Date of Thesis
Spring 2012
Description
Haitian-American author Edwidge Danticat evokes the Haitian tradition of storytelling in many of her novels and short story collections. A tradition formulated by vodou religion and the amalgamation of African cultures, storytelling acts to entertain, educate and enlighten the people of Haiti. Additionally, her novels are often written in the context of traumatic events in Haitian history. While Danticat's works have been studied with focus on their depiction of storytelling and of trauma, little has been done on the restorative power that storytelling provides. In this thesis, I seek to examine the potential for Danticat's characters and works to create narratives that build community, present testimony, and aid traumatized individuals in recovery.
Keywords
Edwidge Danticat, Storytelling, Trauma, Testimony, Haiti, Literature, Postcolonial Literary Criticism
Access Type
Honors Thesis
Major
English
First Advisor
Mara de Gennaro
Recommended Citation
Kurban, Michael R., "The Assertion of Identity: Storytelling and Testimony in the Works of Edwidge Danticat" (2012). Honors Theses. 109.
https://digitalcommons.bucknell.edu/honors_theses/109
Included in
Literature in English, North America Commons, Other English Language and Literature Commons