SYLVIA PLATH: THE WRITER The Representation of Authorship in Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar, Letter’s Home, and The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath.

Abstract

This thesis focuses on the representation of authorship in three of Sylvia Plath’s fictional and non-fictional works, namely The Bell Jar, Letters Home: Correspondence 1950-1963, and The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath. The main question that this thesis tries to answer is: What is the image of authorship that Sylvia Plath constructs in her fictional and non-fictional works and how does it relate to the protagonist of the respective works? There are several concepts that need to be explained first, such as authorship and life writing, to be able to conduct this research and understand its relevance. The first step in answering the research question is looking at Plath’s life as a female writer. Following that will be three chapters, each analysing a specific work.

Key Words: Sylvia Plath, authorship, life writing, female writers