The function of narrative obituary verse in Northern Cape Breton, 1894-1902

Abstract

This thesis is based on five narrative obiturary poems, and tape recorded interviews with people from the Aspy Bay region of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. The interviews are principally from 1985 to 1989. The aim of this study is to question the current definition of narrative obituary verse and to demonstrate the variety of both approaches, uses and functions within the genre, that the current definition does not address. As a sub-text, this thesis makes a contribution toward an operative definition of the folk poet.