The Disquieting Muses

“Bluebeard” by Sylvia Plath

A short yet powerful poem that also draws on traditional fairy tale lore.

“Briar Rose” by Anne Sexton (1971)

A poem by one of Plath’s contemporaries (as well as writing partner, confidante, and frenemy), drawing on the same classic myth that opens “The Disquieting Muses.”

“Medusa” by Sylvia Plath (1962)

Another mythologically inspired poem by Plath that explores motherhood and mother-daughter relationships.

“Giorgio de Chirico, Enchanted space in the city of Nietzsche” by Reed Enger (2015)

An introduction to the artist Giorgio de Chirico with further examples of his work, including the one that inspired Sylvia Plath’s “The Disquieting Muses.”

“To Sylvia Plath's Mother, New Play Contains 'Words of Love'” by Nan Robertson (1979)

Sylvia Plath had a complex relationship with her mother, as alluded to in “The Disquieting Muses” and several other works. This article contains rare insight from Plath’s mother, Aurelia Plath, as well as her perspective on “The Disquieting Muses.”

“Sylvia Plath’s reimagination of the Grimms’ fairy tales in postwar American culture” by Dorka Tamás (2021)

Originally published in Feminist Modernist Studies (Volume 5, Issue 1), this article explores Plath’s recurring allusions to classic fairy tales, with particular attention given to “The Disquieting Muses.