Strictly narrative

[altariel]

Turning away from difficult issues, I'm internally debating the ethics of going to see Sylvia. It's hard not to take into account what Frieda Hughes has written:

"Now they want to make a film
For anyone lacking the ability
To imagine the body, head in oven
Orphaning children."

***

I really enjoy my offline reading group, but we decided at the outset not to read classics, in which I am woefully under-read. There should be a reading group for people hastily trying to fill the gaps in their reading. A sort of mutual support group in response to that game in that David Lodge novel, where all the English Lit academics admit to the most gaping hole in their reading.

***

And, thirdly:

Comments

Re:

[altariel.livejournal.com]

IIRC, the trailer went: smoky, ill-lit party -- biking, punting, generic scenes of Cambridge gaiety -- frolicking on beach -- vicious arguing in London flat after Hughes has stayed out late. There may well be some daffodils and stencilling in the rest of it!

Re:

[the-wild-iris.livejournal.com]

generic scenes of Cambridge gaiety

That brings back horrible memories of Paul Anderson's bad Plath biography, Rough Magic, which describes the bar where S & T met as being 'on campus'. Clearly familiar with the place.

Re:

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Hehehe! I'll remember to avoid that one.

Re:

[the-wild-iris.livejournal.com]

It also includes the little-known fact that Ted once tried to strangle Sylvia. Definitely best avoided.

The best book on them I've read so far isn't any of the Plath biographies, but Janet Malcolm's study of the biographies, The Silent Woman. She says some interesting things both about biographical bias and the subjects themselves, and treats them common-sensically as human beings with understandable issues, rather than taking up either the 'Plath-as-victim' or 'Plath-as-self-dramatizing-fantasist' lines. That one is worth reading.

Re:

[altariel.livejournal.com]

That sounds extremely interesting - thank you for the recommendation.