Mary Ventura and the Ninth Kingdom: A Story

Mary Ventura's mother and father force her to board a train and instruct her to take it to the very end of the line, the Ninth Kingdom. There the conductor will tell her where to go. When the train begins to move, an older woman sits down next to Mary, takes out her knitting, and the two begin to chat. Mary remarks on the plush seats, the alluringly red interior, and the passive, obedient behavior of the other passengers. As the train speeds on through dark tunnels and a bleak autumnal landscape, and the light is extinguished from the sky, Mary becomes uneasy. As they approach the Ninth Kingdom, Mary makes a choice that will ultimately determine her fate. Completed in December 1952, when Plath was still a student at Smith College, this story is a mythic tale of the assertion of female agency. Its metaphysical and allegorical quality is unlike anything else Plath wrote. Cinematic and gripping, MARY VENTURA AND THE NINTH KINGDOM is a rare treasure.