The Colossus and Other Poems - Sylvia Plath Review

Title: The Colossus and Other Poems
Author: Sylvia Plath
Genre: Poetry; Classics; Fiction
Goodreads Rating: 4.2/ 5 stars
My Rating: 4/ 5 stars
Pages: 84
Publisher: Vintage Books
Published: May 19, 1998 (Original Publication: 1960)

Summary: With this startling, exhilarating book of poems, which was first published in 1960, Sylvia Plath burst into literature with spectacular force. In such classics as "The Beekeeper's Daughter," "The Disquieting Muses," "I Want, I Want," and "Full Fathom Five," she writes about sows and skeletons, fathers and suicides, about the noisy imperatives of life and the chilly hunger for death. Graceful in their craftsmanship, wonderfully original in their imagery, and presenting layer after layer of meaning, the forty poems in The Colossus are early artifacts of genius that still possess the power to move, delight, and shock.

"Blind to what will be and what was
I dream that I am Oedipus.
What I want back is what I was
Before the brooch-pin and the salve
Fixed me in this parenthesis;
Horses fluent in the wind,
A place a time gone out of mind."

Sylvia Plath became a beloved author of mine after I read her novel, The Bell Jar; a book that still haunts me after three years. Plath also managed to instill in me, a love and hunger for poetry. What makes Plath unforgettable, for me, is how raw her writing is. She wrote from her heart, her soul, and the deepest recesses of her mind without any regard for how people would receive her work. When an individual is as authentic and unfiltered as Plath was, that individual has a story to tell that isn’t triggered by money or fame. Plath could even be regarded as a twentieth century “tortured artist”; to grasp her work in its entirety the reader must be able to see Sylvia Plath for who she was, outside of the spotlight. Plath was the physical embodiment of all that her work represented and continues to represent.

"Though a mist-wraith wound
Up from the fissured valley and hung
shoulder high
Ahead, it fattened
To no family-featured ghost,
Nor did any word body with a name
The blank mood she walked in. Once past
The dream -peopled village, her eyes entertained
no dream,
And the sandman's dust
Lost luster under her footsoles."

This collection of poems is an excellent dose of the writing fans have come to associate with Plath: despair over a father's absence; an individual's tango with suicide or suicidal thoughts; ugly truths of life; the simultaneous desire for and fear of love; and the human obsession with death. While I loved the beauty of Plath's flow and the aesthetic her work creates, I was slightly underwhelmed by and left wanting more from the poetry collection. But, there a few poems that I did fall in love with:

• "The Eye - mote"
• "Hardcastle Crags"
• "Lorelei"
• "The Ghost's Leavetaking"
• "The Beekeeper's Daughter"

This would be an excellent introduction to Plath's work for anyone who is unfamiliar with her writing. The Colossus and Other Poems would also make for a wonderful addition to any of Plath's fans' collections of her work. Whether you choose to down this book in one sitting or to read it over a larger span of time, these poems will be worth every second your time and will leave you with a sense of enlightenment.

"The sun rises under the pillar of your tongue.
My hours are married to shadow."

Until next time! Thank you for stopping by! And if you have yet to do so, follow me here on my blog via email subscription to be able to stay informed on when new posts are uploaded.

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- Anisa

Book Haul

February is ending and I decided to top off my February with a book haul. All four of these books have been on both my TBR list and my mind for quite some time, so I’m ecstatic to finally add them to my shelves. Let me know if you spot any favorites or any books that you’ve been considering picking up!

Title: The Colossus and Other Poems

Author: Sylvia Plath

Genre: Poetry; Classics; Fiction

Goodreads Rating: 4.2/ 5 stars

Pages: 84 (Paperback)

Publisher: Vintage Books

Published: May 19, 1998 (Original Publication: 1960)

Summary: With this startling, exhilarating book of poems, which was first published in 1960, Sylvia Plath burst into literature with spectacular force. In such classics, as "The Beekeeper's Daughter," "The Disquieting Muses," "I Want, I Want," and "Full Fathom Five," she writes about sows and skeletons, fathers and suicides, about the noisy imperatives of life and the chilly hunger for death. Graceful in their craftsmanship, wonderfully original in their imagery, and presenting layer after layer of meaning, the forty poems in The Colossus are early artifacts of genius that still possess the power to move, delight, and shock.

Hate is a strong word, but it does properly convey how much I detest two questions in particular, in regards to reading. Who is your favorite author? What is your favorite book? I feel as though I never have a consistent answer for either one of those questions. Which isn't all that surprising seeing as though in the moment, my favorite author, genre, and book are largely dependent upon my mood. Of course, I have an archive of all-time favorite authors and books, but the favorites that I gravitate towards daily are always subject to change. However, Plath will forever be on my mind and have a place in my heart. Both her as an individual and her writing, have moved me in ways that only great literature can. Not only has she moved me, but she has inspired me time and time again, as well as contributed to the individual and the writer that I have become and am continuing to become.

This past week I wrote up an explication on Sylvia Plath's 1962 poem, "Lady Lazarus", and then presented said explication in my Intro to Literature class. The experience of analyzing and writing about one of my favorite poems by Plath, made me nostalgic and hungry for more of her writing. The Colossus and Other Poems is without a doubt one of my top most anticipated reads to tackle this year.

Title: The Happiness Project: Or, Why I spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun

Author: Gretchen Rubin

Genre: Nonfiction; Self-help; Autobiography; Memoir

Goodreads Rating: 3.57/ 5 stars

Pages: 352 (Paperback)

Publisher: HarperCollins

Published: December 29, 2009

Summary: Gretchen Rubin had an epiphany one rainy afternoon in the unlikeliest of places: a city bus. “The days are long, but the years are short,” she realized. “Time is passing, and I’m not focusing enough on the things that really matter.” In that moment, she decided to dedicate a year to her happiness project.

In this lively and compelling account, Rubin chronicles her adventures during the twelve months she spent test-driving the wisdom of the ages, current scientific research, and lessons from popular culture about how to be happier. Among other things, she found that novelty and challenge are powerful sources of happiness; that money can help buy happiness, when spent wisely; that outer order contributes to inner calm; and that the very smallest of changes can make the biggest difference.

Nonfiction and I tend to not see eye to eye. Reading works of nonfiction often leaves me feeling underwhelmed, frustrated, or even bored. I’ve just never been a huge fan of the technical/mechanical style of writing that many nonfiction authors seem to gravitate towards. However, I do enjoy nonfiction works such as published essays/letters or journals from some of my favorite authors.

Lately, I’ve been intensely proactive about doing all that I can to continue to work towards becoming the best possible version of myself. This endeavor has even extended to finding self-help and self-growth books that could potentially leave me inspired, or open new doors for me, or reveal new paths to take, or supply me with a new healthier mindset. I figured that the coming springtime would be best welcomed with some new self-help and self-growth material.

Title: The Handmaid's Tale

Author: Margaret Atwood

Genre: Fiction; Classics; Science Fiction; Dystopia; Feminism

Goodreads Rating: 4.03/ 5 stars

Pages: 311 (Paperback)

Publisher: Anchor Books

Published: March 16, 1998 (Originally publication: 1986)

Summary: Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She may leave the home of the Commander and his wife once a day to walk to food markets whose signs are now pictures instead of words because women are no longer allowed to read. She must lie on her back once a month and pray that the Commander makes her pregnant, because in an age of declining births, Offred and the other Handmaids are valued only if their ovaries are viable. Offred can remember the years before, when she lived and made love with her husband, Luke; when she played with and protected her daughter; when she had a job, money of her own, and access to knowledge. But all of that is gone now...

Margaret Atwood is an author that I’ve had my eye on for quite some time, but I wasn’t sure which novel I should pick up by her. Atwood has quite a few published novels and stellar high praise for her writing and that combination can make selecting your introduction to said author, intimidating. But, after the mess of politics and social issues in 2016 and the current pitiful political climate in 2017 (all over the world), The Handmaid’s Tale began to pop up in my literary newsfeeds as THE book that everyone, particularly women, should make a point to read this year.

I can’t pass up an opportunity to experience a new author and to also continue to educate myself on social issues, and to add fuel to my hope for a better now and a better future (for all).

Title: Swamplandia!

Author: Karen Russell

Genre: Fiction; Magical Realism; Contemporary; Fantasy

Goodreads Rating: 3.21/ 5 stars

Pages: 400 (Paperback)

Publisher: Vintage Books

Published: July 26, 2011 (Originally publication: January 1, 2011)

Summary: The Bigtree alligator wrestling dynasty is in decline--think Buddenbrooks set in the Florida Everglades--and Swamplandia!, their island home and gator-wrestling theme park, is swiftly being encroached upon by a sophisticated competitor known as the "World of Darkness."

Ava, a resourceful but terrified twelve-year-old, must manage seventy gators and the vast, inscrutable landscape of her own grief. Her mother, Swamplandia!’s legendary headliner, has just died; her sister is having an affair with a ghost called the Dredgeman; her brother has secretly defected to the World of Darkness in a last-ditch effort to keep their sinking family afloat; and her father, Chief Bigtree, is AWOL. To save her family, Ava must journey on her own to a perilous part of the swamp called the "Underworld," a harrowing odyssey from which she emerges a true heroine.

Karen Russell was recommended to me by a friend and trusted fellow reader, about a year ago, and I’m just now getting around to her. I’m a sucker for well written Magical Realism novels so I’m hoping that Russell and I end up becoming fast friends. I’m excited to dive into her work, but I’m not certain on whether I’ll pick up Swamplandia! in spring or if I’ll save it for summer. As of right now, I’m leaning more towards summer but we’ll see!

Until next time! Thank you for stopping by! And if you have yet to do so, follow me here on my blog via email subscription to be able to stay informed on when new posts are uploaded.

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- Anisa

Romeo and Juliet ~ William Shakespeare Review!

Summary: In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare creates a world of violence and generational conflict in which two young people fall in love and die because of that love. The story is rather extraordinary in that the normal problems faced by young lovers are here so very large. It is not simply that the families of Romeo and Juliet disapprove of the lover's affection for each other; rather, the Montagues and the Capulets are on opposite sides in a blood feud and are trying to kill each other on the streets of Verona. Every time a member of one of the two families dies in the fight, his relatives demand the blood of his killer. Because of the feud, if Romeo is discovered with Juliet by her family, he will be killed. Once Romeo is banished, the only way that Juliet can avoid being married to someone else is to take a potion that apparently kills her, so that she is burried with the bodies of her slain relatives. In this violent, death-filled world, the movement of the story from love at first sight to the union of the lovers in death seems almost inevitable.

Pages: 376

Goodreads Rating: 3.73/ 5 stars

Genre: Classics, Drama, Fiction, Literature, Plays, Poetry, Romance, Shakespeare,

"Is love a tender thing? It is too rough,

Too rude, too boisterous, and it pricks like thorn."

~ Romeo

It's been quite a while since I've read Shakespeare, and boy oh boy am I glad that I remedied that situation. Shakespeare's writing is so beautiful: flows wonderfully, detailed and flowery language, and the sense of humor. Oh, the humor. Sex jokes all around, done tastefully and not so tastefully but nevertheless are always laughable and enjoyable.

"These violent delights have violent ends

And in their triumph die, like fire and powder,

Which, as they kiss, consume. The sweetest honey

Is loathsome in his own deliciousness

And, in the taste, confounds the appetite.

Therefore love moderately. Long love doth so;

Too swift arrives as tardy as too slow."

~ Friar Laurence

Going into reading Romeo and Juliet I wasn't expecting to be floored, or to come away with so many new favorite quotes, or to even have picked up a few tidbits of wisdom, but I did. I'm still caught up in the beauty of Shakespeare's wording. The flowery descriptions, the dialogue, the tension, the heated comedy, it all flowed so well. And aside from the silly dramatics, much of the characters' personalities and situations felt incredibly real. I felt as though I was there, watching it all unfold. I was drawn in and ate it up! It was difficult to put down and I almost somewhat upset at how quickly I devoured the tale, because I'm already itching for a reread.

"If love be blind, love cannot hit the mark."

~ Mercutio

Shakespeare has me convinced that it's high time to finally be open to the fact that one should opt to fall in love and to not go in search for love. Let love knock you down and leave you breathless. Allow love to come as a surprise. Open your heart, your mind, and your soul to the possibility of soul mates. There's something quite magical about Shakespeare's writing. Magical, beautifully written, comedic, and excellent word play. I highly recommend this for all of my fellow language lovers, comedy, well done/thorough romance. If you're looking for something to whisk you away and to leave you wanting romance, bawdy humor, and more Middle English in your life, I recommend giving Romeo and Juliet a try. My Goodreads rating: 4.5/ 5 stars.

Until next time! Thank you for stopping by! And if you have yet to do so, follow me here on my blog via email subscription to be able to stay informed on when new posts are uploaded!

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- Anisa