Andersson, Theodore M.. The King of Iceland

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  • Author: Andersson, Theodore M.
  • Title: The King of Iceland
  • Published in: Speculum 74/4
  • Place, Publisher: n/a
  • Year: 1999
  • Pages: 923-34
  • E-text:
  • Reference: Andersson, Theodore M. "The King of Iceland." Speculum 74/4 (1999): 923-34.

  • Key words: characterization, social reality (persónusköpun, samfélagsmynd)


Annotation

Prior to 1262, Iceland was not ruled by a king. Andersson argues that "the absence of a king and the increasingly palpable presence of the Norwegian king were significant factors in the shaping of Icelandic literature" (p. 923). "The motivating impulse behind [skald] sagas must have been at least twofold, a wish to record as much old verse as possible and a desire to keep alive the memory of Icelandic figures who distinguished themselves in their dealings with Norwegian monarchs, whether those dealings were exemplary or contentious. In the four or five sagas that belong to this category there is a clear tension between loyal service to the king on the one hand and strong, independent Icelandic personalities on the other, a tension that culminates in Egils saga" (p. 931).

Lýsing

Fram til 1262 var Ísland ekki undir konungsstjórn. Anderson heldur því fram skortur á konungsvaldi en stöðugt aukin áhrif norska konungsins á Íslandi hafi mótað íslenskar bókmenntir á síðari hluta 13. aldar. Hann telur að tvenns konar hvatir hafi legið að baki ritun svonefndra skáldasagan; löngun til að skrá niður eins mörg dróttkvæði og mögulegt var og löngunin til að halda lifandi minningu um íslenska menn sem áttu í eftirminnilegum samskiptum við norska konungsvaldið, hvort sem þau samskiptu þættu til eftirbreytni eða ekki. "Í þeim fjórum eða fimm sögum sem tilheyra þessum flokki er greinileg togstreita milli hollustu við konung annars vegar og hins sterka og sjálfstæða persónuleika Íslendingsins hins vegar, togstreita sem kemur skýrast fram í Egils sögu" (s. 931).

See also

References

Links

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