Sylvia Plath's Fiction

This is the first fully researched study of Sylvia Plath's fiction. Despite the massive academic and popular interest in Plath's work, criticism has focused almost entirely upon her poetry. Plath, however, is a multigeneric writer and artist, and spent her entire writing life working at some form of fiction. Although student guides to The Bell Jar are available, neither Plath's classic novel nor her seventy short stories have been adequately studied in their historical and cultural contexts. This book provides such a study. Focusing on The Bell Jar, on Plath's twenty or so published stories, and on her fifty or so unpublished stories, Ferretter gives a detailed critical account of Plath's achievements as a fiction writer. The book places her fiction in its literary and popular contexts, closely examines its relationship to her poetry, discusses the political views expressed in it, and focuses on its central concern, the roles of women in contemporary society. An appendix deals with literary and cinematic responses to Plath's fiction. The author gives close readings of Plath's texts and places them in their historical contexts.Key features*First research monograph on The Bell Jar*First full-length discussion of Plath's short fiction*First full treatment of Plath's fifty unpublished short stories*Includes the most up-to-date discussion of Plath's unfinished Cambridge novel and her lost sequel to The Bell Jar*Makes full use of manuscript sources from four major archives*Includes discussion of cinematic and other productions of The Bell Jar, including the forthcoming version starring Julia Stiles