Rivalry, Betrayal, and Exclusion: Traumatic Reenactments and Female Peer Relations in Sylvia Plath’s Short Fiction
Although previously the critical interest in Sylvia Plath’s output revolved around her most famous poetic and prose pieces, the beginning of the twenty-first century saw a rise of a new branch of Plath criticism which aims at a more comprehensive perspective on the variety of her artistic and intell...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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European Association for American Studies
2022-07-01
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| Series: | European Journal of American Studies |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/18145 |
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| author | Sylwia Gryciuk |
| author_facet | Sylwia Gryciuk |
| author_sort | Sylwia Gryciuk |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Although previously the critical interest in Sylvia Plath’s output revolved around her most famous poetic and prose pieces, the beginning of the twenty-first century saw a rise of a new branch of Plath criticism which aims at a more comprehensive perspective on the variety of her artistic and intellectual work. Adopting such an approach, this article examines six of Plath’s short stories with a special emphasis put on female peer relations presented therein. As the analysis reveals, although the stories in question are concerned with various life periods, all of them still follow similar narrative formula which always intertwines the (sub)plots of female peer relations with the themes of rivalry, betrayal and exclusion. Importantly, when read through the prism of contemporary trauma theory, such portrayals of female relations may be interpreted as a series of traumatic reenactments or failed attempts at integrating the original traumatic scenario which introduced the concept of a female as a threatening other. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-fa9705a50c624518b2b9bbc55bf44bf5 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1991-9336 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
| publisher | European Association for American Studies |
| record_format | Article |
| series | European Journal of American Studies |
| spelling | doaj-art-fa9705a50c624518b2b9bbc55bf44bf52025-08-20T03:39:49ZengEuropean Association for American StudiesEuropean Journal of American Studies1991-93362022-07-0117210.4000/ejas.18145Rivalry, Betrayal, and Exclusion: Traumatic Reenactments and Female Peer Relations in Sylvia Plath’s Short FictionSylwia GryciukAlthough previously the critical interest in Sylvia Plath’s output revolved around her most famous poetic and prose pieces, the beginning of the twenty-first century saw a rise of a new branch of Plath criticism which aims at a more comprehensive perspective on the variety of her artistic and intellectual work. Adopting such an approach, this article examines six of Plath’s short stories with a special emphasis put on female peer relations presented therein. As the analysis reveals, although the stories in question are concerned with various life periods, all of them still follow similar narrative formula which always intertwines the (sub)plots of female peer relations with the themes of rivalry, betrayal and exclusion. Importantly, when read through the prism of contemporary trauma theory, such portrayals of female relations may be interpreted as a series of traumatic reenactments or failed attempts at integrating the original traumatic scenario which introduced the concept of a female as a threatening other.https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/18145feminismSylvia Plathshort fictionJohnny Panic and the Bible of Dreamsfemale relationspeer relations |
| spellingShingle | Sylwia Gryciuk Rivalry, Betrayal, and Exclusion: Traumatic Reenactments and Female Peer Relations in Sylvia Plath’s Short Fiction European Journal of American Studies feminism Sylvia Plath short fiction Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams female relations peer relations |
| title | Rivalry, Betrayal, and Exclusion: Traumatic Reenactments and Female Peer Relations in Sylvia Plath’s Short Fiction |
| title_full | Rivalry, Betrayal, and Exclusion: Traumatic Reenactments and Female Peer Relations in Sylvia Plath’s Short Fiction |
| title_fullStr | Rivalry, Betrayal, and Exclusion: Traumatic Reenactments and Female Peer Relations in Sylvia Plath’s Short Fiction |
| title_full_unstemmed | Rivalry, Betrayal, and Exclusion: Traumatic Reenactments and Female Peer Relations in Sylvia Plath’s Short Fiction |
| title_short | Rivalry, Betrayal, and Exclusion: Traumatic Reenactments and Female Peer Relations in Sylvia Plath’s Short Fiction |
| title_sort | rivalry betrayal and exclusion traumatic reenactments and female peer relations in sylvia plath s short fiction |
| topic | feminism Sylvia Plath short fiction Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams female relations peer relations |
| url | https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/18145 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sylwiagryciuk rivalrybetrayalandexclusiontraumaticreenactmentsandfemalepeerrelationsinsylviaplathsshortfiction |