The Bell Jar Context (AO3)

When was ‘The Bell Jar’ published?

1963

When was ‘The Bell Jar’ set? Give opening line

The summer of 1953

‘It was a queer, sultry summer, the summer they electrocuted the Rosenbergs, and I didn’t know what I was doing in New York’

Who were the Rosenbergs?

June 19th 1953→ Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were convicted of conspiracy to pass U.S atomic secrets to soviet forces. They were the first to be executed.

What was the Red Scare/ McCarthyism?

A period of intense anti-communist paranoia in America during the 1950s

How did red baiting become entrenched in everyday life?

The Nuclear family was understood to be the most effective safeguard against communism.

How did the Red Scare impact post war fear of feminism?

Feminism was a threat to the security of the nation and seen as communist

What is the American Dream?

A concept that perpetuated a society governed by meritocracy. The belief that you can achieve your aspirations in America regardless of class background or birthplace.

Happiness was equated to financial success and ownership.

Where did the American Dream originate from?

The American Declaration of Independence (1776) which states: ‘That all Men are created equal’

How does Plath present the American Dream?

Esther becomes disillusioned with the American Dream.

Esther is aware of her intelligence and talent but does not see the value in it since women are limited. She has won all these platitudes but will never be equal.

What was the Amazon hotel based off in ‘The Bell Jar’? When did Plath stay there?

It is based off the Barbizon Hotel in New York for women.

Sylvia Plath stayed there in June 1953 whilst working as a guest editor for Mademoiselle magazine (inspiration for Ladies Day)

What were Katherine Gibbs secretarial schools?

They educated women into becoming executive secretaries

Name a 1950s educational video that talked about relationships

‘How Much Affection?’ Marriage and Family Living series (1957)

Designed to advise teenagers on setting limits for premarital physical affection.

The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan (1963)

Friedan’s book focused on the misery, self hatred, neurosis and frustration of suburban middle class housewives.

Sexual Politics by Kate Millet (1970)

Kate Millett was a key figure in the rise of Second Wave Feminism in America. Her book analysed patriarchal power and its institutionalised source (rather than the product of a biological or innate difference between genders).

The Power of a Positive Woman by Phyllis Schlafly (1977)

In her book, she explained how it was by living a Christian life of devotion and motherhood that she saw herself as "liberated." The book provides criticism and arguments against radical feminism.

What was Sylvia Plath’s Pseudonym?

Victoria Lucas