Early American Literature

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Early American Literature

• Origin of Storytelling and the Trickster Tales

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Native Storytelling

• Myths
• unproven tales that explain a tradition,
  customary practice, or occurrence in nature
• Legends
• unproven story handed down from generation to
  generation
• Tales
• a rumor or piece of gossip relating to a story
  that holds some truth
• Lyrics
• words to a song (used to tell stories in Early
  Americaand are still used)

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Why?

• It is human nature to want to explain the unknown
• These stories were often told to explain the big
  questions (who are we? why are we here? where
  do we go when we die? who is in charge? purpose
  of life?

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Native Americans

• Prior to European arrival, there was no written
  literature from Native Americans
• Cause Literature is very diverse
• Tribes across America were very different in
  beliefs and government and therefore passed down
  very different stories

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Similarity in Native American Lit

• Most Native literature presents the Earth and
  Nature as a living and acting force
• Spirituality
• Characters often include animals and plants

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Trickster Tales

• Who is the trickster
• can be many forms
• (coyote, raven, spider, mink, rabbit)
• The trickster is different in European
  literature. Usually human form.

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Trickster is the spark

• scandalous
• attracts all the ladies (very highly sexed, often
  sexual misconduct)
• disgusts
• amuses
• shifting shapes
• outwitting the upper class
• pranks
• disrupts
• humiliates
• Modern Example Steve Polycronopolus

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Most Popular Trickster

• The coyote
• Where have you seen the coyote represent a more
  spiritual or powerful being?

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Native American Trickster

• Is not always the prankster or jokester
• Often the creator of
• the earth
• evolution (through his treachery)
• transforming the world / earth
• the tricksters morals often conflict

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Tradition is important!

• The tales must be told exactly as they were first
  were
• often have strict rules about how and when they
  can be told
• bad fortune may happen for one who does not obey
  the laws of the trickster tale
• Some tales may be modified, some may not
• Others may not leave the originating tribe

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Source

• http//www.pittstate.edu/engl/nichols/coyote.html
• http//usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/oal/oaltoc.h
  tm
• Angenette Fudalas website
• - Erdoes, Richard and Alfonso Ortiz, eds.
  American Indian Trickster Tales. New York
  Penguin Books, 1998.

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Assignment

• Using the internet, find an example of the
  following
• Myth
• Legend
• Trickster Tale
• Read each present for the class. Due Friday,
  August 31st.

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Presentation Requirements

• Posterboard divided into three sections
• Printed copies of Myth, Legend, and Trickster
  Tale
• Pictures included for each section
• Bullet-points to guide your presentation

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Example
Trickster Tale
Myth
Legend