From Evangeline to Alma: Acadian Women in Literature

Although the first well-known literary representation of an Acadian woman was written by an outsider, the myth of ‘Evangeline’ endures. This accepted version of Acadian identity continues to influence the perception of Acadie. However, francophone authors from the region began to produce their own literature, set in Acadia and populated by Acadians in order to create a new, more authentic portrait of Acadians. They were inspired by the Révolution Tranquille in Québec to reclaim their linguistic and regional identities through literature. In a departure from the well-known \u27Evangeline\u27 by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and as a sort of continuation of La Sagouine by Antonine Maillet, La Mariecomo by Regis Brun and Alma by Georgette LeBlanc are two of the more modern Acadian literary works, each offering a specific perspective into the feminine Acadian identity. Published in 1971, Brun’sn ovel is based on his folklore research. LeBlanc’s collection of poems, published in 2007, isboth a sort of continuation of the autonomy and cultural auto determination begun in the seventies while also personal and intimate. Both of these works examine the conflict between established institutions and the individual as a means to express a specific cultural identity.The dual minority statusof the protagonists, linguistic and female,creates tension for these characters as they seek to live life as they see fit, in spite of expectations from the Anglophone majority, established religion, or the patriarchal society in whichthey live. Their specific female, Acadian identity is revealed through opposition