Title: Your Own, Sylvia: A verse portrait of Sylvia Plath
Author: Stephanie Hemphill
Genre: Poetry
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf, 2007
Awards: 2008 Printz Honor Book
A series of poems that provide a chronological portrait of the life of Sylvia Plath, told in the voices of family members, friends, associates, and others who knew her.
Sylvia Plath was a poet and an author. Her first poem was published when she was eight. She kept a journal from the time she was eleven years old until her death (suicide) in 1963. On the surface, a model daughter, popular in school, earning straight A's, winning the best prizes. However, she was a perfectionist struggling with depression and mental illness.
The book is a little confusing at first. I had a hard time understanding the concept and arrangements of the poems. Were these actual poems Sylvia wrote? Once I got into the rhythm of the book I understood Hemphill wrote these poems in the style of Plath's poems from the perspective of different people who knew Sylvia. There are notes from the author explaining the poem's inspiration or style along the base of the page. I found these notes very interesting and they helped understand the poems.
I am not much of a poetry fan, but I did enjoy this book of poems probably because it read like fiction.
I would recommend this book to high school students who enjoy poetry. I would also recommend it to students who have read the Bell Jar, written by Sylvia Plath. Bell Jar is an autobiographical novel, which chronicles Sylvia's teenage years - her disappointments, anger, depression and eventual breakdown and treatment - with stunning wit and devastating honesty. Books I think girls would tend to read and enjoy this book more than boys.
For a hook I would read one of the final poems which tells of her suicide:
Winter's End
She is determined, ready as a knife,
Her letters sealed.
The hall light smiles, a halo calling her
To flame. She wings into the kitchen,
Spreads mustard on their crustless bread,
Pours two pure white glasses of milk.
She kisses the children's foreheads,
Folds over their sheets.
The streetlamp clicks off.
She opens the window to dawn,
Wedges a towel under the children's door.
Righteous, happy as a rose,
She knows her place in the garden.
Her black petals curl underground.
She tidies her desk, leaves her manuscript,
Ariel and Other Poems, to the moon,
To the world of bone. The sun breaks
Like yolk. It is time.
She unlatches the oven door. The gas
Fills her nostrils, sweet as blood, pungent as a sword.
Wow, this sounds like such a unique book and I can't call to mind anything like it. I do know a bit about Sylvia Plath and would be interested in reading this myself, but I wonder if students would agree? I am sure there are a decent amount of young people, probably mostly girls, who would find this interesting but I wonder if the rest of the majority would be able to get through it. Is there any of Plath's poetry in the book or is it all told through others "voices"?
ReplyDeleteWhat a unique way to present poetry. This sounds like a book that would certainly appeal to girls! I found your book hook very interesting. It has me intrigued about the selection.
ReplyDeleteSlyvia's poems are referenced in the book but there are not any of her actual poems in the book. The book includes a bibliography of her poems and books.
ReplyDeleteI agree that this would not be a book for an average girl. I think one who is really interested in writing or poetry would pick this up.
However, as an adult who does not like poetry, I truly enjoyed this book.
What an interesting concept for a book. Did Hemphill actually speak with the people in Plath's life? Did she reflect their actual feelings and thoughts in the poems or did she write what she thought they might feel and think?
ReplyDeleteI really like the idea that the author has written these poems from the viewpoint of those who knew Sylvia. That is quite interesting...and to write it in her style.
ReplyDeleteWhat would we do without those author's notes sometimes.
The hook is moving. To think about what a woman was thinking before she kills herself...and she had children. Wow!
Mary Ann,
ReplyDeleteThe author took liberties imagining conversations and descriptions and interpreting the feelings of the real people speaking in the poems.
To acquire information for these perspectives she read all of Sylvia's poetry and fiction, and as many of her journals and letters as she was able to get hold of. She also relied on biographers and their interviews with the people who knew Sylvia to fill in the details of her life.
I'd be interested in checking this one out to see the reactions to Plath. We're talking heavy stuff, when it comes to Plath's own work, so how it carries over could be really exciting.
ReplyDeleteI really like the idea that the poems in this book serve to both reflect Sylvia's own writing style and to give fictional insight into her life. It sounds like it would be very interest to read in conjunction with the autobiography you mentioned.
ReplyDeleteDo you think that a student would already need to be interested in Plath or could this serve as an introduction to her?
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like "Becoming Billie Holiday" that I read for my non-fiction in that the book is about a person, but not in that person's words. I loved Sylvia Plath as a teenager. I really connected with her "role" as dutiful daughter, straight-A student, and perfectionist, but never felt good enough inside. She was a friend in high school that I would chat with often.
ReplyDeleteI am only slightly familiar with Sylvia Plath, and have read her poem about her father. I think that this book could be as Dr. Berg mentioned - an introduction to the poet. I would certainly begin there, not having read any of her other works or any book about her life. This would be a great resource for a student who was doing research on the Plath.
ReplyDeleteI think this book would be a good way to introduce Plath. I was not familiar with her until I read this book and in doing so I am interested in reading more of her work.
ReplyDeleteOf course those who enjoy her poems would also enjoy reading "Your Own, Sylvia."
A poetry collection inspired by the life and poetry of someone else? Interesting idea. Not sure if I'd go for it, but there are alot of Plath fans out there who would love it, I'm sure.
ReplyDelete