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Unread 04-06-2017, 03:26 AM
John Isbell John Isbell is offline
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It is to my mind a very long poem: Auden has a sustained commitment to his subject. It's also quite erotic, and maybe he felt he needed the space for that mood to develop. Or for whatever other reason. It's nice to have this by Auden; I almost never write about sex, and it feels like a bit of a blind spot.
I think the poem achieves its goals, and doesn't seem to require any more than that. Speaking as a man (though without experience in such things), I find the nine-inch member one unlikely touch. Though perhaps why not? Too bad Auden felt the need to disavow his own work as time played out.
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