Breaking Black Boundaries: The Poetry of Rita Dove

Name

• LaVonna D. Wright, Georgia Southern UniversityFollow

Publication Date

2020

Major

English (B.A.)

Release Option

Open Access

Faculty Mentor

Dr. Joe Pellegrino

Abstract

By tracing the motifs of domestic space, classical and popular music, and ballroom dancing within Rita Dove’s Thomas and Beulah, Grace Notes, Sonata Mulattica, and American Smooth, I assert that she both challenges and expands Black poetic culture by exploring topics previously considered outside of the purview of Black poets. This analysis allows me to demonstrate her ability as a poet to move beyond simplistic, derivative, and ultimately constraining cultural expectations. Dove uses these motifs to expand the critically and culturally-imposed constrictions of Black poetry.

Copyright

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Recommended Citation

Wright, LaVonna D., "Breaking Black Boundaries: The Poetry of Rita Dove" (2020). Honors College Theses. 549.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/honors-theses/549