The Cambridge History of Old Norse-Icelandic Literature

An authoritative and accessible guide to Old Norse-Icelandic literature, featuring chapters from internationally distinguished scholars.

Heather O'Donoghue (Edited by), Eleanor Parker (Edited by)

9781108486811, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 29 February 2024

648 pages
23.6 x 16 x 3.5 cm, 1.16 kg

'The Cambridge History is voluminous, written by twenty-seven scholars, and divided into six parts, commencing with its contexts - that is, the history of Iceland - and continuing to its manuscripts and textual culture; its poetic language; theoretical approaches to its literature; its reception; and its landscape and material culture. It is a most impressive achievement.' Marianne Kalinke, Journal of English and Germanic Philology

A landmark new history of Old Norse-Icelandic literature, this volume is a comprehensive, up-to-date guide to a unique and celebrated body of medieval writing. Chapters by internationally recognized experts offer the latest in-depth analysis of every significant genre and group of texts in the corpus, including sagas and skaldic verse, romances and saints' lives, myths and histories, laws and learned literature. Together, they provide a scholarly, readable and accessible overview of the whole field. Innovatively organized by the chronology and geography of the texts' settings – which stretch from mythic history to medieval Iceland, from Vinland to Byzantium – they reveal the interconnectedness of diverse genres encompassing verse and prose, translations and original works, Christian and pre-Christian literature, fiction and non-fiction. This is the ideal volume for specialists, students and general readers who want a fresh and authoritative guide to the literature of medieval Iceland and Norway.

Introduction
Part I. Contexts: 1. History: Iceland from the settlement to 1400 CE Haki Antonsson
2. Manuscripts and textual culture Emily Lethbridge
3. Poetic language, form and metre R. D. Fulk
4. Theoretical approaches Torfi H. Tulinius
5. Reception Verena Höfig
6. Landscape and material culture Jane Harrison
Part II. The Distant Past: 7. Mythological poetry Judy Quinn
8. Heroic poetry Carolyne Larrington
9. Fornaldarsögur Annette Lassen
Part III. The Saga Age: 10. Íslendingasögur Margaret Clunies Ross
11. Poets' sagas Alison Finlay
12. Prosimetrum in the Íslendingasögur Heather O'Donoghue
13. Court poetry Diana Whaley
Part IV. The New Christian World: 14. Conversion and literature Christopher Abram
15. Saints' lives Siân Grønlie
16. Christian poetry Kirsten Wolf
17. Homilies and Christian instruction Jonas Wellendorf
18. Biskupa sögur Ásdís Egilsdóttir
Part V. Beyond Iceland: 19. Kings' sagas Erin Michelle Goeres
20. Diaspora sagas Judith Jesch
21. Riddarasögur Sif Ríkharðsdóttir
22. Rímur M. J. Driscoll
Part VI. Compilations: 23. The Prose Edda Kevin J. Wanner
24. Samtíðarsögur Ármann Jakobsson
25. Learned literature Guðrún Nordal
26. Grágás and the legal culture of Commonwealth Iceland William Ian Miller.

Subject Areas: Literary studies: classical, early & medieval [DSBB]