“This is the terror in writing about Plath—you have to get everything right, but there is so much to get wrong.”
“This is the chief problem of writing about Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath—you know Hughes made it hard for these women, you know they feared him. You know he made it hard for the women who wanted to write about them. You know somehow he still does, although he is no more, scattered ashes somewhere on Dartmoor.”
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Initially, I was under the impression that the empathetic portrayal of Plath and Hughes in Red Comet by Heather Clark had been replaced by Emily Van Duyne's unapologetically sharp voice. However, I soon realized that Van Duyne had skillfully channelled her compassion for women who rightfully deserve to be heard and seen.
I found the book to be more of an indictment of Ted Hughes rather than a reclamation of Sylvia Plath. It seemed to portray him as a brutal and controlling figure rather than a poet plagued by guilt as is the common belief. I understand that the author is a survivor of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) survivor, and I don't want to discredit her efforts in this book. However, I wonder if her personal experiences have affected the portrayal of Plath at all. I despise what Hughes did to Plath at the end of their marriage, particularly his extramarital affairs. Yet, I don't want to disregard the Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) survivor, and I don't want to discredit her efforts in this book. However, I wonder if her personal experiences have affected her view of Plath. I despise what Hughes did to Plath at the end of their marriage, particularly his extramarital affairs. Yet, I don't want to disregard the bond they had as artists and how they supported each other's careers through all the ups and downs. I believe that the perspective brought out by this book should not be seen as the only way to understand the complex relationship between Plath and Hughes (both during and after her lifetime).
As much as I enjoyed devouring the analysis of the poems by Plath and Hughes, I found some of the interpretations went way too far (for example, the rumour of the incestuous relationship between Olwyn and Ted Hughes—was it be credited enough and necessary to be included in this book?). Nevertheless, the book offers well-researched insights and thought-provoking analyses on the matter of IPV. It sheds light on what we missed while reading about Plath’s life, seeing through what Hughes did with “anything he remembered, we remembered. What he forgot was thought to be lost.”
All things considered, I appreciate the book for providing such crucial and up-to-date information that I didn’t find in most biographies and articles about Plath. It was finely executed in roughly 300 pages. I was especially touched by the last few chapters, particularly when Van Duyne paid homage to both Sylvia Plath and Assia Wevill by visiting their resting places. Thanks to this book, I also found Wevill’s story to be more compelling than merely Plath’s love rival.
This is definitely a great follow-up for anyone who has recently finished a biography on Plath.