Plath and Hughes Critic And Context

Question 1

(Hughes - Lovepet) ‘the true confessional poet embodies the…

Answer 1

trauma of the age within their own psychological torment.’ (Bate)

Question 2

(Plath - the Birthday Present) critic often ‘accuse Plath of exuberant…

Answer 2

self-dramatisation’ (Carey)

Question 3

(Hughes - Her husband) ‘evocative poetry, replete with…

Answer 3

symbolism and bursting with dark images’ (Lyall)

Question 4

(Plath - The Munich Mannequins) ‘Plath is a brutal poet[…] her poetic voice is a…

Answer 4

raging avenger of womanhood and innocence.’ (McClanahan)

Question 5

(Hughes - Heptonstall) ‘Hughes tone post Plath poems are…

Answer 5

emotional, direct, regretful, entrances’ (Pollitt)

Question 6

(Plath - Crossing the Water) ‘death is preeminent but…

Answer 6

strangely unoppressive.’ (Newman)

Question 7

(Hughes - Full Moon and Little Freida) ‘for Ted, astrology, like poetry, was a way of…

Answer 7

giving order to the chaos of life.’ (Bate)

Question 8

(Plath - You’re) ‘It is impossible that anybody could have been…

Answer 8

more in love with life.’ (Bate)

Question 9

(Hughes - Lovepet) Date published?

Answer 9

1971

Question 10

(Hughes - Her husband) Date published?

Answer 10

1967

Question 11

(Hughes - Heptonstall) Date published?

Answer 11

1979

Question 12

(Hughes - Full Moon and Little Freida) Date published?

Answer 12

1961

Question 13

(Hughes - Lovepet) When and how did Plath and Hughes meet?

Answer 13

in Febuary 1956, at a the St. Botolph’s Review launch party, Plath bit him on the cheek and wrote in her journal - ‘blood running down his face’

Question 14

(Hughes - Lovepet) - When did they get married?

Answer 14

After their four month whirlwind courtship they got married in June 1956

Question 15

(Plath - the Birthday Present) - when did Plath discover Hughes and Assia Wevill’s affair?

Answer 15

July 1962

Question 16

(Plath - the Birthday Present) - when did Plath commit suicide?

Answer 16

1963 - mere months after the affair

Question 17

(Plath - the Birthday Present) - In Plath’s letters what did she alleged about Hughes?

Answer 17

she alleged that Hughes beat her, and had possibly caused the misscarriage of her second child

Question 18

(Plath - the Birthday Present) - when was Plath’s second child born?

Answer 18

February 1962

Question 19

(Hughes - Her husband) - Where did Hughes grow up, how did it effect his ideas of marriage?

Answer 19

hughes grew up un a mining town - he might understand marriage to have strict hegemonic gender roles

Question 20

(Hughes - Her husband) - what was female education like in the 60’s?

Answer 20

girls learn dressmaking and cookery - they were greatly encouraged to get married

Question 21

(Hughes - Her husband) - what did a speaker at Plath’s collage tell her about homework?

Answer 21

‘Home work - you can do it in the living room with a baby on your lap.’

Question 22

(Plath - The Munich Mannequins) - what are the names of Plath’s children?

Answer 22

Nicholas and Freida

Question 23

(Plath - The Munich Mannequins) - which magazine did Plath work for in 1953?

Answer 23

Mademoiselle Magazine

Question 24

(Hughes - Heptonstall) - when did Plath commit suicide?

Answer 24

1963

Question 25

(Hughes - Heptonstall) - when did Assia Wevill commit suicide? In what way?

Answer 25

1969 - she killed herself in the same fashion as Plath, also murdering her daughter, Shura

Question 26

(Plath - Crossing the Water) - how many times did she attempt suicide before dying in 1963?

Answer 26

twice - overdose and drove her car into a river

Question 27

(Plath - Crossing the Water) - what did her other poems suggest about her thoughts on death?

Answer 27

she knew death was inevitable, in some poems viewed it as liberation and even as artistic

Question 28

(Hughes - Full Moon and Little Freida) - when was Freida born?

Answer 28

1960

Question 29

(Hughes - Full Moon and Little Freida) - besides nature what other topic was Hughes fascinated by?

Answer 29

astrology

Question 30

(Plath - You're) - when was Freida born?

Answer 30

1960

Question 31

(Plath - You're) - what were Plath's feelings on motherhood?

Answer 31

Plath seemed to want children though was weary perhaps due to a complex relationship with her mother