ShodhPatra: International Journal of Science and Humanities

Sylvia Plath As a Nature Poet: A Study in Psychological Landscape

While Sylvia Plath is widely known for her confessional poetry and psychological depth , her engagement with nature forms a significant and overlooked facet of her poetry.Depiction of nature in Plath’s poetry extends beyond mere description of natural elements like sea, plants ,flowers, animals etc .Nature is fascinating and fearful at the same time. Nature is neither purely nurturing nor idyllic here.This paper examines Plath’s treatment of nature not in pastoral terms or romantic tradition but as an extension of her inner world .Drawing on key poems, this paper repositions Plath as a nature poet who begins by defining man's relation with nature - the external world and its inhabitants and moves on to man's attitude to his own self and then deals with his struggle against forces that are hostile .Her vision of nature is complex- ranging from the violent and alienating to the serene and redemptive- offering a radical redefinition of what it means to be a nature poet in 20th century. Key Words : Sylvia plath, nature, confessional poetry, landscape, identity, psychological projection, feminism, death and rebirth.