I don't know... I can't make up my mind about this myself. I keep
wavering between three positions: 1) the blackface interlocutor is an
offensive stereotype but Berryman was too naive to worry about it, 2)
the deliberate moral invalidity of the commentator mask adds to the
delusional torment which is Berryman's obssessive theme, or 3) if I have
a racist dream should I not tell it to my therapist?
Have any black readers or critics said how they felt about this
aspect of the Dream Songs? Or are there any on this list who'd be
willing to address this?
Sexism too. Behold The Male Voice:
What wonders is she sitting on over there?
Clearly and deplorably sexist, yes. But this line to me has the
stamp of great poetry: it produces an enormous Click.
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