The Cambridge Introduction to the Old Norse-Icelandic Saga (Cambridge Introductions to Literature)

The Medieval Norse-icelandic Saga Is One Of The Most Important European Vernacular Literary Genres Of The Middle Ages. This Introduction To The Saga Genre Outlines Its Origins And Development, Its Literary Character, Its Material Existence In Manuscripts And Printed Editions, And Its Changing Reception From The Middle Ages To The Present Time. Its Multiple Sub-genres - Including Family Sagas, Mythical-heroic Sagas And Sagas Of Knights - Are Described And Discussed In Detail, And The World Of Medieval Icelanders Is Powerfully Evoked. The First General Study Of The Old Norse-icelandic Saga To Be Written In English For Some Decades, The Introduction Is Based On Up-to-date Scholarship And Engages With Current Debates In The Field. With Suggestions For Further Reading, Detailed Information About The Icelandic Literary Canon, And A Map Of Medieval Iceland, This Book Is Aimed At Students Of Medieval Literature And Assumes No Prior Knowledge Of Scandinavian Languages-- Machine Generated Contents Note: A Preface On Practical Issues; Glossary Of Technical Terms; 1. Medieval Iceland; 2. What Is An Old Norse-icelandic Saga?; 3. The Genesis Of The Icelandic Saga; 4. Saga Chronology; 5. Saga Subjects And Settings; 6. Saga Mode, Style And Point Of View; 7. Saga Structures; 8. The Material Record: How We Know The Sagas; 9. Changing Understandings Of The Sagas; Guide To Further Reading; Index. Margaret Clunies Ross. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. List of tables page viii A preface on practical issues ix Acknowledgements xiii Abbreviations xiv 1. Medieval Iceland 1 Setting the scene 1 Why Iceland? 3 Where did the settlers come from? 5 Medieval Iceland society 7 Religion 10 Why did medieval Icelanders write so much and so well? 11 2. What is an Old Norse-Icelandic saga? 13 The term Old Norse 13 What is an Old Norse-Icelandic saga? 14 Saga in the medieval lexicon 15 How are sagas different from non-sagas? 20 The view from inside the text 23 Kinds of sagas 27 3. The genesis of the Icelandic saga 37 Theories of saga origins 38 A major controversy in studies of saga origins: bookprose versus freeprose 39 Studies of oral cultures and their impact on saga studies 41 Vernacular literacy in medieval Iceland 43 The growth of saga conventions 48 Concepts of authorship 50 4. Saga chronology 52 The politics of saga chronology 54 The evidence of the manuscripts 57 Dating criteria 61 Some tentative conclusions 69 5 Saga subjects and settings 72 Time and place in the saga world 72 The world of the 'fornaldarsögur' 76 'Riddarasögur' and their world 80 Kings' sagas 84 Sagas of Icelanders and their world 89 Contemporary sagas 91 6. Saga mode, style and point of view 95 An example of prosimetrum: 'Kormáks saga', Chapter 6 99 Literary and cultural background 100 The analysis 104 'Valla-Ljóts saga', Chapter 4 106 Literary and cultural background 108 The analysis 110 'Brennu-Njáls saga', Chapter 157 113 Literary and cultural background 114 The analysis 115 'Ǫrvar-Odds saga', Chapter 42 117 Literary and cultural background 118 The analysis 120 Conclusion 122 7. Saga structures 124 Structure and meaning 125 Structures of conflict and resolution 127 Life-histories: structures of biography and genealogy 131 Structures of travel and the acquisition of knowledge 136 Structural complexity in the Icelandic sagas 138 8. The material record: how we know the sagas 140 Medieval Icelandic manuscripts and manuscript copying 141 The copying and collecting of Icelandic manuscripts after the Middle Ages 145 Saga editions: principles and practice 149 9. Changing understandings of the sagas 153 The reception of sagas in post-medieval Iceland 153 The reception of the Icelandic sagas outside Iceland 156 Notes 164 Glossary of technical terms 172 Guide to further reading 174 References to volumes in the 'Íslenzk fornrit' editions of Icelandic sagas 184 Index 185 "The medieval Norse-Icelandic saga is one of the most important European vernacular literary genres of the Middle Ages. This Introduction to the saga genre outlines its origins and development, its literary character, its material existence in manuscripts and printed editions, and its changing reception from the Middle Ages to the present time. Its multiple sub-genres - including family sagas, mythical-heroic sagas and sagas of knights - are described and discussed in detail, and the world of medieval Icelanders is powerfully evoked. The first general study of the Old Norse-Icelandic saga to be written in English for some decades, the Introduction is based on up-to-date scholarship and engages with current debates in the field. With suggestions for further reading, detailed information about the Icelandic literary canon, and a map of medieval Iceland, this book is aimed at students of medieval literature and assumes no prior knowledge of Scandinavian languages"-- Provided by publisher