SOURCE: "Role Playing as a Dutchman," in Studies in Black Literature, Vol. 3, No. 3, Autumn, 1972, pp. 17-21.

Tener refutes the widely-held belief that the title of Baraka 's play "Dutchman, " refers to the legend of the Flying Dutchman.

Although the critical material on LeRoi Jones' dramatic works has been steadily accumulating, one of his best plays has not received the varied attention it deserves. "Dutchman" has intrigued a few critics like Harold Clurman, Hugh Nelson, Susan Sontag, Sister Mary John Carol Blitgen, and John Ferguson. Each has sought to interpret the complex events leading to Clay's murder. For Blitgen, Nelson, and Ferguson the title refers to the legend of the Flying Dutchman. The most comprehensive treatment of this point of view is provided by Professor Nelson [in "LeRoi Jones' 'Dutchman': A Brief Ride on a Doomed Ship," Education Theatre Journal, March, 1968]. His thesis is that Jones had converted the...