Mad Girl’s Love Song: Sylvia Plath and Life Before Ted

This is a very satisfying book. I often coveted a Sylvia Plath biography that covered the time before she ever met Ted Hughes. Plath’s childhood and college years, to me, are the most interesting parts of her life. There is new material included, which was refreshing.

Plath’s mother, Aurelia, has not been given enough credit or praise. She was a very savvy woman, who only wanted her children to succeed. Bravo to Aurelia for keeping her daughter’s memory alive well after her death. Aurelia saved every scrap of material Plath wrote, keeping even grocery lists. She thought her daughter special and precious, and she savored everything her daughter did.

I also appreciate the fact that Andrew Wilson did not judge, or appear apathetic toward Plath. All his conclusions appeared sensible. I also want to applaud Andrew Wilson for being able to produce negative aspects of Plath’s life in a way that did not condemn, and his explanations were more reasonable than emotional.

In many ways, Plath was a normal young woman – at times insecure, at times confused, at times fascinated with sex. It was clear that Plath was a determined, goal-orientated individual, who didn’t have a malicious bone in her body, and though occasionally her emotions swept her away, it was as if she were at another mercy’s pull. She had a good heart. She had good intentions. She was well-liked, and she liked her friends. She felt guilty because of her mother’s sacrifices, and it is very strange that they never seemed to quarrel – Aurelia was always dominated by her daughter.

Plath also struggled financially – she was desperately poor. She pinched her pennies, and she didn’t let poverty stop her from having good experiences.

Andrew Wilson started anew. Instead of relying on old material, he started a fresh correspondence with Plath’s friends and huge kudos to him for finding the enigmatic Richard Sassoon. This book makes it appear that Hughes was a choice rather than the love of Plath’s life, as he was forgotten after they met (but Hughes was besotted). After being rejected by Sassoon, Plath made a decision to concentrate on Hughes.

No matter the biographies and critics that attempt to destroy her, dissect her, or explain her, the fact is that Plath is a genius. Her sheer life force was breathtaking despite setbacks, mental illness, poverty and heartbreak.

A very engaging read.

Some may argue that this book casts Sylvia in a rather negative light, but I found it an interesting new testament to the wonder that was Sylvia Plath pre-Ted Hughes. Andrew Wilson makes an interesting argument regarding Sylvia’s rejection from a summer writing course at Harvard, which we now know remains one of the factors leading to her crack up in the summer of 1953.

I’m a fan of both poetry and biography. I must admit that I wondered how it would be possible to find anything new to write about Sylvia Plath. After all, there are several biographies on this woman, as well as her own journals. In addition, “The Bell Jar” is based on her well known breakdown and her poems draw on her life. I was very pleased to find out that the author, Andrew Wilson, managed to access new sources. He tracked down Richard Sassoon, who had remained reclusive and hidden until this point. I was thrilled to find that Eddie Cohen, Plath’s pen pal was prominent in this biography. Eddie has always reminded me of the pen pals of my youth; before the age of texting and when letters were carefully thought out things. His insights into her personality are revealing and honest. Andrew Wilson has also spoken to one of her boyfriends who states that Plath had issues prior to the oft reported breakdown of the “Mademoiselle” summer: she tried to cut her throat when she was fairly young. It was not a serious attempt, but this gives credence to a diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder. As I read this book, which focuses on her early years, Plath is revealed as a woman who, despite her extreme intelligence, is desperate to have male attention to define herself. However, at the same time, she fears that marriage and children will limit her creative drive. I find it hard to see her as the same person that wrote poems such as “Munich Mannequins.” It’s almost as though this younger version of herself were a different person. In the interviews, some people state that they felt that she wore a mask; that she was always acting. Was this to please her mother who expected so much? Was it because she was a perfectionist? This book comes closest to answering those questions of all that I have read.

What can I say, there is just not enough of Sylvia Plath in the world.

Plath was the most extreme, deeply and harshly honest writer that I have ever read. Her words are raw and cut deep. If you haven’t read her poems, do yourself a favor and treat yourself to them. Your life will be much better having read them.

Andrew Wilson has written a thoroughly researched book on Sylvia Plath’s early years, and has also drawn much-needed attention to her early poems. I read Bell Jar and Ariel, and this work did make a lot of the inner turmoil of this poet much clearer. It makes a re-read of her poems fascinating but also a little voyeuristic, I admit I was a little uncomfortable with how deeply we have mined her personal life for every detail.
It does seem that Plath *wanted* people to know about her personal life, apparently writing her diary with the expectation that it would be read. So in a way she invited the crowd into her parlor, but I still wonder. While these details about her do give us a perspective on her poetry that she may have wanted, I think in some ways it also makes her work less beautiful – you don’t need to know the poet to treasure the work. A bit of mystery disappears with it, and Plath was nothing if not a deeply flawed, confused person who was seemingly not easy to like. Andrew Wilson has nonetheless done a wonderful job, and written a great, hard to put down book.

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