Q. 27 | GATE 2023, English – XH-C2 (INDIA)
Q. Who published the novel “The Bell Jar” under the pseudonym Victoria Lucas?
(A) Dorothy Richardson
(B) Virginia Woolf
(C) Sylvia Plath
(D) Alice Walker
ANSWER: – (C) Sylvia Plath
The novel “The Bell Jar” was written by Sylvia Plath and published in 1963. As we can see in the novel’s first edition cover above, the author’s name mentioned is “Victoria Lucas.”
Let’s brainstorm over this question together!
The Novel “The Bell Jar”
| Where can I read it? | Read “The Bell Jar” for free; Project Gutenburg |
| Author | Victoria Lucas a.k.a. Sylvia Plath |
| Original Language | English |
| Published | 1963, London (FYI! Other notable events in 1963 – – Bhalchandra Nemade’s Bildungsroman, Kosala (‘Cocoon’) – Kurt Vonnegut – Cat’s Cradle) |
| Literary Age | Postmodernism |
| Literary Genre | Novel |
| Type of Novel | roman à clef; semi-autobiographical |
| Protagonist | Esther Greenwood, a 19-year-old student (English Major) from Boston |
| Stylistic Elements | Flashbacks, |
| Major themes | – Womanhood and social norms – Stereotypical Gender Role in Oppressive Patriarchy – Mental health and struggles – Independence and Identity – Alienation |
| Importance | Feminist Literature |
Easy-to-remember Summary of “The Bell Jar”
“The Bell Jar” is about a girl, Esther Greenwood, an English Major student, who wants to be a poet. She has scored an amazing summer internship at Ladies’ Day magazine in NYC, but instead of having the time of her life, she struggles with who she is and what society expects from her.
There, she meets two other interns who are absolute opposites – (1) there’s Doreen, the wild and carefree one, and (2) Betsy, a sweet and innocent girl.
As Esther deals with her own issues, she can’t stop thinking about her boyfriend, Buddy Willard, and the anger she feels when he opens up about not being a virgin. She sees him as a total hypocrite since he acts like she is some experienced pro.
After getting shut down for a writing class, Esther is stuck spending the rest of her summer at home with her mom since her dad passed away when she was little. She gets super down and can’t write her novel, leading her to make a few weak suicide attempts to end it all. Eventually, she takes too many sleeping pills but manages to survive.
Next stop? A mental hospital, where she meets a cool psychiatrist who helps her with her worries about sex and even tells her to get a diaphragm. On top of that, she undergoes electric shock therapy, which feels like she’s finally escaping the metaphorical ‘bell jar’ that’s been trapping her. During a night out, she ends up losing her virginity and feels like it weighs her down. After she starts bleeding and needs help, another patient named Joan takes her to the ER. Sadly, Joan later commits suicide, which somehow eases Esther’s dark thoughts. The story wraps up with Esther feeling reborn and ready to face the board that will decide if she can finally go home.”
Dorothy Richardson
| Author | Dorothy RIchardson |
| Lifespan | 1873, 17 May – 1957, 13 June |
| Literary Era/Age in Which the Writer Lived | Early 20th Century (Modernist Era) |
| Major Genre | Fiction, particularly stream-of-consciousness novels |
| Literary Movements | Modernism |
| Notable Works | Pilgrimage (a 13-novel sequence, including Pointed Roofs, Backwater, Honeycomb, and Clear Horizon) |
| Associations with Other Important Writers Across the World | Close friendships with H.G. Wells and other intellectuals of her time; associated with early modernist circles alongside contemporaries like Virginia Woolf and James Joyce. |
| Literary Organizations/Groups | Associated with modernist literary circles but not formally affiliated with any specific organizations or groups. |
| Impact and Influence on Later Literature | – Pioneer of the stream-of-consciousness narrative style, influencing writers such as Virginia Woolf and later experimental novelists – Expanded the boundaries of psychological fiction. |
| Important Quotes | “… reality cannot be externalised or projected on to others without a kind of spiritual impoverishment.” |
Virginia Woolf
| Nationality | British |
| Lifespan | 1882, 25 January – 1941, 28 March |
| Literary Era/Age in Which the Writer Lived | Early 20th Century (Modernist Era) |
| Major Genre | Fiction, essays, literary criticism |
| Literary Movements | Modernism, Bloomsbury Group |
| Notable Works | – Mrs. Dalloway – To the Lighthouse – Orlando – A Room of One’s Own – The Waves |
| Associations with Other Important Writers Across the World | Part of the Bloomsbury Group, associated with E.M. Forster, Lytton Strachey, John Maynard Keynes, and Leonard Woolf; influenced by James Joyce and a contemporary of T.S. Eliot. |
| Impact and Influence on Later Literature | A major innovator of stream-of-consciousness narrative style; profoundly influenced feminist criticism and modernist literature. |
| Important Quotes | “A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.” |
| Literary Organizations/Groups | Member of the Bloomsbury Group, a collective of influential intellectuals, writers, and artists. |
Sylvia Plath
| Pen Names (if any) | Victoria Lucas (used for the publication of The Bell Jar). |
| Nationality | American |
| Lifespan | 1932, 27 October – 1963, 11 February |
| Literary Era/Age in Which the Writer Lived | Mid-20th Century (Confessional Poetry Era) |
| Major Genre | Poetry, fiction |
| Literary Movements | Confessional Poetry |
| Notable Works | – The Bell Jar – Ariel – The Colossus and Other Poems |
| Associations with Other Important Writers Across the World | Associated with Ted Hughes (her husband), Anne Sexton, and other confessional poets; admired by poets like Robert Lowell. |
| National/Global Awards for Literature (if any) | Posthumously awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1982 for The Collected Poems. |
| Impact and Influence on Later Literature | A major voice in confessional poetry, influencing poets like Anne Sexton and contemporary feminist literature. |
| Important Quotes | “I am, I am, I am.” |
| Literary Organizations/Groups | No formal affiliations, but her work is central to the confessional poetry movement. |
Alice Walker
| Pen Names (if any) | |
| Nationality | American |
| Born | 1944, 9 February |
| Literary Era/Age in Which the Writer Lived | Late 20th Century to Present |
| Major Genre | Fiction, poetry, essays |
| Literary Movements | – African-American literature – – Womanism – Civil Rights Movement literature |
| Notable Works | – The Color Purple – Meridian – The Third Life of Grange Copeland – In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens |
| Associations with Other Important Writers Across the World | Connected to Toni Morrison, Zora Neale Hurston (revived her legacy), and other African-American writers advocating for racial and gender equality. |
| National/Global Awards for Literature (if any) | – Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (1983) – National Book Award (1983) for The Color Purple. |
| Impact and Influence on Later Literature | A pioneer of Womanism, highlighting the intersection of race, gender, and class; influenced feminist and African-American literature, inspiring future generations of writers. |
| Important Quotes | “The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.” |
| Literary Organizations/Groups | Involved in civil rights activism and literary advocacy but not formally associated with specific literary groups. |
