The London Review of Books blog has taken note of the forthcoming anniversary reissue of The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath. In particular, they have noticed the cover – which appears to have been designed by the team responsible for Sophie Kinsella’s Sex & Shopping oeuvre. It really couldn’t be more inappropriate, disrespectful or, sorry but I have to say it, bloody hilarious. here it is alongside its more famous predecessor.
Once I’d stopped chuckling, I set to wondering whether it might be possible to design a book cover for a vintage feminist classic that would be even more crass, tasteless and wrong?
Well it turned out I couldn’t. But I gave it a good go. Can you do any better?
Have to say I don’t understand why everyone is getting in such a mardy tizz about this book cover – a particular make-up compact that the protagonist gets given at an event she attends as part of her journalism internship is repeatedly mentioned in the book – they haven’t just plucked this image from the air!
Personally I think it’s a crap cover, but I think the original one was too, not to mention the edition my own copy is in which has a black and white photo of a woman holding a bright purple balloon – I mean, what gives? I guess it’s a pretty difficult book to give a clue to with a single image. As most books worth reading are… the only book covers I ever actually like are Terry Pratchett books, because Josh Kirby is insanely brilliant.
Your theoretical cover for The Second Sex made me giggle though!
It’s all about the curly typeface I reckon, LPT. If it had been the same image but with an austere gothic font I don’t think many people would have been bothered.
I’ll confess I was surprised by how much this was picked up. I started playing with photoshop (Friday work avoidance behaviour) at about 10am and posted this a couple of hours later, by which time it was all over the Guardian, Jezebel and god knows where else.
Some people have a very close emotional relationship with the Bell Jar, so I guess they get more protective of it than most titles.
The scary thing is,these look worryingly feasible. 😦
From a publisher’s perspective, the sole purpose of a book cover is to get people to pick up the book…
Well the one on the left might be the more famous predecessor but according to this site the first edition cover is rather more literal, as is its introduction to the plot – Esther Greenwood, a young woman from the suburbs of Boston, gains a summer internship at a prominent magazine in New York City.
I think the Bell Jar cover is bad but not as ridiculous as the new Anne of Green gables cover. http://andiegoddessofpickles.blogspot.ca/2013/02/so-is-blonde-washing-thing-now-also.html