Presented by Seed Talks Sylvia Plath is best known for her novel The Bell Jar (1963) and her emotive, striking poetry. She grew up in Massachusetts, close to Salem, a place closely linked to the history of the witch trials. During the 1950s, renewed public interest in these events influenced Plath’s writing and imagination. Plath often used images of witches and witch trials to explore power, identity and injustice. Her poetry reflects her concerns about control and authority in society, while also showing sympathy for those unfairly accused. In this talk, Dr Dorka Tamás explores how Plath connects with witchcraft and poetic language, and how the figure of the witch appears in different forms in her work. We’ll look at the contrast between fictional “evil” witches from fairy tales and the real historical victims who were accused of witchcraft, and punished by patriarchal systems of power. Speaker Bio: Dr Dorka Tamás is a researcher and teacher based at Royal Holloway, University of London. She earned her PhD in English literature from the University of Exeter (2022) and her Master’s degree from the University of Sussex (2018). Dorka is specialised in twentieth-century women’s poetry, particularly Sylvia Plath, the legacies of early modern witch-hunt in literature, and post-1945 American culture. She has spoken at the Sylvia Plath Literary Festival at Hebden Bridge (2022), at numerous academic conferences, and at the Romancing the Gothic lecture series. She is the author of Sylvia Plath and the Supernatural, published by Cambridge University Press (2026) and the editor of The New Sylvia Plath Studies, forthcoming from Cambridge University Press. Testimonials from our guests: ⭐ Truly riveting talks, always enjoy these – a great way to spend an evening with some pals. Already looking forward to the next one. – Alexander P ⭐ Expertly run, talks are always super informative and a lot of fun! Couldn’t recommend these enough! 5 star. – Owen S ⭐ Been to a few talks and all have been super interesting. An enjoyable evening to go to either alone or with friends. The talks make for stimulating conversation. Highly recommend! – Daisy J Follow us on IG: @seedtalks Doors open at 7.30pm, talk starts at 8pm – come down early to grab a good seat! VIP ticket gets you a reserved seat Ages 16+ Duration: 2 hours (inc. interval) No booking fees when you become a Member – save from £3 per ticket!

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