The anatomy of melancholy vs The Bell Jar: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Mental Depression, Mental Health, Psychology
vs
The Bell Jar
“It was a queer, sultry summer, the summer they electrocuted the Rosenbergs, and I didn't know what I was doing in New York.”
The Bell Jar is the only novel written by American poet Sylvia Plath. It is an intensely realistic and emotional record of a successful and talented young woman's descent into madness.
The verdict
- Readers rate The Bell Jar highest: The Bell Jar 4.4 · The anatomy of melancholy 4.1.
- The Bell Jar is the quickest read — about 5 hours vs 13 for The anatomy of melancholy.
- The anatomy of melancholy has the widest readership — 1979 ratings behind its score.
How to choose
Scores by source
| The anatomy of melancholy | The Bell Jar | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.1 (1979) | — |
| Hardcover | 4.8 (4) | — |
| Google Books | — | 4.5 (2) |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (9) | 4.5 (555) |
Reception
| The anatomy of melancholy | The Bell Jar | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 1979 | 555 |
| Editions | 60 | 177 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 28351 | — |
| Reading it now | 900 | — |
| Written reviews | 246 | — |
| Wikipedia attention | 5291 | 63950 |
| Pages | 747 | 272 |