Njals Saga: A Critical Introduction
Njals Saga: A Critical Introduction by Lars Lonnroth
English | 1992 | ISBN: 0520027086 | 275 Pages | PDF | 33.8 MB
English | 1992 | ISBN: 0520027086 | 275 Pages | PDF | 33.8 MB
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.