#267 | Sylvia Plath’s Classic Novel 'The Bell Jar' Does What ONLY Literature Can Do—Yes, Shots Fired!
Quick SUMMARY:
Douglas Vigliotti explores Sylvia Plath’s novel "The Bell Jar,” discussing the book’s publication history, Plath’s life, the novel’s semi-autobiographical nature, and its themes of mental illness, depression, identity, and societal pressures on women. Vigliotti highlights the powerful metaphor of “The Bell Jar”, shares personal reflections and meaningful quotes, and recommends related literature on mental health. The episode encourages empathy and understanding of our inner lives, emphasizing the importance of kindness.
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TOPICS COVERED IN the EPISODE:
Introduction to the Podcast and Newsletter (00:09) - Douglas introduces "Books for Men," this episode’s book, and mentions the monthly companion newsletter.
About Sylvia Plath and Publication History (01:26) - Background on Sylvia Plath, her poetry, the novel’s publication timeline, and thoughts on posthumous awards.
Plath’s Life, Mental Illness, and The Bell Jar’s Release (02:49) - Plath’s struggles with mental illness, her death, and the semi-autobiographical nature and publication journey of The Bell Jar.
Plot Overview and Main Themes (04:06) - Summary of Esther Greenwood’s story, her depression, and the novel’s exploration of identity, societal pressure, and mental illness.
Autofiction and the Real/Fiction Interplay (05:16) - Discussion of autofiction, the blurred lines between Plath’s life and fiction, and the book’s thematic resonance.
The Bell Jar Metaphor and Literary Impact (06:26) - Explanation of the bell jar metaphor, the novel’s emotional truth, and literature’s unique ability to convey interior life.
Empathy, Mental Illness, and Related Recommendations (07:46) - Reflection on empathy, the importance of understanding others’ struggles, and a recommendation of "Darkness Visible" by William Styron.
Quotes from The Bell Jar and Life Choices (08:56) - Douglas shares and discusses two impactful quotes from The Bell Jar about depression and the difficulty of making life choices.
Closing Remarks and Contact Information (10:12) - Encouragement to subscribe, contact details, mention of Douglas’s new book, and a final thank you to listeners.
Podcast Information and Newsletter Reminder (11:14) - Final reminder about the podcast’s website and the monthly newsletter.
READ THE TRANSCRIPT:
Welcome back to Books for Men, a podcast to inspire more men to read and bring together men who do so. This week, I have an interesting piece of literary fiction to share with you. It couldn't be more different than the book that I shared with you last week, which is why I am sharing it with you. So it originally came out in 1963 under a pen name, and then was officially published under the author's real name in 1967, but not until 1971, in the United States. And I will explain a little bit more about that. The book's title is “The Bell Jar” by Sylvia Plath, and it is around 240 pages or so. But before I tell you any more about the author, the book, and some of my larger takeaways, why I think you should read this book, why it's so important, and why I am sharing it with you. All of that good stuff. I did want to just quickly remind you about the companion newsletter that goes out once a month with this podcast, and that just rounds up all of the episodes from that month, complete with full book and author information, episode summaries, all of my favorite quotes, as well as additional book recommendations and some helpful links.
01:26 - So if you're interested in learning more about that, or perhaps signing up for it, then all you have to do is visit the website BooksforMen.org. All right, so now let me turn back to the work at hand. And as always, I like to first start with the author. She is mostly known for her poetry. And in fact, this book that I am sharing with you today was her only novel. It's a story that has impacted millions and has made significant contributions to the so-called literary canon. Her poetry, though, like the book I am sharing with you today, is somewhat confessional and deals with the complex Interiority of being a woman, a style that she most came to be known for. I have only read a small percentage of her poetry, so I can't comment on it deeply, but she was awarded a Pulitzer for it posthumously in 1982. If I'm being honest, I always get a little bit conflicted about awarding prestigious honors long after someone's death. On one hand, I get it, you want to reward greatness or impact, but on the other hand, I always question: why does it take someone's death to realize this? And is death the influential thing that makes that award so, so to speak? But that's here, nor there.
02:49 - And it's not meant to demean Plath or her impact, obviously, because I am sharing this with you, and I think you should read it. It's just a larger thought that I've had multiple times in other instances. So, sadly, Plath took her own life at the age of 30. Not long after this book was published, she succumbed to a lifelong battle with mental illness. And although I don't like to define people through their shortcomings or disorders or weaknesses or however you want to define it, it is essential to the book that I am sharing with you today. After struggling to find a publisher in the US, she originally published “The Bell Jar” under the pen name Victoria Lucas in 1963, which is something that I mentioned at the top of this episode, mostly because it was supposedly semi-autobiographical, so it wasn't until her death it was published in her real name, 1967, and then eventually in the States in 1971, where it became an instant bestseller. It's almost like the female version of “The Catcher in the Rye”, which, of course, I did an episode on, and I will link that up in the show notes, although I think there are some key differences between those two books, but you should definitely go read it and form your own opinion.
04:06 - I'm not going to get into those right now. Where it's definitely similar is that in its sadness and desperation, there is so much truth baked into it. In a way, this is heartbreaking, but I am getting a bit ahead of myself. So let me tell you a little more about the story. So meet Esther Greenwood, a young college student who wins a prestigious scholarship or internship at a New York City magazine, and you follow her journey as she becomes disenchanted by the glamour of city life and slowly descends into a deep depression. There are a lot of flashbacks as well into previous times in her life, but this depression is one that sees her withdraw from daily life, attempt multiple suicides, and eventually results in hospitalization. Now, I'm not going to share much more about the plot, because I don't want to ruin the story for you. But thematically, the novel, as you might suspect, does deal with some pretty heavy topics like identity, pressure to fit in, especially as a woman in a patriarchal society.
05:16 - Anxiety, suicide, mental illness, stigma, recovery. And of course, there is this overriding theme of the parallel nature of our protagonist, Esther, and our author, Sylvia's lives. So, like a lot of autofiction that I've shared on this podcast, some lean more memoir and some lean more novel; it's always interesting to see how an author handles that interplay of real and fake nonfiction and fiction, or more specifically, their life and what they write on the page. You know, it's there in some context, but you can't figure out exactly what is what. And to be honest, I'm not even sure it really matters. It's just an interesting lens to read this novel and more specifically, inform the life of Sylvia Plath and more broadly, of course, the themes that I just identified moments ago. For me, this book is a great example of how one great metaphor that resonates so deeply with so many people can carry an entire book. So I'm speaking about the title itself, “The Bell Jar”.
06:26 - It is in reference to the feeling one has who is battling through a bout of depression, as in your living inside of a bell jar so you can see the outer world, but it's distorted, and you are so suffocated that nothing appears as it should. And of course, I'm being overly reductive. The novel does a much better job at conveying the emotional truth of this nature. Perhaps the biggest reason why you should read it. And in a sense, this book does what only literature can do because of the intimacy that is packed into the form. No other form can dissect the interior life of a human being like literature. And even in its brevity, this book is what I believe to be a grade. An example of that, and reading it will only make you more empathetic to not just women, but anyone who battles with depression or mental illness. This is a topic that I feel like I've covered in a myriad of ways on the podcast, mostly because I think it's so pervasive and at the same time, so important for us to keep in our mind's eye when we are dealing with people.
07:46 - It's books like this that often remind me of a mantra that I like to live by, and that is the person you see is not the person you are talking to. What we see is the exterior, but every human walking on this earth has an interior life that is far more vast than I am capable of understanding in the brief interaction that I have with that person. And it's just a good reminder for myself, and I hope I can convey it to all of you to be kind to people, because there's just so much going on beneath the surface that you are not privy to. One of the great books that I've shared on this podcast deals specifically with mental illness and depression. More specifically, it is “Darkness Visible: A Memoir of Madness” by William Styron. I will link it up in the show notes. It's one of the more visceral and on-the-nose depictions of the disorder that I've ever read. All right, so I think you have a pretty good understanding of what “The Bell Jar” is all about.
08:56 - And now I will end this episode with just 1 or 2 quotes to tie a bow on everything, one that specifically speaks to the metaphor and the title of the book. And Plath writes: “To the person in the bell jar, blank and stopped as a dead baby, the world itself is a bad dream.” And then just this one other quote that I really like from the book that is about the struggle of making choices in life, which I think is something we all can relate to, Plath writes. “I saw my life branching out before me, like the green fig tree in the story, from the tip of every branch, like a fat purple fig. A wonderful future beckoned and winked. I saw myself sitting in the crotch of this fig tree, starving to death just because I couldn't make up my mind which of the figs I would choose. I wanted each and every one of them, but choosing one meant losing all the rest. And as I sat there, unable to decide. The figs began to wrinkle and go black. And one by one they plopped to the ground at my feet.”
10:08 - Oof! What a quote to end this with. All right, so I hope you enjoyed this episode. If you did, I want to remind you to please click subscribe on whatever podcast platform you're listening to this on, because it is the best way for new listeners to find the show and, in return, inspire more men to read. If you want to reach out to me, there are two ways to do so: either on Instagram @DouglasVigliotti. It's the only social media that I have or via my website DouglasVigliotti.com. I also want to remind you that I have a new book out titled “Aristotle for Novelists: 14 Timeless Principles on the Art of Story”. It's not just great for writers, but it's great for anyone trying to tell a story, even if it's you trying to tell a story in your life. If that sounds interesting to you, you could find out more information about it on the website AristotleforNovelists.com. Last but not least, I want to thank you so much for listening. If you want more information on this podcast specifically, which again includes that newsletter I mentioned at the top of this episode, then all you have to do is head over to the website BooksforMen.org
