Poetry Friday June 24, 2022: My Deep Dive into Plath Poetry
This week’s Poetry Friday host is Reading to the Core. Hop on over there for the roundup.
Deep Dive into Plath Poetry
I mentioned the fact that I was reading Sylvia Plath’s poems when I wrote about the “Spring Break of Sylvia Plath,” but I wanted to add more about this collection specifically.
Before this deep dive into Sylvia’s life, I really had not read much of her poetry. I took my daughter to a small Sylvia Plath exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery a few years ago.
One thing I liked about this collection is that is arranged by when she wrote the poems. As I read Red Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath, the biography of Plath’s life, it was interesting to see what was happening in her life as she wrote these poems. Poems from her early years are relegated to the back as “Juvenilia,” which bothered me a bit. I assume because they weren’t as good as her other poems? At least according to Ted Hughes.
I’ll be totally honest, I didn’t understand some of the poems. Some were very accessible and some were not (at least for me). I took notes on each poem as part of my three-a-day ritual, and I also jotted down notes about words I didn’t know. I expect that poetry written a hundred or more years ago would have language I wouldn’t necessarily understand, but I was surprised poems written in the 1950s and 1960s would have so much.
However, one thing I noticed that I repeatedly wrote down is that she is a master of sound: assonance, consonance, alliteration. She does that well and that is most of what I wrote down. Occasionally, I wrote down how she used a word in an interesting and unexpected way.
Overall, I enjoyed doing a deep dive into poetry and life of a poet. If you know of any other poet biography and collected poems pairings, let me know.
Haiku of the Week
spent blooms
brittle rattle in the breeze
flower skeletons
Photo and Haiku © 2022 Marcie Flinchum Atkins
16 Comments
Dave Roller
I liked your deep dive into EVM, and I adored your haiku! I am about to embark on a similar journey with Dorothy L. Sayers. I just read her first Peter Wimsey novel, Whose Body, earlier this month. I had read other ones but never that one. I have ordered her complete poetry from inter library loan and when that comes I will also be listening to Dorothy L. Sayers A Biography: Death, Dante, and Lord Peter Wimsey. When I am finished with that I plan to read a book about her friendship with my favorite author C.S. Lewis.
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Oh that sounds so interesting!
Linda Baie
I don’t understand somepoems I read, know they are verypersonal and perhaps meant just for them. I admire that you are closely looking, Marcie. I have a few “spent blooms” around the house, beauty all on their own.
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Glad to know I’m not the only one who doesn’t always “get” all of the poems.
Laura Purdie Salas
I love your haiku, Marcie. I haven’t read a lot of Plath, and I’m not a huge fan of what I’ve read. I admire your studies!
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Whew! That makes me feel better!
Alan j Wright
To deep dive into the work of another poet is both illuminating and worthwhile, Marcie. I applaud your respectful research into Sylvia Plath’s writing life, her poetry and her life in general. I did a similar thing with the poetry of Leonard Cohen a few years back when my wife bought me a biography/ poetry collection. I gained much in the way of appreciation for the influences on his writing. It helped inform my own writing, particularly around observation of everyday matters.
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
So cool! I have been reading lots of Aimee Nezhukumatahil, but she’s so contemporary that there’s no bio of her yet.
Linda Mitchell
oooooh! brittle rattle is fantastic! And, you always inspire me with your curiosity and devotion to craft. Well done.
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Thanks, Linda!
janice scully
I’ve never explored Plath’s work, though I think I’ve read a few poems now and again. You’ve encouraged me to look deeper. Jotting down discoveries as you read her poems is a great idea! I could hear the dried flowers in your haiku! Nice work.
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Thank you, Janice!
Mary Lee
Ooh…”brittle rattle”!! So fun to say out loud!! I’m thinking your Sylvia Plath deep dive is peeking through here!
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Yay! Well, that’s good because I love the sounds of her poetry the most. 🙂
Catherine Flynn
Thank you for sharing your insights into Sylvia Plath. I’ve never been a fan, but, to be fair, haven’t read much more than the poems I read in college. I love the “brittle rattle” of your “flower skeletons.” I have a whole bed of poppy seed pods that need tending to!
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Thank you, Catherine!