A tale of love and longing set amongst the marshy lowlands of the Atchafalaya basin, “Evangeline: A Tale of Louisiana.”
Kelly Sebastian, elementary education senior, is familiar with the tale even though she is not from Louisiana.
“When I hear ‘Evangeline,’ the love story and Nova Scotia comes to mind,” Sebastian said.
The emigration of the Acadians remains the foundation of Cajun history and the trickling of the culture many students embrace today.
Maria Hebert-Lieter, author of “Becoming Cajun, Becoming American: The Acadian in American Literature from Longfellow to James Lee Burke,” explores the enculturation of Cajuns in American literature and the nation itself. Printed by LSU Press, the south Louisiana native urges students to celebrate their roots.
“In a nation full of Walmart and Barnes & Noble stores, we should remember and celebrate what makes us different and unique,” Hebert-Lieter said in an email to The Daily Reveille. “Our Acadian past and our Cajun present make us different. It also reminds us how we have affected national history, foodways and music. ‘Evangeline’ itself proves a long-lasting American interest in Acadian Gras.”
“Evangeline: A Tale of