Finnur Jónsson. Um íslenska sagnaritun og um Njálu sjerstaklega

• Author: Finnur Jónsson
• Title: Um íslenska sagnaritun og um Njálu sjerstaklega
• Published in: Skírnir
• Place, Publisher: Reykjavík, Hið íslenzka bókmenntafélag.
• Year: 1934, 108. árg. 1. tbl. (s. 11 - 40)
• Pages: 11-40
• E-text: http://timarit.is/view_page_init.jsp?gegnirId=000519228
• Reference: Finnur Jónsson. „Um íslenska sagnaritun og um Njálu sjerstaklega.“ Skírnir, 1. tbl. 1934, 11–40.

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• Key words:

Annotation

The article is a review of a book by Einar Ól. Sveinsson, „Um Njálu“ (On Njals saga). In the book – originally a doctoral thesis – Sveinsson argues that there never existed another version of Njals saga than the one which is known from the preserved manuscripts. Jónsson does not agree but follows older theories which assert that there once existed an older version of that particular saga. He points out that all the preserved manuscripts today are „copies“ of an original. In the article Jónsson gives an overview of 12th and 13th century writing and talks about the little importance of „copyright“ and „originals“ at that time. He points out that the original scripts were thought to be out of date – and lost their importance – when they had been copied and something added to them during that process. That explaining the fact that none of them exist today. In the later half of the article Jónsson picks many examples to support his opinion that the Njals saga in the preserved manuscrips is not by an original „author“ – like Sveinsson says in his book – but a work of an „editor“.

Lýsing

The article is a review of a book by Einar Ól. Sveinsson, „Um Njálu“ (On Njals saga). In the book – originally a doctoral thesis – Sveinsson argues that there never existed another version of Njals saga than the one which is known from the preserved manuscripts. Jónsson does not agree but follows older theories which assert that there once existed an older version of that particular saga. He points out that all the preserved manuscripts today are „copies“ of an original. In the article Jónsson gives an overview of 12th and 13th century writing and talks about the little importance of „copyright“ and „originals“ at that time. He points out that the original scripts were thought to be out of date – and lost their importance – when they had been copied and something added to them during that process. That explaining the fact that none of them exist today. In the later half of the article Jónsson picks many examples to support his opinion that the Njals saga in the preserved manuscrips is not by an original „author“ – like Sveinsson says in his book – but a work of an „editor“.

References

„Frásögnin um jaxlinn Þráins í k. 130, sem sumum kann að hafa þótt gaman að, er hlægilegt skrök; Skarphjeðinn á að hafa geymt hann í pússi sínum og meitt mann með því að kasta honum í augað á honum, „svá at þegar lá úti á kinninni“ (!!). Alt þetta er úngt innskot, það sjest m.a. af því, að þar sem sagt er frá drápi Þráins (úr honum átti jaxlinn að vera), er jaxlsins alls ekki getið; aðeins í einu hdr. er það nefnt, en setningin er þar auðsjáanlega innskot.“ (bls. 23)

Links

• Written by: Huldar Breiðfjörð
• Icelandic/English translation: Huldar Breiðfjörð