Saint and the Saga Hero (eBook)

Hagiography and Early Icelandic Literature

Sian E. Gronlie (Autor)

eBook Download: PDF

2017
318 Seiten
Boydell & Brewer (Verlag)
978-1-78744-160-6 (ISBN)

Infos

A compelling argument that far from developing in a literary vacuum, saga literature interacts in lively, creative and critical ways with one of the central genres of the European middle ages.The relationship between that most popular of medieval genres, the saint's life, and the sagas of the Icelanders is investigated here. Although saga heroes are rarely saints themselves - indeed rather the reverse - they interact with saints in a variety of ways: as ancestors or friends of saints, as noble heathens or converts to Christianity, as innocent victims of violent death, or even as anti-saints, interrogating aspects of saintly ideology. Via detailed readings of a range of the sagas, this book explores how saints' lives contributed to the widening of medieval horizons, allowing the saga authors to develop multiple perspectives (moral, eschatological, psychological) on traditional feud narratives and family dramas. The saint's life introduced new ideals to the saga world, such as suffering, patience and feminine nurture, and provided, through dreams, visions and signs, ways of representing the interior life and of engaging with questions of merit and reward. In dialogue with the ideology of the saint, the saga hero develops into a complex and multi-faceted figure. Sian Gronlie is Associate Professor and Kate Elmore Fellow in English Language and Literature at St Anne's College, Oxford.

Inhalt

Preface
Saints' Lives and Sagas of Icelanders
The Failed Saint: Oddr's Óláfr Tryggvason
The Confessor, the Martyr and the Convert
The Noble Heathen and the Missionary Saint
The Outlaw, the Exile and the Desert Saint
The Saint as Friend and Patron
Conclusion

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 17.11.2017
• Reihe/Serie: Studies in Old Norse Literature
• Reihe/Serie: Studies in Old Norse Literature
• Zusatzinfo: 1 colour illus.
• Verlagsort: Woodbridge
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Essays / Feuilleton
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Sprach- / Literaturwissenschaft ► Anglistik / Amerikanistik
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Sprach- / Literaturwissenschaft ► Literaturwissenschaft
• Schlagworte: authorship • character relationships • Christianity • conflict • Drama • fictional characters • God • Hero • Holy • holy figure • Iceland • icelandic literature • language • Literature • Manuscripts • Medieval • Middle Ages • Protagonist • Reading • Religion • Saint
• ISBN-10: 1-78744-160-1 / 1787441601
• ISBN-13: 978-1-78744-160-6 / 9781787441606