The unwashed children of Eve : the production, dissemination and reception of popular literature in post-Reformation Iceland

This book questions the established view that the writing of prose fiction in Iceland had effectively lain dormant between the end of the classic saga-writing period and the 19th century national romantic revival. Focusing on ten romantic sagas attributed to the clergyman and poet Jón Oddsson Hjaltalín (1749-1835), the author examines the style and structure of the sagas in relation to the older literary tradition and more modern ideas of the enlightenment, and aspects of their transmission and reception. Preface vii On the Origin of Elves xii I. Popular romance in post-Reformation Iceland: works and responses 1 II. Social textuality: the 'lygisaga' in context 35 III. A parson's pleasure: The life and literary activity of Jón Oddsson Hjaltalín 75 IV. The structure and style of the sagas attributed to Jón Hjaltalín 133 V. The old and the new: Antiquarianism and Enlightenment in the sagas of Jón Hjaltalín 207 Notes 241 Appendices 1. The manuscripts of printed editions of the sagas attributed to Jón Hjaltalín and material derived from them 289 2. 'Rímur af Reimari og Fal enum sterka' 295 3. Plot summaries 301 Bibliography 343 Index 371 Matthew James Driscoll. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 343-369) And Index.