Publisher's Synopsis
Tracing Sylvia Plath's reception, from the publication of The Colossus in 1960 through early twenty-first-century criticism on the poet, Marianne Egeland argues that Plath's literary history is not simply that of a poet and her poems, but is also the story of the communities that have tried to understand her life and work. Egeland examines Plath's public image as well as the criticism devoted to her, to understand both Plath's remarkable position in modern literature and the role of the poet as an exemplary figure. She analyzes reviews, criticism, biographies, memoirs, and media treatments of the poet to show how different communities of readers contributed to Plath's iconic status. Directing particular attention to interpretive communities constituted by critics, feminists, biographers, psychologists and friends, she suggests that Plath's personal history makes her particularly susceptible to the blurring of boundaries between public and private. In documenting how different communities of readers staked their claim to interpretive authority, Egeland's book is a reminder of the importance of a reader's contribution to any attempt to make sense of texts.
