Overview

In this book, Theodore M. Andersson, a leading scholar of the Norse sagas, introduces readers to the development of the Icelandic sagas between 1180 and 1280, a crucial period that witnessed a gradual shift of emphasis from tales of adventure and personal distinction to the analysis of political and historical propositions. Beginning with the first full-length sagas and culminating in the acknowledged masterpiece Njals saga, Andersson emphasizes a historical perspective, establishing a chronology for seventeen of the most important sagas and showing how they evolve thematically and stylistically over the century under study.

Revisiting the long-standing debate about the oral and literary components of the sagas, Andersson argues that there is a clear progression from the somewhat mechanical gathering of oral lore in the early sagas to an increasingly tight and authorially controlled composition in the later sagas. The early sagas including The Legendary Saga of Saint Olaf and Odd Snorrason's Saga of Olaf Tryggvason focus on conspicuous individuals and their memorable deeds; later works are more apt to formulate the abstract problems and ideas that preoccupied their authors. As the authors begin to impose their views on the inherited narratives, the sagas become more and more critical and self-conscious, to the point where Njals saga may be considered not only to approximate a novel in our sense of the term but also to comment on the saga form.

Full Product Details

Author:   Theodore M. Andersson
Publisher:   Cornell University Press
Imprint:   Cornell University Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 1.80cm , Length: 22.80cm
Weight:   0.386kg
ISBN:  

9780801477829

ISBN 10:   0801477824
Pages:   248
Publication Date:   June 2012
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In stock  
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Reviews

Theodore M. Andersson gathers various threads including oral tradition, Ol fs saga Tryggvasonar, Morkinskinna, and the Lj svetninga saga into a culmination of his pursuit of the origins and development of the Icelandic sagas over the past forty years. This is a subject that somehow always seems fresh in Andersson's hands. I am very much impressed by how Andersson manages to convey to the reader some sense of the magic of the sagas. I particularly like his refreshing and somewhat daring new analysis of Nj ls saga. -Hermann Jakobsson

Theodore M. Andersson gathers various threads including oral tradition, Olafs saga Tryggvasonar, Morkinskinna, and the Ljosvetninga saga into a culmination of his pursuit of the origins and development of the Icelandic sagas over the past forty years. This is a subject that somehow always seems fresh in Andersson's hands. I am very much impressed by how Andersson manages to convey to the reader some sense of the magic of the sagas. I particularly like his refreshing and somewhat daring new analysis of Njals saga. -Hermann Jakobsson

<p> The Growth of the Medieval Icelandic Sagas (1180 1280) is both useful and thought-provoking throughout. Andersson's style is succinct and engaging. He introduces a number of basic concepts, which are clearly and useful explained, while still finding room for some striking, original, and challenging arguments. Saga-Book

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