<p>Funny, while you were watching that, my Smithie daughter and I were watching the Sylvia Plath film with Gwyneth Paltrow. (Only one scene supposedly at Smith, and that indoors - the entire film was shot in England.) Message? Don’t let your d. go to Smith! :)</p>
<p>No, seriously, so much of the film was about Plath’s struggle to define herself in a world and career that was virtually 100% controlled by, and defined by, men (and which kept her in the house with the two kids, despite the fact that she was an infinitely more talented poet than her husband.) Sadly, these issues still remain with us, and, as long as they do, the compelling need for women’s colleges will remain.</p>
<p>Incidentally, of the six female U.S. Poet Laureates/Consultants since 1945 who graduated from college at all, four of them attended women’s colleges - Leonie Adams (Barnard), Elizabeth Bishop (Vassar), Maxine Kumin (Radcliffe), and Louise Gluck (Sarah Lawrence). The only other two were Mona Van Duyn (University of Northern Iowa), and Rita Dove (Miami University of Ohio.)</p>