Harris, Joseph. Romancing the Rune: Difference between revisions
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* '''Author''': Harris, Joseph | * '''Author''': Harris, Joseph | ||
* '''Title''': Romancing the Rune. Aspects of Literacy in Early Scandinavian Orality | * '''Title''': Romancing the Rune. Aspects of Literacy in Early Scandinavian Orality | ||
* '''Published in''': ''Atti Accademia Peloritana dei Pericolanti | * '''Published in''': ''Atti Accademia Peloritana dei Pericolanti'' | ||
* '''Place, Publisher''': | * '''Series''': Classe di Lettere Filosofia e Belle Arti 70 | ||
* '''Place, Publisher''': Messina: Accademia Peloritana dei Pericolanti | |||
* '''Year''': 1994 | * '''Year''': 1994 | ||
* '''Pages''': 111–40 | * '''Pages''': 111–40 | ||
* '''E-text''': | * '''E-text''': | ||
* '''Reference''': Harris, Joseph. "Romancing the Rune. Aspects of Literacy in Early Scandinavian Orality." ''Atti Accademia Peloritana dei Pericolanti. Classe di Lettere Filosofia e Belle Arti | * '''Reference''': Harris, Joseph. "Romancing the Rune. Aspects of Literacy in Early Scandinavian Orality." ''Atti Accademia Peloritana dei Pericolanti,'' pp. 111–40. Classe di Lettere Filosofia e Belle Arti 70. Messina: Accademia Peloritana dei Pericolanti, 1994. | ||
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* '''Key words''': | * '''Key words''': | ||
==Annotation== | |||
In an earlier article entitled “Eddic Poetry as Oral Poetry” (published in 1983), Harris examined the applicability of oral-formulaic theory to eddic tradition. In this paper, he reviews and expands on his ideas concerning the orality of eddic poems before turning to skaldic traditions, arguing that there is a continuum between the two traditions. Skaldic poetry was an established art prior to the introduction of writing and continued to evolve as a tradition until the late Middle Ages. Skaldic poetry does not appear to be formulaic, but narratives describing its composition and performance indicate internal differences within the tradition and varying degrees of improvisation. The composition of Höfuðlausn in Egils saga, where the poet requires only half a night to complete his poem, is compared to a þáttr in which court poet Einar Skúlason improvises verses on very short notice. Harris points out, however, that skaldic poetry in general has many features of literary verse avant la lettre, and he suggests that the skald’s exposure to runic writing (and runic monuments in particular) may be one reason for this. Runes appear several times in Egils saga in various contexts, with a physical sense of language appearing at several points that indicates a possible “literate residue” in his oral poetry. | |||
==Lýsing== | ==Lýsing== | ||
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==References== | ==References== | ||
[[Egla,_80|Chapter 80]]: '''hlóð eg lofköst''': "[I]n the concluding stanza Egill returns to the idea of language as a signal tower, a beacon on a high sea-cliff like Beowulf’s arrow ... Now Egill had not read Horace’s “monumentum aere perennius”; in fact there is no reason to believe that Egill had read anyone who did not write in runes, but the fame of Arinbjörn is here made equivalent to a monument of stone. And it is hard not to think of the conjunction of stone monument, written language, and fame that we know from some of the Swedish runestones." (p. 136-37). | |||
==Links== | ==Links== | ||
Revision as of 11:01, 3 March 2012
- Author: Harris, Joseph
- Title: Romancing the Rune. Aspects of Literacy in Early Scandinavian Orality
- Published in: Atti Accademia Peloritana dei Pericolanti
- Series: Classe di Lettere Filosofia e Belle Arti 70
- Place, Publisher: Messina: Accademia Peloritana dei Pericolanti
- Year: 1994
- Pages: 111–40
- E-text:
- Reference: Harris, Joseph. "Romancing the Rune. Aspects of Literacy in Early Scandinavian Orality." Atti Accademia Peloritana dei Pericolanti, pp. 111–40. Classe di Lettere Filosofia e Belle Arti 70. Messina: Accademia Peloritana dei Pericolanti, 1994.
- Key words:
Annotation
In an earlier article entitled “Eddic Poetry as Oral Poetry” (published in 1983), Harris examined the applicability of oral-formulaic theory to eddic tradition. In this paper, he reviews and expands on his ideas concerning the orality of eddic poems before turning to skaldic traditions, arguing that there is a continuum between the two traditions. Skaldic poetry was an established art prior to the introduction of writing and continued to evolve as a tradition until the late Middle Ages. Skaldic poetry does not appear to be formulaic, but narratives describing its composition and performance indicate internal differences within the tradition and varying degrees of improvisation. The composition of Höfuðlausn in Egils saga, where the poet requires only half a night to complete his poem, is compared to a þáttr in which court poet Einar Skúlason improvises verses on very short notice. Harris points out, however, that skaldic poetry in general has many features of literary verse avant la lettre, and he suggests that the skald’s exposure to runic writing (and runic monuments in particular) may be one reason for this. Runes appear several times in Egils saga in various contexts, with a physical sense of language appearing at several points that indicates a possible “literate residue” in his oral poetry.
Lýsing
See also
References
Chapter 80: hlóð eg lofköst: "[I]n the concluding stanza Egill returns to the idea of language as a signal tower, a beacon on a high sea-cliff like Beowulf’s arrow ... Now Egill had not read Horace’s “monumentum aere perennius”; in fact there is no reason to believe that Egill had read anyone who did not write in runes, but the fame of Arinbjörn is here made equivalent to a monument of stone. And it is hard not to think of the conjunction of stone monument, written language, and fame that we know from some of the Swedish runestones." (p. 136-37).
Links
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- Icelandic/English translation:
