reading all books referenced on Gilmore girls
Synopsis:
Sylvia Plath's shocking, realistic, and intensely emotional novel about a woman falling into the grip of insanity
Esther Greenwood is brilliant, beautiful, enormously talented, and successful, but slowly going under—maybe for the last time. In her acclaimed and enduring masterwork, Sylvia Plath brilliantly draws the reader into Esther's breakdown with such intensity that her insanity becomes palpably real, even rational—as accessible an experience as going to the movies. A deep penetration into the darkest and most harrowing corners of the human psyche, The Bell Jar is an extraordinary accomplishment and a haunting American classic.
Fun Stuff:
GalleyCat: The Bell Jar Cover Inspires Online Parodies
Let's set the scene...
In her attempts to get over her first love, Rory decides to try to play nice with the Chilton Heathers.
Lorelai: Madeline’s having a party.
Rory: I’m going to go.
Lorelai: You’re going to a Chilton party?
Rory: Yes I am.
Lorelai: Honey, why don’t you just stay home and read ‘The Bell Jar’? Same effect.
My thoughts:
After having recently read The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath, you realize just how autobiographicalThe Bell Jar is. Plath shares her own descent into madness and the self-recrimination and eventual apathy that comes with it. You get a great glimpse into the mind of a young girl, who seemingly has the world on a string at a tender age. Winning awards, receiving prestigious writing internships... and you realize that even all of the accolades and accomplishments in the world can not stave off mental illness. I love the humor with which Plath tells her story- given the not-so-humorous subject matter. It is heartbreaking to realize that the bell jar eventually did descend upon this prolific writer after the publication of this book... ending a very promising career and life.
Who do I see reading this in the Stars Hollow gazebo?
Rory is constantly striving for an understanding of the human condition... even if she has yet to live broadly. She knows her world is a little myopic and she yearns to understand the motivations of all types of personalities.
