American Literature

The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature The Oxford Companion to American Literature Further reading

Bell Jar, The

The Oxford Companion to American Literature | 1995 | | Copyright

Bell Jar, The, novel by Sylvia Plath, published (1963) under the pseudonym Victoria Lucas, and under her own name in 1966. The story is based on the author's own experiences.

Esther Greenwood, a 19‐year‐old Smith College student, during a summer internship working for a fashion magazine in New York undergoes a series of experiences that leave her unable to cope with competition, professional and personal, and cause her to attempt suicide. Assisted to a private institution by Philomena Guinea, the woman who had provided her college scholarship, she recovers, makes peace with a high‐school boyfriend, is liberated by a sexual experience, and returns recovered to college.

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James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Bell Jar, The." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Bell Jar, The." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O123-BellJarThe.html

James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Bell Jar, The." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O123-BellJarThe.html

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