February 24, 2011

The Bell Jar

The Bell Jar

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I saw my life branching out before me like the green fig tree in the story.


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From the tip of every branch, like a fat purple fig, a wonderful future beckoned and winked. One fig was a husband and a happy home and children, and another fig was a famous poet and another fig was a brilliant professor, and another fig was Ee Gee, the amazing editor, and another fig was Europe and Africa and South America, and another fig was Constantin and Socrates and Attila and a pack of other lovers with queer names and offbeat professions, and another fig was an Olympic lady crew champion, and beyond and above these figs were many more figs I couldn’t quite make out.

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I saw myself sitting in the crotch of this fig tree, starving to death, just because I couldn’t make up my mind which of the figs I would choose. I wanted each and every one of them, but choosing one meant losing all the rest, and, I sat there, unable to decide, the figs began to wrinkle and go black, and, one by one, they plopped to the ground at my feet.

— Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar

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7 comments:

  1. Gosh, she is good. One of my favorite books. And figs, real figs, not metaphorical figs, are pretty nice too.

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  2. Oh wow. How appropriate this was for me today, Tracy. Thank you. Your photos are stunning. :-)

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  3. Denise - One of my favorites too.

    M. – It's required summer reading for me year after year :)

    Tart - Thank you :) I'm glad it hit the spot today.

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  4. Ah, the fig tree...beautiful selection. And wonderful accompanying photos. Now I have a hankering for plump figs sliced atop a tart.

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  5. Nancy - It's hard waiting for fig season.

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  6. Ah, I'm with you and Denise in calling this book a favourite. It totally blew me away when I read it last year. Amazing combination of words and pictures, that special way you have. Can't wait for fig season either.

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