White American Style in Rhyme

Abstract

What follows is an experiment in presenting data in a nontraditional way. Accounts of the intraracial experiences of White college women were adapted to various traditional forms of poetry including the villanelle, rondeau, and roundel. These traditional 16th-century French poetry forms featured pastoral verses or tales of romance that were often sung and accompanied by music. However, in following the lead of 19th- and 20th-century English and American poets, the author uses the poetry styles to address serious issues of racial identification, identity negotiation, and enactment. The author employs the principles of variation, alliteration, and rhyming to underscore the impact of various ethnicities and nationalities in making Whiteness visible within the United States.