钟形罩

by Sylvia Plath, 西尔维娅·普拉斯, 杨靖 (Translator)

《钟形罩》讲述埃斯特是波士顿一所大学的全优生，获得了在纽约一家时尚杂志的实习机会。她却对纽约的生活充满了疑惑，无数的可能性让她无法确定未来，也无法回到从前她认为安全的生活状态。埃斯特最后决定当一名作家，但是却在道德、行为和自我意识的矛盾中挣扎。在这部感人至深的自传性小说中，西尔维娅·普拉斯回顾了她年轻时所经历的失望、愤怒、压抑、最终的崩溃以及后来的治疗过程，充满了让人震撼的智慧和令人心碎的坦诚。

254 pages, Paperback

Published March 1, 2014

About the author

Sylvia Plath was an American poet, novelist, and short story writer, widely regarded as one of the most influential and emotionally powerful authors of the 20th century. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, she demonstrated literary talent from an early age, publishing her first poem at the age of eight. Her early life was shaped by the death of her father, Otto Plath, when she was eight years old, a trauma that would profoundly influence her later work.
Plath attended Smith College, where she excelled academically but also struggled privately with depression. In 1953, she survived a suicide attempt, an experience she later fictionalized in her semi-autobiographical novel The Bell Jar. After recovering, she earned a Fulbright Scholarship to study at Newnham College, Cambridge, in England. While there, she met and married English poet Ted Hughes in 1956. Their relationship was passionate but tumultuous, with tensions exacerbated by personal differences and Hughes's infidelities.
Throughout her life, Plath sought to balance her ambitions as a writer with the demands of marriage and motherhood. She had two children with Hughes, Frieda and Nicholas, and continued to write prolifically. In 1960, her first poetry collection, The Colossus and Other Poems, was published in the United Kingdom. Although it received modest critical attention at the time, it laid the foundation for her distinctive voice—intensely personal, often exploring themes of death, rebirth, and female identity.
Plath's marriage unraveled in 1962, leading to a period of intense emotional turmoil but also extraordinary creative output. Living with her two children in London, she wrote many of the poems that would posthumously form Ariel, the collection that would cement her literary legacy. These works, filled with striking imagery and raw emotional force, displayed her ability to turn personal suffering into powerful art. Poems like "Daddy" and "Lady Lazarus" remain among her most famous, celebrated for their fierce honesty and technical brilliance.
In early 1963, following a deepening depression, Plath died by suicide at the age of 30. Her death shocked the literary world and sparked a lasting fascination with her life and work. The posthumous publication of Ariel in 1965, edited by Hughes, introduced Plath's later poetry to a wide audience and established her as a major figure in modern literature. Her novel The Bell Jar was also published under her own name shortly after her death, having initially appeared under the pseudonym "Victoria Lucas."
Plath’s work is often classified within the genre of confessional poetry, a style that emphasizes personal and psychological experiences. Her fearless exploration of themes like mental illness, female oppression, and death has resonated with generations of readers and scholars. Over time, Plath has become a feminist icon, though her legacy is complex and occasionally controversial, especially in light of debates over Hughes's role in managing her literary estate and personal history.
Today, Sylvia Plath is remembered not only for her tragic personal story but also for her immense contributions to American and English literature. Her work continues to inspire writers, artists, and readers worldwide. Collections such as Ariel, Crossing the Water, and Winter Trees, as well as her journals and letters, offer deep insight into her creative mind. Sylvia Plath’s voice, marked by its intensity and emotional clarity, remains one of the most haunting and enduring in modern literature.

Reviews

[Hui Wang]

前半截还可以 对感知有极其精准细微的描写 直觉力和比喻力都是一流天赋 女性自我觉醒的主题 后半截意料之中 并没有更深入 总的来说 二十多岁写的书 适合二十多岁的人读 尤其是女性

[Wenjing Fan · Rating 4 out of 5]

很心碎，结合作者的经历就更心碎了。读的时候我在想，也许这本书比《醒来的女性》更适合作为入门女性主义的作品。因为不是所有女性都会成为妻子与母亲，但每个女性都曾因女性身份而被压抑。不过，谁会想那这么悲伤又心碎的故事来作为女权主义的入门呢？虽说总会告诉自己不要被弱女叙事所引导、要相信一切所坚持的都是有用的，可依旧还会为百个世纪前这样的故事而心痛。

[vanillafrost · Rating 3 out of 5]

相隔了近一百年，可是很多内容和情感依然能relate，这一点我很喜欢。不过，大约60%处后面的内容就能理解却无法看下去。

[Lyta Li · Rating 4 out of 5]

健全人別寫書評，煩死了