Njáls Saga: A Critical Introduction

296 Pages·1976·16.94 MB·English

by  Lars Lönnroth

Njáls Saga
A
Critical Introduction
By LARS LÖNNROTH
The Njáls Saga has long been recognized as
the greatest of the Icelandic family sagas.
Mr. Lonnroth’s critical introduction is a
synthesis of what is known about the
narrative art, composition and historical
background of this monumental prose epic,
which involves more than 600 characters
over a period of 50 years. The author first
scrutinizes the native sources for the plot of
the saga and the Norse narrative
conventions used in its construction. He
then shows how the traditional building
blocks of oral saga composition were
combined in an overall structure designed to
express the unknown writer’s Christian
world view. Finally, he places the saga in
its social and historical context by showing
how it serves the interests of a specific
chieftain family, the Svinfellings, at a specific
time, around 1280. His study results in a
new theory of the origin, development,
and death of the saga genre.
"Mr. Lönnroth is one of the best scholars in
the field, and his book is a valuable,
frequently brilliant addition to our
knowledge and literary evaluation of the
last great emanation of Icelandic saga
tradition."—Konstantin Reichardt, Yale
University

NJALS SAGA

A beardless man battling the forces of evil in the initial “N” introducing chapter
20 of Njáls saga in Kálfalaekjarbók {A.M. 133, fob), Icelandic manuscript from
around 1300. Photo: A. Mann Nielsen.
LARS LÖNNROTH
N JÁ LS SA G A
A CRITICAL INTRODUCTION
UNIVERSITY OF
CALIFORNIA
PRESS . BERKELEY, LOS ANGELES, LONDON
University of California Press
Berkeley and Los Angeles, California
University of California Press, Ltd.
London, England
Copyright © 1976, by
The Regents of the University of California
ISBN 0-520-02708-6
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 73-94437
Printed in the United States of America