FROM ETHNOARCHETYPICAL IMAGE GREAT SPIRIT TILL ETHNOCULTURAL LITERARY TYPE UNSUBDUED

Abstract

The article focuses on the mechanisms of forming literary image in contemporary Amerindian prosaic texts. Literary image embodies characteristic features of typical representative of Amerindian ethnos of XX – XXI centuries. The paper suggests linguocultural criteria of classifying literary image of central personage as ethnocultural typical literary image. Contextual analysis of Amerindian prosaic texts approves that ethnocultural typical literary image accumulates beliefs, values and worldview of those Amerindian youths, who coming from II World War found themselves between two worlds: native and modern American society. Cognitive and linguistic analysis highlights that such literary image undergoes three stages of its formation: preconceptual, conceptual and verbal. Preconceptual level of literary image formation as ethnocultural type is described by archetypal analysis of Amerindian myths and legends. Interpreting the type of images in Amerindian folklore texts allows explicating the implicative features of such ethnocultural archetypes as Great Spirit, Woman-Creator and Medicine. In contemporary Amerindian prosaic texts such implicative features are revealed in the descriptions of behaviors, deeds, actions, thoughts, and intentions of central personages. Thus mapping of motifs from Amerindian myths and legends into those from contemporary prosaic texts approves the idea that literary images in contemporary prosaic texts implement archetypal features of Great Spirit, who is the only Creator in the world, from folklore texts. Reference to the lexico-semantic analysis and on its basis semiotic analysis help to identify lexico-stylistic means of expressing typical characteristics of a central personage and refer him to the class of ethnocultural type. Such type should have the characteristic features of the only one, of some kind of the Messiah, who must change the world, the relationships in the world and attitude to the world, and he should have strict position of his beliefs as his mission is to live and work for the harmony and balance in the world. Such type of literary character is named ‘unsubdued’.