The things I know about Confessional poetry

Confessional poetry is a term assigned to the ultra-personal poems that entered the literary scene beginning in the mid-20th century. This school of poetry has been the subject of much criticism and analysis, with some people claiming that this style of poetry is not new at all and symbolizes the progressive debasement of the meaning of what constitutes poetry. Most people, however, find the confessional mode of expression refreshingly human and moving in its emotional intensity.
When reading a confessional poem, the reader feels as if he or she has a connection with the author. In many poems, there is a sort of epiphany that often comes towards the end of the poem. The poem seeks to establish a bond with the reader, making the reader feel as if they are walking alongside the poet in his/her self revelation. Confessional poems often provide insight and emotional depth, yet they encompass a wide variety of topics.
Some argue that the Confessional school is annoying because the poets are clearly "self-absorbed" and "narcisstic." I, for one, did not get that sense at all reading poems from Sylvia Plath, Allen Ginsberg, Anne Sexton, WD Snodgrass and Theodore Roethke - while their poems referred to themselves and their own experiences, they had a sort of emotional verity that struck me as very unique. I almost got the sense that writing this poems were a sort of therapy for the authors, and further reading lead me to discover that most confessional poets did indeed have some sort of mental illness. Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton were depressed their entire lives and committed suicide (both in the same way - carbon monoxide poisoning), and Allen Ginsberg lived a socially aberrant life as a homosexual Beat poet. Theodore Roethke suffered from bipolar disorder and used it as an impetus for his work.
I think the confessional school achieved what literature should achieve - emotional expression. The vivid imagery in Sylvia Plath's later poems, depicting some dark, shadowy area in her mind that she was trapped in, made me view poetry as a form of art not so distantly related to visual art. Confessional poets have an ability to put to words vague emotions, feelings and beliefs into words. Reading a confessional poem, you don't even have to be a well-versed in poetry to understand the talent that this poets had in expressing themselves through writing.
Of course, it's undeniable that confessional poets fictionalized themselves in their writing; to what extent this fictionalization occurred, however, is open to debate. Reader involvement in confessional poetry has led to the creation of poets into celebrities, perhaps where some of the criticism of narcissim originates. After Plath's death, her fans delved deeply into her husband's affair and criticized his publication of her work, much to the anger of her daughter. To take any one poem and say that it can be directly applied to any certain aspect of the poet's life, or to base an opinion about the poet's personality on any one poem, is to dilute the true meaning of the poetry. Reading confessional poems, I know that the poet is revealing intimate information about him or herself, but there are times in which I think making an impact on the reader has taken prevalance over absolute honesty.