yeah she occupied a very insular bubble of new england WASPs for much of her life, i own her diaries and especially in her younger years she was prone to make offhand statements like “all people of the negro race look alike until you get to know them individually” or use words like “greasy” and “coarse” to describe the physical appearances of jewish people she encountered. as a white woman writing in the 1950s she was simultaneously oppressed and oppressor. it’s possible and necessary to engage with her work and appreciate her gifts without eliding the reality of her cultural milieu or looking to her for moral leadership in all things.
bongdanceking 