Old Norse-Icelandic Literature: A Short Introduction

From runic inscriptions to sagas, this book introduces readers to the rich fictional and historical worlds of Old Norse-Icelandic literature. It describes and illustrates not only the deceptively novelistic narratives of the renowned family sagas, but also the strange brilliance of Eddaic and skaldic verse; with its vivid mythological, heroic or courtly settings, and the variety of other kinds of Old Norse poetry and storytelling. An introduction outlining the language and culture of the Viking age, when Iceland was first settled, helps readers to appreciate the background against which this literature developed. The book acts as an introduction not only to Old-Norse Icelandic literature, but also to its reception through the ages and its influence on literature written in English. The author shows how a whole range of writers from William Blake to Seamus Heaney have drawn on this body of work, and how it relates to English literature of earlier periods; even Hamlet appears in Old Norse texts.


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