Old Norse-Icelandic Literature: A Critical Guide

396 Pages·1985·20.305 MB·English

by  Carol J. Clover, John Lindow

ISBN 0-4014-1755-4
Old Norse—Icelandic
Literature
A Critical Guide
Edited by Carol J. Clover
and John Lindow
The current revival of interest in the
rich and varied literature of early Scan­
dinavia has prompted a corresponding
interest in its background: its origins, so­
cial and historical context, and relation­
ship to other medieval literatures. Even
readers with a knowledge of Old Norse
and Icelandic have found these subjects
difficult to pursue, however, for up-to-
date reference works in any language are
few and none exist in English.
To fill the gap, six distinguished schol­
ars have contributed ambitious new essays
to this volume. The contributors summar­
ize and comment on scholarly work in the
major branches of the field: eddic and
skaldic poetry, family and kings’ sagas,
courtly writing, and mythology. Taken
together, their judicious and attractively
written essays—each with a full bibliog­
raphy—make up the first book-length
survey of Old Norse literature in English,
and a basic reference work that will stimu­
late research in these areas and help to
open up the field to a wider academic
readership.
Theodore M. Andersson is a member of
the faculty of Stanford University. Among
his books are The Legend of Brynhild. Carol
J. Clover, the author of The Medieval Saga
(see back of jacket), teaches at the Uni­
versity of California, Berkeley. Roberta
(continued on back flap)

ISLANDICA
A SERIES RELATING TO ICELAND AND THE
FISKE ICELANDIC COLLECTION
CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES
EDITED BY JOSEPH HARRIS
VOLUME XLV
Old Norse-Icelandic Literature:
A Critical Guide
EDITED BY
Carol J. Clover and John Lindow

Old Norse-Icelandic
Literature
A Critical Guide
EDITED BY
Carol J. Clover
and John Lindow
ISLANDICA XLV
Cornell University Press
Ithaca and London, 1985
Cornell University Press gratefully acknowledges financial contributions from Stanford
University and the University of California, Berkeley, that aided in bringing this book to
publication.
Copyright © 1985 by Cornell University
All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book, or parts thereof,
must not be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher. For
information, address Cornell University Press, 124 Roberts Place, Ithaca, New York
14850.
First published 1985 by Cornell University Press.
International Standard Book Number 0-8014-1755-4
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 85-47697
Printed in the United States of America
Librarians: Library of Congress cataloging information appears
on the last page of the book.
The paper in this book is acid-free and meets the guidelines for
permanence and durability of the Committee on Production Guidelines
for Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources.
Contents
Preface 7
Abbreviations 12
Mythology and Mythography 21
John Lindow
Eddie Poetry 68
Joseph Harris
Skaldic Poetry 157
Roberta Frank
Kings’ Sagas (Konungasögur) 197
Theodore M. Andersson
Icelandic Family Sagas (íslendingasögur) 239
Carol J. Clover
Norse Romance (Riddarasögur) 316
Marianne Kalinke
Contributors 365
Index of Texts and Authors 367
Index of Critics 373
Index of Topics 384
5