Dim Lady

Harryette Mullen’s “Dim Lady” may remind some readers of 17th century English playwright and poet William Shakespeare’s well-known “Sonnet 130,” in which the speaker of the poem makes a mockery of his beloved’s physical appearance. During Shakespeare’s time, fashion encouraged poets to write flowery poetry that extolled the virtues and the beauty of their beloved. However, the speaker of this sonnet toys with poetic conventions of the time, describing the physical attributes of the speaker’s beloved Dark Lady in less than flattering terms. Mullen’s “Dim Lady” takes Shakespeare’s parody even further, degrading its language to demonstrate that the only way the speaker can describe a beloved is through the coarsening influence of American consumer culture.

Though the language of the poem may appear degraded, the depth and the authenticity of the speaker’s love appears to remain true, and the juxtaposition of nearly-vulgar language against the high literary topic of love invites an analysis of the role of love, and physical and sexual attraction in the modern world. In “Dim Lady,” the speaker’s attachment to her beloved is illustrated in consumerist terms, as well as with images and individuals linked with popular culture.