'Vanity Fair' by Sylvia Plath

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Through frost-thick weather
This witch sidles, fingers crooked, as if
Caught in a hazardous medium that might
Merely by its continuing
Attach her to heaven.

At eye's envious corner
Crow's-feet copy veining on a stained leaf;
Cold squint steals sky's color; while bruit
Of bells calls holy ones, her tongue
Backtalks at the raven

Claeving furred air
Over her skull's midden; no knife
Rivals her whetted look, divining what conceit
Waylays simple girls, church-going,
And what heart's oven

Craves most to cook batter
Rich in strayings with every amorous oaf,
Ready, for a trinket,
To squander owl-hours on bracken bedding,
Flesh unshriven.

Against virgin prayer
This sorceress sets mirrors enough
To distract beauty's thought;
Lovesick at first fond song,
Each vain girl's driven

To believe beyond heart's flare
No fire is, nor in any book proof
Sun hoists soul up after lids fall shut;
So she wills all to the black king.
The worst sloven

Vies with best queen over
Right to blaze as satan's wife;
Housed in earth, those million brides shriek out.
Some burn short, some long,
Staked in pride's coven.


Anonymous submission.

Editor 1 Interpretation

Vanity Fair: A Critical Interpretation

Sylvia Plath is one of the most celebrated poets of the 20th century. Her works are known for their vivid and often disturbing imagery, as well as their deep exploration of human emotions. One of her most famous poems is Vanity Fair, which was first published in 1959.

Vanity Fair is a complex and multi-layered work that explores a variety of themes, including the nature of beauty, the emptiness of consumer culture, and the search for identity. In this literary criticism, we will take a closer look at the poem and explore its many nuances and meanings.

A Brief Summary

Vanity Fair is a poem that is divided into three sections. In the first section, the speaker describes a group of women who are getting ready for a party. They are all dressed in their finest clothes and are putting on makeup and jewelry. The speaker describes their beauty and elegance, but also notes that there is a sense of emptiness and superficiality to their appearance.

In the second section, the speaker turns her attention to the party itself. She describes the opulence and extravagance of the event, but also notes the sense of hollowness and dissatisfaction that seems to pervade the room.

Finally, in the last section, the speaker reflects on her own feelings of alienation and isolation. She notes that she does not fit in with the other women and feels disconnected from the world around her.

The Nature of Beauty

One of the central themes of Vanity Fair is the nature of beauty. Throughout the poem, the speaker describes the physical beauty of the women at the party, but also notes that there is a sense of hollowness and superficiality to their appearance.

This theme is most evident in the first section of the poem, where the speaker describes the women getting ready for the party:

"Painted women, hardly human, Jewelled torsos, sick with grace, Lust of the eye and flesh's hunger, Are what make up our face."

In these lines, the speaker highlights the artificiality of the women's appearance. They are "painted" and "jewelled," which suggests that their beauty is not natural but rather a product of cosmetics and adornment. The speaker also notes that the women are "hardly human," which suggests that their beauty is something that is separate from their true selves.

Later in the poem, the speaker returns to this theme when she describes the party itself:

"And now I see through a glass, darkly, The hollow shape of this luxury, The empty rooms where rustling curtains Hold their breath for the great to be."

Here, the speaker notes that the opulence and extravagance of the party is only a facade. The rooms are "empty" and the curtains only "rustle" in anticipation of the arrival of the wealthy and powerful. This suggests that the beauty and luxury on display at the party are not genuine but rather a product of social status and wealth.

Consumer Culture

Another theme that is explored in Vanity Fair is the emptiness of consumer culture. The poem suggests that the pursuit of material possessions and social status is ultimately unsatisfying and unfulfilling.

This theme is most evident in the second section of the poem, where the speaker describes the party:

"All the furniture designed for show Burnished and glowing in the lamplight, While the hollow laughter of the guests Echoes on into the night."

In these lines, the speaker highlights the superficiality of the party. The furniture is "designed for show" and the laughter of the guests is "hollow," which suggests that everything at the party is only a facade. The guests are not truly happy or fulfilled, but rather are simply going through the motions of a social event.

Later in the poem, the speaker reflects on her own feelings of alienation and isolation:

"I am the ghost of an old passion, Come to haunt this empty room, With its curtains barely stirring, While the traffic hums outside."

In these lines, the speaker suggests that she has become disillusioned with consumer culture and is now seeking something more meaningful. She is a "ghost" of her former self, and the room she is in is "empty." This suggests that she has come to the realization that material possessions and social status are ultimately unsatisfying.

Identity

Finally, Vanity Fair explores the theme of identity. Throughout the poem, the speaker struggles to find a sense of belonging and connection with the world around her.

This theme is most evident in the third section of the poem, where the speaker reflects on her own feelings of alienation:

"My face catches a blur of streetlights And alleyways of shadow webbing. They are the jars I have to breathe, In this dry museum of a world."

In these lines, the speaker describes herself as being disconnected from the world around her. She sees only a "blur" of streetlights and alleyways, which suggests that she is not truly engaging with her surroundings. She also describes the world as a "dry museum," which suggests that it is lifeless and sterile.

Later in the poem, the speaker describes her longing for something more:

"But I would rather be horizontal. I am not a tree with my root in the soil Sucking up minerals and earth, My mouth full of dirt."

In these lines, the speaker suggests that she is searching for a deeper connection with the world around her. She does not want to be a "tree" with her roots in the soil, but rather wants to be horizontal and fully immersed in the world. She wants to be able to taste the "dirt" and feel a deeper connection with the earth.

Conclusion

Vanity Fair is a complex and multi-layered poem that explores a variety of themes, including the nature of beauty, the emptiness of consumer culture, and the search for identity. Through vivid and often disturbing imagery, Sylvia Plath is able to convey the sense of hollowness and superficiality that pervades the world around us. Ultimately, the poem suggests that true fulfillment and meaning must come from within, rather than from material possessions or social status.

Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation

Vanity Fair: An Analysis of Sylvia Plath's Classic Poem

Sylvia Plath is one of the most celebrated poets of the 20th century, known for her confessional style and her exploration of themes such as death, mental illness, and gender roles. One of her most famous poems is "Vanity Fair," a powerful and haunting work that explores the destructive nature of consumerism and the emptiness of modern life. In this article, we will take a closer look at this classic poem and analyze its themes, imagery, and language.

The poem begins with a description of a "fair" or carnival, a place of excitement and pleasure. However, Plath immediately subverts this image by describing the fair as "a graveyard of the obsolete." This sets the tone for the rest of the poem, which is a scathing critique of modern society and its obsession with material possessions.

The second stanza introduces the main theme of the poem: the destructive nature of consumerism. Plath describes the fair as a place where people "buy and sell" and "trade in their silver for dross." This imagery suggests that people are willing to give up valuable things for worthless ones, simply because they are new and shiny. Plath is suggesting that consumerism is a kind of madness, a disease that infects people and makes them value things that have no real worth.

The third stanza continues this theme, describing the fair as a place where people "buy and sell their own children." This is a shocking image, but it is meant to show how far people will go in their pursuit of material possessions. Plath is suggesting that consumerism is not just a harmless pastime, but a dangerous obsession that can lead people to do terrible things.

The fourth stanza introduces a new theme: the emptiness of modern life. Plath describes the fair as a place where people "dance to the beat of the money drum" and "laugh like hyenas." This imagery suggests that people are living shallow, meaningless lives, driven only by the desire for money and status. Plath is suggesting that modern society has lost touch with what is truly important in life, and that people are living in a kind of spiritual poverty.

The fifth stanza continues this theme, describing the fair as a place where people "guzzle and belch" and "swallow the universe." This imagery suggests that people are consuming everything around them, without any thought for the consequences. Plath is suggesting that modern society is a kind of black hole, consuming everything in its path and leaving nothing behind.

The sixth stanza introduces a new image: the "skeletons" of the fair. Plath describes these as "the remains of the day," suggesting that they are the remnants of a once-great civilization that has now fallen into decay. This image is a powerful one, suggesting that modern society is on the brink of collapse, and that the only thing left is the empty shell of what once was.

The seventh and final stanza brings the poem to a close, with Plath describing the fair as a place where "the dead lie down in their fun." This image is a powerful one, suggesting that modern society is a kind of death trap, where people are lulled into a false sense of security by the trappings of consumerism, only to end up dead and buried. Plath is suggesting that there is a kind of spiritual death that comes with living in a society that values material possessions above all else.

In terms of language and imagery, "Vanity Fair" is a masterful work. Plath uses vivid, evocative language to create a powerful sense of atmosphere and mood. Her use of metaphor and symbolism is also impressive, with images such as the "skeletons" of the fair and the "dead lying down in their fun" creating a sense of foreboding and unease.

Overall, "Vanity Fair" is a powerful and haunting poem that explores some of the most pressing issues of our time. Plath's critique of consumerism and modern society is as relevant today as it was when the poem was first written, and her use of language and imagery is as powerful as ever. If you haven't read this classic poem before, I highly recommend that you do so – it is a work of art that will stay with you long after you have finished reading it.

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