The Bell Jar received "warily positive reviews".[25] The short time span between the publication of the book and Plath's suicide resulted in "few innocent readings" of the novel.[8]
The majority of early readers focused primarily on autobiographical connections from Plath to the protagonist. In response to autobiographical criticism, critic Elizabeth Hardwick urged that readers distinguish between Plath as a writer and Plath as an "event".[8] Robert Scholes, writing for The New York Times, praised the novel's "sharp and uncanny descriptions".[8][27] Mason Harris of the West Coast Review complimented the novel as using "the 'distorted lens' of madness [to give] an authentic vision of a period which exalted the most oppressive ideal of reason and stability."[8] Howard Moss of The New Yorker gave a mixed review, praising the "black comedy" of the novel, but added that there was "something girlish in its manner [that] betrays the hand of the amateur novelist".[8]
On November 5, 2019, the BBC News listed The Bell Jar on its list of the 100 most inspiring novels.[28]
