‘Removing the Mask’. Feminist Confessional Lyricism in the Work of Sylvia Plath and Taylor Swift

Abstract

Both Sylvia Plath and Taylor Swift are figures whose work is endowed with a feminist agenda. Despite their different artistic careers, it is possible to trace sorne parallelisms between their works such as, for instance, the intimate link between their lives and the art they produced or the confessional dimension of much of their work. Building upon these premises, this dissertation seeks to analyse the work of both artists as part of the tradition of confessional lyricism. Both artists avail themselves of this kind of writing to create an intimate form of lyricism that also reflects their feminist agenda. In order to carry out such a study, I will carry out a close reading of a selection of works by Plath and Swift, grounding my analysis in feminist theory as well as critical works dealing with confessional poetry. The structure of the dissertation will consist of two main parts. The first part will be devoted to the theoretical framework, delving into feminist criticism and confessional poetry. Subsequently, the second part will provide a close reading of a series of poems by Sylvia Plath anda set of lyrics by Taylor Swift, to trace the parallelisms that can be drawn between the lyrical work of these two figures. Thus, this comparative study aims to demonstrate how Plath and Swift utilized the confessional mode in an attempt to handle societal expectations, feminine experience, and personal concerns.