Durham E-Theses Archetypal elements in the poetry of Sylvia Plath. Soutter, Jennifer How to cite: Soutter, Jennifer (1989) Archetypal elements in the poetry of Sylvia Plath., Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/954/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk ARCHETYPAL ELEMENTS IN THE POETRY OF SYLVIA PLATH Jennifer Soutter Submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy 1989 Abstract Jungian psychology underpins much of this thesis, specifically the central concept of that psychology, the process of individuation. Sylvia Plath's work and thought is responsive to Jungian analysis, and her poetry is examined within this framework, utilisation being made of her prose writings as additional evidence of that responsiveness. The hypothesis is that the process of individuation can be traced through the use of certain archetypal elements in her literary oeuvre, and that she used that oeuvre as a method of constructing her identity. As an introduction, the position of the woman writer within a male-dominated society and its effect on Plath's work is discussed, together with her search for identity as exemplified in her use of the subjective speaker. Consideration is given to Plath's probable literary sources for the archetypal elements of stone, of water, and of rebirth, such sources being Arnold's 'The Forsaken Merman', Shakespeare's The Tempest, and certain of Plato's works, texts which are found to have exerted a profound influence on the poet. Plath's use and development of these archetypal elements is traced throughout her work, attention being paid to the interpretation she placed on such elements. In addition to his psychological writings, Jung's autobiography, Memories, Dreams and Reflections, is a source of reference since the archetypal elements are evident in that work. Detailed analysis is undertaken on two long poetic sequences, 'Poem for a Birthday' and the bee poems: both are held to be significant, not only in Plath's poetic development, but also as evidence of her passage through individuation: these sequences illustrate Plath's use of the theme of rebirth. Finally, specific aspects of Jungian symbolism are examined, and rebirth is considered in a wider context. Plath's suicide is discussed in the Epilogue. ARCHETYPAL ELEMENTS IN THE POETRY OF SYLVIA PLATH Jennifer Soutter The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published without his prior written consent and information derived from it should be acknowledged. Thesis submitted to the School of English for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. University of Durham 1989 25 JUN 1990 CONTENTS Statement of Copyright p. 5 Acknowledgements 6 Abbreviations 7 ONE - INTRODUCTION Introduction 8 Synopsis of Chapters 10 The Poetry 12 The Prose Writings 18 Plath and Patriarchy 21 The Jungian Framework 23 The search for identity 28 The I-speaker 35 TWO - INFLUENTIAL TEXTS Introduction 46 'The Forsaken Merman' 47 'Dream with Clam-Diggers' 57 The Tempest 61 'Full Fathom Five' 69 Plato's Texts 76 'Totem' 81 Conclusion 86 THREE - IMAGES OF STONE Introduction 91 Juvenilia 98 The Colossus Years 105 The Ariel Years 121 The Final Months 132 Conclusion 136 FOUR - IMAGES OF WATER Introduction . 138 Juvenilia 144 The Colossus Years 147 The Ariel Years 159 The Final Months 173 Conclusion 177 FIVE - THE THEME OF REBIRTH I Introduction 181 The Process of Individuation 1 182 Considerations of Rebirth 1 189 The Years to 'Poem for a Birthday' 194 'Poem for a Birthday' 202 Conclusion 221 SIX - THE THEME OF REBIRTH II Introduction 224 The Process of Individuation 2 225 Considerations of Rebirth 2 231 The Years to the Bee Sequence 233 The Bee Poems 246 The Final Months 256 Conclusion 267 SEVEN - CONCLUSION Symbolism within the Jungian Framework 269 Self Discovery 274 Epilogue 280 Notes 283 Appendices: 1 - The Three Phases of Sylvia Plath's work 294 2 - Composition Order of Poems in The Colossus 295 3 - The Ordering of Ariel 296 4 - Composition Order of Poems in Ariel 297 5 - The Final Poems - 1963 298 Bibliography 299 4 STATEMENT OF COPYRIGHT The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published without her priorwritten consent and information derived from it should be acknowledged. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I should like to record my deep appreciation of the unfailing support and encouragement provided by my supervisor, Dr Diana Collecott. I should also like to thank Dr Gareth Reeves for his efforts during the early stage of my thesis. - 6 - ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THE TEXT Bell The Bell far London: Faber & Faber, 1963 Dreams Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams and other prose writings London: Faber & Faber, 1977 Journals The Journals of Sylvia Plath Ted Hughes, Consulting Editor and Frances McCullough, Editor New York: Ballantine Books, 1983 Letters Letters Home: Correspondence 1950-1963 Selected and Edited with Commentary by Aurelia Schober Plath London: Faber & Faber, 1976 Poems Collected Poems Edited by Ted Hughes London: Faber & Faber, 1981 7 ONE INTRODUCTION Introduction 'Psychology and the study of art will always have to turn to one another for help, and the one will not invalidate the other.' (Jung 1941, p. 177) This is part of Jung's introduction to his essay 'Psychology and Literature'; Langbaum, in his discussion of 'complete criticism' argues that it 'is legitimate . to use literature as a source for studying the nature of the creative process and thus of the mind.' (Langbaum 1970, p. 16). This conjoining of psychology and literature is part of the foundation of my thesis. In examining Sylvia Plath's literary texts I endeavour to trace some of the mental processes involved in the creation of those texts, and as a theoretical base, I directed my attention towards the central concept of Jung's psychology, 'the process of individuation' (Jung 1963, p. 200), a process of maturation. I came to perceive, through my study of Jung's writings, that Plath's use of certain imagery, specifically images of stone and of water, corresponded to similar images which occurred in his patients' dreams and drawings. A reading of his autobiography, Memories, Dreams and Reflections, wherein Jung himself uses such images, reinforced my belief in the possibility of using a Jungian model to interpret Plath's texts. Jung discusses the process of individuation in Part Two of Two Essays on Analytical Psychology, Volume 7 of the Collected Works,' and offers the following definition: -8- Individuation means becoming 8 single, homogeneous being, and, in so far as "individuality" embraces our innermost, last, and incomparable uniqueness, it also implies becoming one's own self. We could therefore translate individuation as "coming to selfhood" or "self-realization." (Yung 7, p. 171) There are a number of assumptions contained within this quotation: that there is a single self to be discovered; that each individual is unique; that the process of individuation can lead to self-discovery. I return to the matter of assumptions in a later section of this chapter, but offer the above in order that some understanding of individuation may be gained. I discuss lung's theories in greater detail in the relevant chapters. For Jung, the process of individuation is a natural transformation involving a 'rebirth' of the individual. In his essay 'The Psychology of Rebirth' (Tung 9_, Part 1, pp. 116 - 134) he discusses two groups of transformation experience, 'that of the transcendence of life, and that of one's own transformation.' (lung ibid. p. 117) Under this latter experience, among others, he lists that of natural transformation (individuation) (Yung ibid. p. 130), of which he writes: • . in addition to the technical processes of transformation [discussed earlier] there are also natural transformations. All ideas of rebirth are founded on this fact. (Jung ibid. p. 130) To engage in the process of individuation is, in part, to seek a rebirth of oneself. Of one particular case study, Yung notes: . there was a long-drawn-out process of inner transformation and rebirth into another being. This "other being" is the other person in ourselves--that larger and -9- greater personality maturing within us . (Jung ibid. p. 131) Jung uses the term 'collective unconscious' to denote a layer of the unconscious which 'is not individual but universal' (Jung ibid. p. 3) and whereas the contents of the personal unconscious 'constitute the personal and private side of psychic life', the contents of the collective unconscious 'are known as archetypes.' (Jung ibid. p. 4) I introduce these terms at this point because images of stone and of water are, in Jung's schema, archetypal images, as is the theme of rebirth. I discuss these archetypal elements in greater detail in the relevant chapters. I believe it is possible to trace Sylvia Plath's engagement in the natural process of maturation through her use of the theme of rebirth in her work, end to trace her affinity with Jungian thought through her use of images of the stone and of water, together with the theme of rebirth.