| Description |
Thus began Sylvia Plath's last poem titled, "Edge." Six days later, on February 11, 1963, Sylvia Plath committed suicide. She was 31, married, and had two small children. Outwardly her life appeared to be a grand success. So why did she kill herself? It is this question that has obscured Sylvia Plath's merit as a modern American poet. Immediately after her death, critics and psychologists latched onto her poetry as a means of deciphering her mysterious life. Her suicide became the issue, not her poetry. Another contingent of readers, composed largely of women, sprang up at the same time. This fan club viewed Plath's works strictly on an emotional level and used her poems as evidence that the oppressive, male dominated, and stifling world of the 1960's had swallowed up this capable poet. In their eyes, Plath became a feminist martyr of her day. |
