Book contents
- Sylvia Plath and the Supernatural
- Sylvia Plath and the Supernatural
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Chapter 1Sylvia Plath and the American Witch-Hunts
- Chapter 2Religious Prosecutions in Plath’s Cold War Poetics
- Chapter 3Shakespearean Maternal and Paternal Magic in Plath’s Poetry
- Chapter 4Doctor Faustus and Demonology in Post-War America
- Chapter 5Ritual Magic and Plath’s Poetic Spellcasting
- Chapter 6Supernatural Transformations
- Chapter 7The Racial Rhetoric of Witchcraft in the Bee Poems
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
Conclusion
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 19 February 2026
Book contents
- Sylvia Plath and the Supernatural
- Sylvia Plath and the Supernatural
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Chapter 1Sylvia Plath and the American Witch-Hunts
- Chapter 2Religious Prosecutions in Plath’s Cold War Poetics
- Chapter 3Shakespearean Maternal and Paternal Magic in Plath’s Poetry
- Chapter 4Doctor Faustus and Demonology in Post-War America
- Chapter 5Ritual Magic and Plath’s Poetic Spellcasting
- Chapter 6Supernatural Transformations
- Chapter 7The Racial Rhetoric of Witchcraft in the Bee Poems
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
The Conclusion reviews Plath’s engagement with the supernatural within the political, cultural, and literary context of post-war America and Britain. It summarises the nuances of concepts like witch, witchcraft, black and white magic, and their relation to gender and power. The Conclusion also emphasises the importance of examining Plath’s manuscripts and additional archival materials, which her demonstrate continuous interest in magical themes around gender power dynamics. Sylvia Plath and the Supernatural concludes that the re-examination of Plath’s works with an approach of the supernatural is timely and significant not only for Plath scholarship but for literary studies. It positions the comprehensive analysis of this book in the historical reckoning with witch trials and reflects on the lasting relationship between the language of magic and poetry.
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- Sylvia Plath and the Supernatural , pp. 169 - 177Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
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