“The Bell Jar” was written by Sylvia Plath, under the pseudonym of Victoria Lucas. This is the poet’s only novel, and is a semi-autobiographical book. It is a dark book about the spiral of a young woman into clinical depression. It paralleled that of Sylvia Plath’s spiral downward into depression. This book is often read in American high schools, despite its dark plotline. Plath killed herself shortly after the novel came out in the United Kingdom, and her husband insisted it not be released in the United States until ten years after her death. Then, it was released under her name, instead of her pseudonym - Victoria Lucas.
The book focuses on a young woman named Esther Greenwood. She gets an internship in New York City, but is not impressed with the city life. She falls into depression after finding that none of her options appealed to her.