"What ceremony of words can patch the havoc?": Manic-depression and the writings of Sylvia Plath

Abstract

My thesis theorises that Sylvia Platha??s writing can usefully be considered in relation to the manic-depression from which she probably suffered, particularly since there is biographical and autobiographical evidence for such a condition as it is clinically defined. For Plath, writing was an attempt to structure a life made tumultuous through her fluctuating moods. My thesis gives a plausible case that Plath suffered from manic-depression. It examines the treatment of particular recurrent themes in her writing, arguing that the setting up of dualities, of dialectical and oppositional relationships apparent in her writings, manifests and mirrors the manic-depression. It also investigates the correlation between a mood episode (as dated in her biographies) and congruence with its tone and nature in subsequent productive periods. It charts recognisable trends in Platha??s writing, both within chronological groups as well as changes in her writing across her career that reflect her manic-depression.