LAP Lambert Academic Publishing Archetypes in the Confessional Poetry of Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton: A Study in Themes and Related Imagery

The study addresses the use of psychological and mythological archetypes in the confessional poetry of Sylvia Plath (1932-1963) and Anne Sexton (1928-1974) as universal reference frameworks for the two poets’ most intimate confessions. It discusses the distinctive common features of confessional poetry in general, and focuses on the importance of psychological and mythological archetypes for a study of the poetry of Plath and Sexton in particular. It also sheds light on the significance of the psychological and mythological archetypes evoked in some of the most influential contributions of psychoanalysts Sigmund Freud (1856 – 1939) and Carl Gustav Jung (1875 - 1961) for the study of the themes and imagery in the confessional poetry of Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton. The themes and imagery discussed are those related to the portrayal of disturbances in the father-daughter and mother-daughter relationships, the daughter’s attitude to love, marriage, and married life in general, the profound feelings of guilt, alienation and vulnerability, and, finally, death and suicide. About the Author Sami Farouk Abou-Seif teaches English language and literature at the Faculty of Alsun, Minia University (Egypt). He also serves as simultaneous interpreter and translator at many national and international conferences. He currently lives in Jeddah, KSA, where he holds the position of Assistant Professor of English at King Abdul-Aziz University.