph.D.
Abstract
One of the major problems currently facing Sylvia Plath criticism is the tendency of critics to conflate creator with creation. This mistake is perhaps the most prevalent in readings of Plath's novel, The Bell Jar (1963), where the life of the novel's narrator, Esther Greenwood, obviously parallels the life of the author. However, the simplistic conflation of Plath and Greenwood obfuscates a crucial artistic goal of Plath's corpus – the creation of an artistic "second self." This thesis explores The Bell Jar’s startlingly complex portrait of the artist (as a young woman) by focusing on Esther Greenwood’s attempt to create a second self.
Recommended Citation
Alix, Cory, "“I am too pure for you, or anyone”: A New Approach to Sylvia Plath, Esther Greenwood, and the Second-Self" (2011). English Theses. 49.
https://docs.rwu.edu/english_theses/49
