Few writers impacted American literature in the 20th century as did Sylvia Plath. As a distinguished poet (“The Colossus”), novelist (“The Bell Jar,” her most famous work) and writer of short stories and monologues, Plath made a place for women in literature even though she was never a “comfortable” writer. Her influence continues to be felt in works by many writers today.
Born in 1932, Plath began writing in journals while attending Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, at the age of 18. “The Unabridged Journals” tell the real story of Sylvia. These bound journals are far more than just musings or letters to friends. They detail her blossoming love of writing and innate ability to compose beautiful prose about every shade of grey.
As painful as this reading may sound at first, she revels in the mundanity of everyday life. Even when Plath questions where she might be going in the world and the limits placed upon her, there is always a flickering flame of hope about her.
Plath’s adventures as a young student are deep and meaningful. Her inquisitiveness paints Plath as a woman on the cusp of discovery, even if those discoveries are dark.
While Plath committed suicide at 30, even her most grim writings spring to life. “The Bell Jar” and its histrionics and hysterics simply do not illuminate you to the person Plath was — loving at all costs (except to herself). “The Unabridged Journals,” however, paint Plath as a woman trying to both escape the real world through her writing and yet still trying to make it a better place.
To feel Plath’s struggle with daily life while also seizing the quicksilver lightning of creativity is to know how arduously all writers search for the right words to not just express how they feel but also make readers feel the torrent of emotions that led those drops on the page.
“The Unabridged Journals” is a brave read. Young Plath writes with surprising maturity even as her daydreams dwell on the page. Readers feel the internal struggle she felt with wanting to be a better writer, and then they feel how it feels to succumb to deep emotion.
Once married, Plath’s adoration and love of home life grew. However, her memories eventually surface. Her prose grows raw and emotional, at times leaving you to realize that sometimes Plath wrote for her satisfaction while sometimes it was a mode of escape. Still, the warmth and immediacy of Plath’s writing cannot be denied.
These prized journals give you a glimpse of her abbreviated life in action and make you feel as if you were fortunate enough to find these tucked away in a desk. Plath’s legacy can never truly be defined because her words continue to inspire and lead a life of their own.
Plath’s widow, the poet Ted Hughes, burned the final journal she wrote leading up to her death.
Mik Davis is record store manager at T-Bones Records & Cafe.
