This pioneering study examines the extraordinary proliferation of polyphonic or "multi-voiced" texts in the three centuries following the first contact between Europeans and indigenous peoples of the Americas. These plays, printed dialogues, travel narratives, and lexicographic studies, in English, Spanish and French, reverberate with a cacophony of voices as both European and indigenous writers of the early Americas stage the interaction of their cultures.
Paying particular attention to performance and performativity in the texts of the early colonial world, Susan Castillo asks:
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This broad introduction to Colonial American literatures brings out the comparative and transatlantic nature of the writing of this period and highlights the interactions between native, non-scribal groups, and Europeans that helped to shape early American writing.

• Situates the writing of this period in its various historical and cultural contexts, including colonialism, imperialism, diaspora, and nation formation.
  
• Highlights interactions between native, non-scribal groups and Europeans during the early centuries of exploration.
  
• Covers a wide...