I always thought her poetry was much ado about nothing. Yes, I dare say that I think Plath wasn’t that great of a poet. Her husband - scumbag philanderer and all - was a better poet and he didn’t impress me much either.
If Plath lived she might have been a nobody. And the only reason her son has made headlines is because he offed himself and famous mom selfishly did too.
Pathetic. Sad.
I agree. I had to read her stuff in college. I didn't “get” it at the time, and I still don't. She seemed pretty narcissistic to me. Her life didn't seem particularly hard. She mainly just thought of herself.
I agree, vladimir998. Plath did write some beautiful poems, but no more exceptional than others written at the time. Her suicide made her appeal to a wider audience—gave her ‘anguished’ poetry the ring of authenticity. Plath committed suicide in her kitchen while her two small children slept upstairs; her philandering husband (who WAS a stronger poet than she) promptly moved them in with him and his mistress, Assia Wevill. In 1969, Assia gassed herself AND their small daughter, Shura. I understand that the Hughes kids, Nicholas and Frieda, then spent most of their childhoods in boarding schools. He seemed to have a very lonely upbringing, if you want to call Plath’s abandonment and Hughes’ indifference an upbringing. Poor Nicholas. I saw his photograph a few years ago; he had a strong resemblance to his father. A very handsome young man, and obviously very bright, as well.