With this startling, exhilarating book of poems, which was first published in 1960, Sylvia Plath burst into literature with spectacular force. In s...
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May 28, 2011
Steve
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The Colossus is the coldest collection of summer poetry you will ever read. I’m certain this paradox was intentional. Moles, maggots, cadavers, suicides, dead snakes, dead things in the surf, dead things on the shore, dead things out in the water, etc., there were times I was bit numbed out by all of it. For the first third of the collection, I initially felt the influence of Robert Lowell to be obvious in some of the poems (“Point Shirley,” “Hardcastle Crags”). Now I’m not so sure. Yes, Pl
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Apr 07, 2008
Brent
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Perhaps I shouldn't have tried to read The Colossus all at once. It's had, it's had an, it's made me. . . I'm sorry, I have to sit down and start again.
Perhaps I shouldn't have tried to read The Colossus all at once. The poems are too rich, too sensual and filling. It was like trying to eat a plateful of prime rib, that's been covered in dark chocolate and deep fried. Delicious, but.
And all the hard words! I don't mean hard like palustral is hard, as in hard to understa More...
Perhaps I shouldn't have tried to read The Colossus all at once. The poems are too rich, too sensual and filling. It was like trying to eat a plateful of prime rib, that's been covered in dark chocolate and deep fried. Delicious, but.
And all the hard words! I don't mean hard like palustral is hard, as in hard to understa More...
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Jun 10, 2009
Steven
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Sylvia Plath is a well reputed poet, dying at too early an age, silencing her poetic voice. This book represents one of her early works.
Her poetry is not beautiful or lyrical or elegiac. There is a hardness, almost a clinical coldness, to the verses, and some dark themes recur. And some odd poems based on intriguingly selected facts.
Of the latter. . . . A stone coffin from the 4th century AD in Cambridge (England) contains skeletons of a woman, a mouse, and a shrew. The More...
Her poetry is not beautiful or lyrical or elegiac. There is a hardness, almost a clinical coldness, to the verses, and some dark themes recur. And some odd poems based on intriguingly selected facts.
Of the latter. . . . A stone coffin from the 4th century AD in Cambridge (England) contains skeletons of a woman, a mouse, and a shrew. The More...
Jul 25, 2009
Katie
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Have this book on your bedside table for those lonely, stormy nights when you want to hide underneath your covers and read something dark and meaningful. Sylvia's a beautiful writer - there's no denying I'm a fan. I like that we get to see inside her nightmares, and subsequently, our own. My copy of this collection is filled with annotations in the margins, creased pages, and wear and tear from constant use. Many of the poems are plain out disturbing and you're not going to get a 'feel good' exp
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Apr 15, 2009
Matt
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"Prime rib covered in dark chocolate"? "Comes from the darkest crevices of herself"? Shudder... It's sentiments like these which contribute to our culture's overwhelming indifference (perhaps even resentment)towards poetry. Poetry isn't wussy, it's not some superfluous thing which can only be grasped by the suicidal-chic. Plath's poetry is frankly, a lot more than that. Yes, there's pain. There is some death. But there's also tranquility, poignancy,and, more times than not, a
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Jul 23, 2011
Teni
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Beautiful. I have always been drawn to Plath's poetry, and it was a nice break to read some of her earlier poems, before things get too dark. So rich, such vivid imagery, and a pleasure for the tongue to roll over her words. One of my favourite lines is from "Mushrooms" - "soft fists insist..." - I can say it over and over again, it's so pleasing. Not a book to read in one sitting, I read a few poems each day, taking the time to read each poem at least twice - once to get the
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Mar 21, 2010
Jamie
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Poor Colossus. I've never given the collection much credit; like many, I was rather blinded by the incandescence of the Ariel poems, and tended to think of this book as a sort of worksheet preparing for those late poems. But that isn't an entirely fair assessment. Sure, some of the poems here feel like drafts for what would come later ("Man In Black" seems to predict "Medusa," "Moonrise" feels like the exercise that enabled her to write "Blackberrying")
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Sep 11, 2007
Jenna
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"The Colossus," from what I understand, was Plath's first published collection of poetry. During this early phase of Plath's career, she still treated the act of writing poetry as a laborious and painstaking process, often diligently looking up words in the thesaurus and then inserting many synonyms of one word into a single composition. This rather pedantic attitude toward poetry shows in these poems, many of which devoutly adhere to difficult rhyme schemes (albeit frequently using
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Jul 26, 2011
Stuart
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It's a cliche, but Plath's poems, though very readable, are depressing. Her pre-occupation with decay, failure and death becomes overwhelming if you read too many at a time. Still, she's got an undeniable way with words and some of her images are so striking they stick with you for days. Just don't read too much at once, and don't hope for much in the way of uplifting observations or poignant meditation.
Jan 27, 2011
Everett
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Where the Ariel era blew my mind, this collection rarely provoked any feeling- of course some gems (Medallion, Blue Moles) and some forshadowing cast into the Ariel era (Everlasting Monday) appeared, and Plath does display her talent for allusion, rhyme, and syntax. Though comparing the early and late periods of Plath, I stand firmly with the latter.
Jul 12, 2010
Rachel
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In my mind, Sylvia Plath cannot be challenged by any other poet. Acerbic, clean and unerringly modern, she has very little in common with those she is often filed away with- Dorothy Parker, Anne Sexton, and even Edna St. Vincent Millay. That's not to say that those ladies aren't great in their own right (I own most of their poetry); it's just that Sylvia is, in my opinion, different. Each read produces a new level of understanding- revisiting this book will never get old.
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Jul 20, 2011
Shona
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I found these haunting. Plath takes nature like other poets have, but she instead opts to show us the darker, bleaker (yet intense) side.
I do not feel as connected to this collection as I am with Ariel but there is no doubt of her brilliance. Her poetry is like a slow, night-time walk inside her mind and sometimes the things that lurk there are frightening; frightening but beautiful.
My favourite from this collection is Medallion.
I do not feel as connected to this collection as I am with Ariel but there is no doubt of her brilliance. Her poetry is like a slow, night-time walk inside her mind and sometimes the things that lurk there are frightening; frightening but beautiful.
My favourite from this collection is Medallion.
Jan 24, 2010
J. Argyl
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I had to read this collection slowly and out loud. In the moments when I would just begin to casually read I knew that I was glossing over work that demanded more focused attention. I was never let down when I slowed down and really let the poem breathe.
It has been too long for me to really give a detailed review but I remember loving the following poems: "Two Views of a Cadaver Room", "The Colossus", and "The Companionable Ills".
It has been too long for me to really give a detailed review but I remember loving the following poems: "Two Views of a Cadaver Room", "The Colossus", and "The Companionable Ills".
Aug 09, 2011
Evelyn
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Plath's first volume of published poetry is miserable and filled with references of death. I thought it was wonderful. My favourites in this collection are 'The Manor Garden', 'All The Dead Dears', 'Blue Moles' and the epic 'Poem for a Birthday'.
Sep 19, 2011
Katrina
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Studying---Medusa, the Diquieting Muses, and Lady Lazarus for Women Writers of the 20th Century class.
I really want tho get her journal book and the collected letters btw her and her mother. Whoa.
I really want tho get her journal book and the collected letters btw her and her mother. Whoa.
Aug 15, 2011
Amy
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Lots of vivid imagery as well as some interesting word choice.
This is a nice set of poems. However, I think I prefer Ariel.
This is a nice set of poems. However, I think I prefer Ariel.
Aug 06, 2011
I love Sylvia Plath! Her poems are amazing, and I adore this as much as her other poems.
Jun 02, 2011
Peycho
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Well, not exactly my kind of poetry. If we are talking of great poetry written by a woman I prefer Wisława Szymborska or let's say Emily Dickinson, of course. Plath's husband was the better poet.
Nov 26, 2010
Sara
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I do like Sylvia Plath quite a lot, but this is not my favorite collection of her work.
Jan 13, 2009
Wes
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written back when she was still kinda happy, maybe only bothered at times...
Dec 29, 2007
there are a milliuon different women who know how to hack out a 'goddamn it sucks to be alive' tome.
fuckj shit, sylvia, but there is so much more out there, and so many more hardcore bitches that didn't stick their heads in an oven because a waspy, pointy man left their moody asses.
pre-teen girls worldwide....down...not accross. if you actually want to live or die with more glamour...find anne sexton.
or skills. skills are nice. once you have them, you forget why y More...
fuckj shit, sylvia, but there is so much more out there, and so many more hardcore bitches that didn't stick their heads in an oven because a waspy, pointy man left their moody asses.
pre-teen girls worldwide....down...not accross. if you actually want to live or die with more glamour...find anne sexton.
or skills. skills are nice. once you have them, you forget why y More...
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Sep 22, 2010
Stephanie (The Night Bookmobile)
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I recommend reading Ariel instead but there are still some winners in this bunch.
Feb 03, 2012
Mark
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This was more varied in topics than I imagined it would be after taking the Madwomen Poets class. I certainly wouldn't say there was much, if anything, upbeat about it but it was nowhere near as dark as I expected.Plath has some beautifully descriptive language on exhibit here. I find myself noticing this kind of language use more and more, which hopefully will make it easier to start incorporating some into my own poetry.
