Mourning in Haitian Literature

3 units

The Centre National de Ressources Textuelles et Lexicales defines a reposoir as an altar adorned with flowers and ornate foliage erected during a funeral procession onto which a priest places the holy sacrament in a moment of rest. In Haitian Creole, arepozwa can refer to a person who provides safe harbor; it can refer to an archive or a repository; it can also designate a resting place where the remains of a person and the memories associated with them lie in repose. In this course, we will examine how Haitian literature - memoirs, novels, poetry, and theater - acts as a repozwa in all of its valences and how it can assist those left behind in the process of mourning. Taught in French.