Reflecting on The Bell Jar (Routledge Revivals)

Synopsis

In the 1950s, America was in the grip of Cold War paranoia and McCarthyism. Communism and ‘gender maladjustment’ were twin threats to the social ideals of family and security. Yet, previous readings of Plath and her heroine have ignored much of the social context of this era.Reflecting on The Bell Jar (first published in 1991) acknowledges this repressive post-war regime of social hygiene. Pat Macpherson’s reading takes into account the fundamental rearrangement of the social contract between citizen and state, built on the newly made connections between national security and mental health. She investigates the trial of the Rosenbergs and its connections with the electrotherapy Plath and her heroine both experience. Macpherson also evaluates the coercive effects of society’s self-imposed inquisitional attitude of surveillance and explores its role in forming female identity. Esther Greenwood, says Macpherson, is the first heroine of our own era of popularized therapeutic culture.As challenging and thought provoking as the novel itself, this book provides a new approach to one of feminism’s most difficult heroines. It will be a fascinating read for students of women’s studies, literature, and cultural studies, and for all those intrigued by the writings of Slyvia Plath.

Copyright:

1991

Book Details

Book Quality:

Publisher Quality

ISBN-13:

9781040185537

Related ISBNs:

9781040185445, 9781003540007, 9781032888569

Publisher:

Taylor & Francis

Date of Addition:

12/06/24

Copyrighted By:

Pat Macpherson

Adult content:

No

Language:

English

Has Image Descriptions:

No

Categories:

Nonfiction, Literature and Fiction, Psychology, Language Arts, Sociology

Submitted By:

Bookshare Staff

Usage Restrictions:

This is a copyrighted book.