Allen, Richard F.. Elements in Njáls saga

• Author: Allen, Richard F.
• Title: Elements in Njáls saga: Description, Theory, Application
• Published in: Fire and Iron: Critical Approaches to Njáls saga
• Place, Publisher: Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press
• Year: 1971
• Pages: 57-94
• E-text:
• Reference: Allen, Richard F.. "Elements in Njáls saga: Description, Theory, Application." Fire and Iron: Critical Approaches to Njáls saga. pp. 57-94. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1971.

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Annotation

Allen argues that events in Njáls saga follow stereotyped patterns, and that the saga is made up of stock motifs and scenes. Characters behave in a scripted, formulaic fashion in a variety of scenes including battle, involvement in the legal process, when greeting and welcoming, bride-bartering, and feasting, functioning at literary levels ranging from figurative statements to episodes to archetypal plot themes. The interplay between characters in these patterns is then examined as a function of power in the saga, and the shaping of plot development by the tying together of motifs, scenes, and episodes into the saga’s plot is argued to serve as a means of creating overarching archetypal themes.

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See also

• Allen, Richard F.. Introduction
• Allen, Richard F.. Problems of Saga Criticism, Origins, and Genre
• Allen, Richard F.. Saga Style: Christian Content and Epic Background
• Allen, Richard F.. The Rhetoric of Njáls saga
• Allen, Richard F.. Form and Theme

Links

• Written by: Eric Blue
• Icelandic/English translation: