The Bell Jar (Modern Classics)
Original price was: $17.99.$10.79Current price is: $10.79.
One of The Atlantic’s Great American Novels
“A coming-of-age masterpiece. . . . Sylvia Plath has become one of the influential writers of her time.” —Boston Globe
Sylvia Plath’s masterwork—an acclaimed and enduring novel about a young woman falling into the grip of mental illness and societal pressures
Esther Greenwood is a bright, beautiful, enormously talented young woman, but she’s slowly going under—maybe for the last time. Sylvia Plath brilliantly draws the reader into Esther’s breakdown with such intensity that her neurosis becomes palpably real, even rational—as accessible an experience as going to the movies. A deep penetration into the darkest and most harrowing corners of the human psyche, The Bell Jar is an extraordinary accomplishment and a haunting American classic.
This edition features extra insights into the book and author.
Publisher : Harper Perennial Modern Classics; 1st edition (August 2, 2005)
Language : English
Paperback : 244 pages
ISBN-10 : 0060837020
ISBN-13 : 978-0060837020
Lexile measure : 1050L
Item Weight : 2.31 pounds
Dimensions : 8.02 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
10 reviews for The Bell Jar (Modern Classics)
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Original price was: $17.99.$10.79Current price is: $10.79.
Jack reichenbach –
fantastic literature
She could say so much with so little. She could punch you in the stomach with her words and inspire you on the next page. She could describe tragedy like it would be a relief. I read this book a bit skeptical of Plath. I avoided her my whole life cause loving Plath i saw as cliche. All the poets I’ve been around gawked and hung posters of her words on the walls. Or a feminist would chime in about Ted Hughes and rant about the patriarchy and how Plath was a martyr. But no, it is not cliche. I’d even dare say she wasn’t ABOUT feminism. She was a brilliant, beautiful, thoughtful and inspiring female writer of her time. A stand out. Using words so relatable and attainable, you swear you’re talking to her in this novel or should I say she’s talking to you. I’m caught, drowned in my love of Sylvia plath’s work now. I’m sorry I didn’t read it sooner. However life has so many twist and turns that had I not experienced some of my own life, I’d never believe this story or care for it in my younger years. Now having experienced a life and had my own bell jar loom over my head, this novel speaks truth to the feeling of the bell jar. I could go on and on. So I’ll summarize what I mean.She’s honest with her world and self and doesn’t hold back or pull punches. If you’ve ever had a stint or time of despair in your life, this book describes it so well you’ll begin to feel the bell jar all over again. I found this book reads more like a modern narrative poem than a novel. Her musings on baths, the bell jar, rebirth, and uncertainty is one of the best books I’ve ever read. I felt I was her….am her. It’s not a book you simply shake off. It sticks to you for a while. For those that have had similar trials in their life it will not only stick to you but it will make you feel as if for one moment in time lived a person who understood you. Simply it’s a masterpiece.
StephanieTheReader –
Genuine and sincere. Touching.
I don’t know how I’ve gone so long without ever reading this book, as it’s considered a classic and to some, a rite of passage for all girls to read it. While I feel late to the party, I’m actually glad I read this with some life experience under my belt. It is a very sincere, genuine, and realistic narrative of mental illness and how it feels. I could empathize with some of the feelings and felt validated through parts of this story. I think I would have missed that, had I read it as a teenager or even young adult.
Larry –
Excellent book
Excellent book, great for my collection
Sam Weller –
‘This is (not) the light of the mind’
For years I avoided Sylvia Plath, especially “The Bell Jar”. I did not want to dwell in a world that I had known only to well with family and friends. Looking for some poetry to read, I decided after all this time to pick up “Ariel”. The initial poems of the collection left me wanting more and then I became fixated on a few that kept running through my head like a broken record.Next, I decided to read her novel. But, I found it’s relentless and myopic focus hard to internalize, for how can any have hope of recovery in world so limited and narrow minded as to regard every sorrow, every grief, and every dissatisfaction as part of the big “I”. To recover from depression or manic obsessions, one must acknowledge the collective unconscious presence of consciousness. It’s an essential step and platform from which to discover a self free to be happy in sad times, to be hopeful in times filled wit despair, most importantly to feel connected in times of despondent loneliness. There is a thin line between the choice to live and the the choice to die. Sometimes that choice can turned from negative to positive based upon the light of the mind. When turned off, the life goes black. When turned on, life can be full of light. There is a reality that no matter how hard you try for others, the choice might be disappointing to you. Regardless, the the ability to choose, or to be reminded of the choice is in itself the stuff of being a part of the active collective (un)conscious.“The Bell Jar” left me feeling depleted. There was little or no hope there, as there sadly was not in this great poet’s life. Her life wasn’t an act of unbridled narcissism. It was encased in a state of nihilism, where she where she wanted to happy-but her choices were limited. Often when a person is gifted and intellectually blessed, they are able to counter every effort of recovery by using those gifted aspects of their personality with authoritative negativity. In the end game, the down to earth choices to live or to die are measured against seemingly impossible odds which churn in their mind like a summer tornado, until that person becomes aware of the fragile nature of the “superior mind”. The discovery often comes too late. And the gradients of choice cannot be absorbed into a digestive tract that is healthy and fruitful in the final analysis. Or, it can work; that’s the beauty of choice.
MommaLayne –
A Haunting Exploration of Mental Turmoil and Societal Expectations
“The Bell Jar” by Sylvia Plath is a powerful and poignant novel that delves into the mind of Esther Greenwood, a young woman grappling with her deteriorating mental health amidst the pressures of societal expectations. As a brilliant and talented individual, Esther appears to have everything going for her, but beneath her outwardly successful facade lies a profound sense of isolation and the creeping sensation of losing control. Plath expertly captures the intensity of Esther’s breakdown, making her neurosis both relatable and tragically understandable, as she spirals deeper into despair.Through Esther’s journey, Plath provides a raw and unflinching look at the dark corners of the psyche and the pervasive loneliness that many individuals face in modern society. “The Bell Jar” remains a haunting classic, celebrated for its compelling prose and its exploration of mental illness in a world that often fails to address it. This P.S. edition also offers additional insights, including author interviews and recommended readings, enriching the reader’s experience and understanding of this timeless work that continues to resonate with readers today.
Riccardo degli Antonini –
if you have a friend or daughter or sister who’s a teenager you have to give her this. this changed my life , it explains so well what it’s like to be a young woman in this world and it’s so relatable
J. C. Wrightson –
When I ordered The Bell Jar it felt like I was paying to be tortured. It has a reputation of being a depressing book, but one well written, so in my quest for a good book, the order was made.When I began reading The Bell Jar my initial thought, was ‘this isn’t as depressing as I thought’ as even though the protagonist is depressed, she’s in New York doing something that she was pleased to be doing. But as I read on, the life of this young woman seemed to implode. Her own beliefs and upbringing brought her into a situation that she couldn’t cope with, and the way she kept others at a distance meant that she had nowhere to go for help. She fantasises and becomes excessively unsociable. The world becomes too tortuous for her. The protagonist is electro shocked in a state asylum which Plath writes so well that it leaves even you feeling violated, and fearful of a repeat.Fortunately a benefactor gets her into a better hospital where the world is quite different. Here we see the protagonist make judgements on others in the same or similar situations and we see a world that those who never enter into an hospital for depression never see. We also see her judge and excuse herself. The entire book is like a window into the mind of a depressed young woman who should have the world at her feet, but instead finds herself trapped within a bell jar of her own design.Of course the book is written based on Plaths own experience in an asylum, originally writing the book under a pseudonym she felt that the work drew so much on her life that she needed to protect certain characters and family. But this is what makes the book so enthralling and real life. As a poet she has a command over the English language that makes this work so thought provoking, so vivid, that it’s thoroughly engrossing. Is it depressing? Yes, OK it is. But it’s a wonderful piece of literature and expression of psychology that it’s well worth the emotional upheaval.
lunatica –
Tył ksiażki jest uszkodzony, z paczka nie było żadnych problemów, przyszła w jednym kawałku bez wgnieceń a w środku była zabezpieczona. Czyli coś się musiało stać przed wysyłka. Oprócz tego wszystko dobrze, a dostarczona została szybciej niż przewidywano.
Marah A –
Arrived in good condition, love love love sylvia plath but haven’t read this yet
a random customer –
i like cover