Joyce Carol Oates "Raising Lady Lazarus" The New York Times (November 5, 2000)
• From a review of The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath, 1950-1962 (New York: Anchor Books). Hughes habit of "nosepicking" is described as a "most unromantic penchant".
• From a review of The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath, 1950-1962 (New York: Anchor Books). Hughes habit of "nosepicking" is described as a "most unromantic penchant".
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Like piranhas devouring their prey, Plath's thoughts rush, churn, thresh -- there is sheer demonic energy here, exhausting to observe and suggesting that Plath's primary motive for suicide might have been the extinguishing of this piranha-voice.
— Joyce Carol Oates on Sylvia Plath
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Like piranhas devouring their prey, Plath's thoughts rush, churn, thresh -- there is sheer demonic energy here, exhausting to observe and suggesting that Plath's primary motive for suicide might have been the extinguishing of this piranha-voice." in the context of "Joyce Carol Oates "Raising Lady Lazarus" The New York Times (November 5, 2000)
• From a review of The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath, 1950-1962 (New York: Anchor Books). Hughes habit of "nosepicking" is described as a "most unromantic penchant"." to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Sylvia Plath" (Quotes about Sylvia Plath: In alphabetical order by author or source.)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
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About Joyce Carol Oates
Joyce Carol Oates (born June 16, 1938) is an American author who has published 58 novels, plays and novellas, as well as volumes of short stories, poetry, and nonfiction. Oates taught at Princeton University from 1978 to 2014 and is the Roger S. Berlind '52 Professor Emerita in the Humanities with the Program in Creative Writing. She is a visiting professor at the University of California, Berkeley where she teaches short fiction.
About Joyce Carol Oates
Joyce Carol Oates (born June 16, 1938) is an American author who has published 58 novels, plays and novellas, as well as volumes of short stories, poetry, and nonfiction. Oates taught at Princeton University from 1978 to 2014 and is the Roger S. Berlind '52 Professor Emerita in the Humanities with the Program in Creative Writing. She is a visiting professor at the University of California, Berkeley where she teaches short fiction.
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