 Read Module 1 in “An Outline of American Literature: from the Early Period to the Enlightenment”: http://uslit.1cs.su// or http://milnekh.narod.ru/; use your lectures too; do the suggested test #1.

Prepare the following questions:

1. Early Amerindian Period:

a) Amerindian background;

b) Amerindian economy and political organization;

c) Amerindian religion;

2.  Amerindian Literature:

a) oral tradition (orature);

b) the variety of Amerindian genres;

c) the specifics of Amerindian orature: main themes, characters, mythological figures.

 Fulfill the suggested tasks:

Module 1

PRE-COLUMBIAN AMERICAN LITERATURE:

Amerindian literature

1. Explore in depth the material given in Module 1 of the study-guide “An Outline of American Literature”: Early American (Amerindian) Period, fulfill the suggested tasks.

2. Write a short summary about Amerindian history of the Pre-Columbian period concerning the following points:

a) Amerindian background:

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b) Amerindian economy and political organization:

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c) Amerindian religion:

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3. Give the definition of Amerindian oral tradition (orature):

Oral tradition (orature) ____________________________________________

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Folklore ________________________________________________________

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4. Fulfill the following table concerning the variety of Amerindian genres:

Genre	Definition of the genre			Representatives (Amerindian tribes)
myth
legend
tale
lyric
ceremony
trickster
chant
joke
song
ritual
fairy-tale
anecdote
incantation
riddle
proverb
epic
history