Ariel: The Restored Edition

Sylvia Plath is about the most complex poet that I read. I hadn't actually ever read "Ariel" before. I'm glad I chose this edition because it had the poems written in more than once, and I found out that the second or third time I read them I seemed to understand them. ( )

I found three poems in Ariel that are worthy of comment here. The following is an article I wrote on the publication of this restored edition.

http://mewlhouse.hubpages.com/hub/Three-Decent-Poems-by-Sylvia-Plath ( )

The most compelling volume of poetry ever written. Disciplined by her craft, unrestrained in expression. ( )

Hell, yeah. ( )

This an intense book, filled with strong, intimist and caustic poetry.

But, even though it was on Sylvia Plath's desk when she commited suicide, this is not a sad book. It's not a book about depression, or even a depressing one. Plath is mostly remebered about "Lady Lazarus", "Daddy" and "Edge", and it seems that her life was all about these three poems...but thankfully, this restored edition shows us this is a book about many aspects of herself. Now we are reading what Plath wanted us to read...wanted us to feel. She takes un by the hand into her realm.

We can feel all the love she felt for her kids in the poem "Morning Song"; see her sensuality in "Fever 103º"; sense the freedom in "Ariel" and see her caustic anger in "Lesbos". No, Sylvia Plath's poetry is not just about sadness and suicide...it's about life, and all the experiences inside it, written with her unique style: raw, confessonal, slightly narcisistic.

Frieda's introduction is also very interesting and elightining. Any Sylvia Plath fan should read, specially the people who still have this ludicrous idea that Ted Hughes was her utmost enemy. He wasn't - he made mistakes. He hurt her. He was human. And so was she. A human and a great poet, who did not need someone else's betrayal or supposed abuse to write intense poetry. All that intensity, all that passion was inside herself. ( )