The Bell Jar

E68877

The Bell Jar is a semi-autobiographical novel by Sylvia Plath that portrays a young woman's descent into mental illness amid the pressures and expectations of 1950s American society.

Observed surface forms (1)

Surface form Occurrences
The Bell Jar (1979 film) 1

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf novel
semi-autobiographical novel
adaptation The Bell Jar self-linksurface differs
surface form: The Bell Jar (1979 film)
author Sylvia Plath
countryOfOrigin United States of America
surface form: United States
criticalReception considered a classic of 20th-century literature
depicts electroconvulsive therapy
pressures on women in 1950s American society
psychiatric hospitalization
firstPublicationCountry United Kingdom NERFINISHED
firstPublicationDate 1963
firstPublicationLanguage English
focusesOn a young woman's descent into mental illness
genre coming-of-age novel
feminist literature
psychological fiction
roman à clef
hasISBN 9780060837020
hasSymbol bell jar
inspiredBy Sylvia Plath's own experiences
literaryMovement confessional literature
mainCharacter Esther Greenwood
narrativePointOfView first-person
originalLanguage English
pages about 244
partOfSchoolCurriculumIn various English literature courses
protagonistOccupation college student
intern at a fashion magazine
publishedUnderPseudonym Victoria Lucas
publisher Harper & Row
William Heinemann
surface form: Heinemann
settingPeriod 1950s
settingPlace Boston, Massachusetts
surface form: Boston

New York City
suburban Massachusetts
symbolism distortion of reality
entrapment in mental illness
theme conformity
depression
gender roles
identity crisis
mental illness
mother-daughter relationship
patriarchy
professional ambition
sexual double standards
social expectations
suicide

Referenced by (3)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

The Bell Jar adaptation The Bell Jar self-linksurface differs
this entity surface form: The Bell Jar (1979 film)
Sylvia Plath notableWork The Bell Jar