Sylvia Plath

Sample Lesson - Introduction

Lesson 1.01: A Study in Esthers

When you read a story told in first-person, stay on guard. Why? Because the narrator has all the control and can say whatever he or she wants. Keep this in mind as we follow the trials and travails of Ms. Esther Greenwood. She can be a teensy bit unreliable at times.

According to our sources, neither Sylvia nor Esther were ever in this illustration.
(Source)

Okay, okay, sometimes more than a bit.

Unreliable narrators are the spice of life, though, right? It's Esther's quirks (and her obvious character flaws) that make The Bell Jar such a memorable read. We're not saying that you have to like her. In fact, there may be parts of the story where it's nearly impossible to do so. Remember that you're catching her at a rough time in her life.

You know the old saying "it's always darkest before the dawn"? Yeah. That's about where Esther's at, so we should cut her some slack.

We're going to mention this right off the bat: Esther's life is suspiciously similar to the life and times of Sylvia Plath herself. "Write what you know" is common advice for writers, but Plath goes for it more explicitly than most in The Bell Jar.

Who were these scary-smart and sometimes-very-sad ladies? What were their lives like and why should we care? Get out your magnifying glass and Steno pads, Super Literary Sleuths. We're on the case.

Sample Lesson - Reading

Reading 1.1.01: Chapters 1 – 3 of The Bell Jar

What were we going on about in the introduction?

We know, we know. You don't know much about Sylvia Plath or Esther Greenwood yet. You're about to, though.

First, read this short biography of Sylvia Plath from the smart folks at the Poetry Foundation. This should give you a good overview of

• the major stuff that happened in Plath's life.
• the impact that stuff had on her writing.
• some of the things that critics and scholars have been saying about the woman and her writing since her death in 1963.

Then go ahead and read Chapters 1 – 3 in The Bell Jar (Modern Classics), which can decorate your bookshelf forever if you buy it. Otherwise, you can borrow it from your local public library. 

These beginning chapters open with Esther trying to navigate the high society whirlwind of her internship in New York. We'll see how Esther resists this hoity-toity world but is also sometimes swept away by it. Plath lets us get to know Esther before it all goes downhill for her.

When you're done reading the chapters, check out Shmoop's chapter summaries to solidify what you just read:

• Chapter 1
• Chapter 2
• Chapter 3

This lesson's activity starts as you read, so check out Step One before you jump in. 

Sample Lesson - Activity

Activity 1.01a: To Track a Protagonist: Character Journal

This is the way we track a character: like sleuths on CSI: Miami, or psychologists documenting a case study (or maybe like a student forming a thoughtful opinion—weird, we know). As you're reading, keep a Word document open on your computer (or use a paper notebook if you're old school).

Sample Lesson - Activity