Dim Lady

Harryette MullenFiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 2002

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Form and Meter

Mullen’s “Dim Lady” is not an actual sonnet, but it pays homage to the sonnet form, a highly formal scheme of 14 rhymed and metered lines made famous by Italian poet Petrarch in the 1400s. No meter is present in “Dim Lady;” its rhymes do not follow a scheme, and there are only 12 lines rather than the traditional 14. Despite these differences, “Dim Lady” does allude to a very famous sonnet by William Shakespeare, Sonnet 130, by attending in a similar tone and approach to a traditional sonnet subject: love and intimacy.

A volta, or a turn in the speaker’s subject and/or thought that is a frequent feature of sonnets, is observable in Line 10 of the poem. In Petrarchan, or Italian, sonnets, the volta usually occurs at the end of the octave, the first eight-line section of the poem, and at the beginning of the sestet, the second six-line section of the poem. In Shakespearean, or English, sonnets, the volta appears before the final couplet. The volta in “Dim Lady” occurs in Line 10, and as the poem consists of twelve lines, this location of the poem’s version of a volta links the poem more closely with the Shakespearean form than with the Petrarchan.

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Some scholars have identified the volta as the reason behind the sonnet’s enduring popularity. Because it marks a shift in attitude or thought, the volta carries with it a surprise and a kind of poetic energy. The rhetoric power of the volta enhances the sonnet, which is a relatively short poem; in “Dim Lady,” the volta’s power exists in its reassurance that the speaker of the poem actually does prefer her beloved despite the risky comparisons to products and brand names made earlier in the poem.

Colloquialism

Many colloquialisms, or slang terms, appear in the poem. Mullen’s use of the colloquialisms, some of which have offensive connotations, as expressions of tenderness is wordplay characteristic of Language poetry, which encourages readers to imbue words and phrases with their own meanings.

The poem’s title is a great example of this. The word “dim” can mean “dark,” which is an allusion to the Dark Lady of Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 130,” but it can also mean “stupid.” When combined with the hyperbolically courtly “lady”—which can also be a disrespectful way of referring to women—this double meaning sets the poem’s comic tone. Throughout the poem, echoes of this connotation of “lady” recur in slang like “racks” (Line 3) and “mug” (Line 6), slang words for “breasts” and “face.” Because the speaker clearly highly values the beloved, these words are purposefully jarring, asking readers to compare the effects of different linguistic registers and decide for themselves if the words are intended to insult or to communicate closeness.

Blazon

A poetic device, a blazon is a catalog of the physical attributes of the subject, usually a woman. Petrarch, the 14th century Italian poet who popularized the sonnet, frequently used blazons in his work, which in turn inspired followers like Shakespeare and other 17th century English poets. Traditional blazons compare female physical attributes to rare jewels and majestic wonders of nature, elevating the woman’s body, face, and other physical characteristics to incomparable ideals. Like Shakespeare in Sonnet 130, Mullen defies the convention: in “Dim Lady,” the speaker’s blazon compares her beloved’s features unfavorably to deeply prosaic commercial objects to extol the beloved’s unique appeal over the banal homogeneity of contemporary American beauty ideals and taste standards.